InuYasha Fan Fiction / Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Miko ❯ The Animal of Blankness ( Chapter 11 )

MIKO

By L.O. a.k.a. azn_otaku

Crossover: Trigun and InuYasha

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A/N: Has it been this long already? Time travels so fast when I'm really busy. I just got done with the Parade of Lights, do you all know what that is? It's a large holiday parade in Downtown Denver, our band marches in it every year. It's one of the longest parades we march in, and every muscle in my body is sore! But I still love it. Anyways, on to...

Reader Responses:

Moon Mage Goddess: Everyone gets their own answer thingy in this story! I like doing this so that reviewers know they're appreciated, it's nice knowing that the author is actually reading your comments. I'm sorry if I haven't updated soon enough, but I still hope for a review!

HANDHELD Uber Rei Model 05: I almost cried for Knives and Kikyou too!

midnight frost: The last chapter was really jam packed, ne? I was almost overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I had put in.

Morgan: Emotional, eh? That's a good thing to hear! Really, I hope I continue to please emotionally-wise. It's hard sometimes to imagine what this character should say or what they would think under the circumstances I give them. As for Sesshoumaru and Rin, they will be fighting soon enough. They get a part in this chapter as well.

iminyourmind: InuYasha is awake in this chapter! He's also really angry, but that's to be expected.

wheelers_hanyou: Kagome gets more sorrow in this chapter. But don't worry, it'll turn up soon enough! I mean, it has to...the end of this fic is just around the corner!

Raditz: Which is your favorite character? Is it from InuYasha or some other series? I'm glad you're impressed though, even if your favorite character isn't in here. And I am updating...sorry for taking so long!

bluefuzzyelf: Well, I had InuYasha wake up at the last moment because of a cliffhanger type thingie, not necessarily because I was busy. I try to finish an entire chapter for people to enjoy before posting! But I am updating so you'll find out what happens next! ^__^

VStampedeK: Thank you very much!

ShadowX The Dunpeal: I get a lot of compliments over the fact that this isn't a typical crossover. I'm proud of that fact! I hadn't read any Knives/Kikyou fics out there, and when I started writing `Miko' I decided to pair them up because they were both such lonely people. I'm happy that it's gotten such a great response!

alexz: You have two jobs? Wow, I don't know if I'd ever have to time for that. I need a job, though. Buying anime and manga is just too darn expensive! But thanks for reading `Miko', even if you don't have the time to read all the time.

Kiharu: Intense is what make the world go round! Well...not really. But it's what makes a story good, I'll tell you that much!

Miss_Marilyn69: A nun in a church? Lol, that's an interesting simile. I hope I satisfy your reading pleasure!

NOTE: I just want to say to all my reviewers, I am so lucky to have people like you! I keep reading these author's notes saying that they're getting these really weird threats and lots of rude swearing. Not that swearing is bad; it just depends on how you use it. People would badmouth these authors when I thought that their story was perfectly fine. And even if the fic isn't all that great, there's no reason to put in an excessive amount of cussing just to make the author feel bad. If you have some criticism, do it in a constructive manner so the author will want to improve, don't just belittle them. So I'm just thankful that I haven't had anything like that! Arigatou min'na!

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"....." Dialogue

[......] Thoughts

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Chapter Eleven: The Animal of Blankness

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It was screaming for her to let it out; that raw power that pulsated within every last vein in her body. She didn't want to become the Animal. It would eat her up, anything that meant anything to her would be taken away. The Animal didn't let other souls exist; she would no longer be who she was. She knew in truth that she wasn't really a mortal, a youkai, or anything else. But her soul was HERS. The Animal shouldn't take it!

[The urging is growing stronger.]

Her master had told her to fight. The town of Youkai was slowly being destroyed by her master's army. He was only a short distance from her, using some type of golem to his advantage. The sounds of crying filled her ears, a loud shrieking that grasped at her and told her to kill. The light within her was coming out.

[Why couldn't you help me? What have I done?]

The images of those three who had come to her in her darkest hour flashed through her eyes like tiny fairies waving a farewell. She didn't care if she didn't know who they were, if they were in actuality trying to come and kill her themselves...she just wanted out of this misery. She must have done something really bad, to deserve this. She must deserve this; if she didn't then she wouldn't be here.

Her master was making his way towards her, amidst the corpses of the dead laying about. They all had the look of terror upon their face. She knew Youkai had been a peaceful town, they did not expect this carnage. She could not blame them for being scared. She had done this for so many years that the feeling of fright had been numbed to the point of her being a void of blankness. Blankness was worse than evil, worse than death. It meant you were nothing.

[Nothing at all. Perhaps that is why I deserve this.]

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Millie sighed as she felt the incredible anguish of Knives. She may not be one of those Plants like him and his brother, or even a demon like the ones back at Youkai; but she was a woman and women could feel emotion better than anyone.

[It's just like when...he...died.]

She could not say his name too often else she become sad, like Knives. In a few years the pain would go away and she could move on; but the abnormal priest that had connected to her was still a fresh hole in her heart. Millie was happy not thinking his name, happy enough to keep Meryl from getting too angry or depressed. Her Sempai had the habit of being moody.

Standing in front of the big tree, Millie knew she had seen that doggy man's ear twitch. Mr. Sesshoumaru had told her his name was InuYasha, before he left to examine the other sleeping inhabitants of the Go-Shinboku. Meryl was busy trying to comfort Knives, who only snapped at her to go away. But Sempai knew that he needed help so she stayed by him. Mr. Vash helped Ms. Rin in studying another tiny boy with a bushy tail. He was adorable and she would have liked to go pet that soft fur; but she was busy watching for any more signs from the doggy man.

"He's waking up!" Her ear told her that Mr. Vash was excited. Even from where she stood she could see that large tail of the boy twitching in the brush.

Turning her eyes to the doggy man with even more intensity, she felt his eyelashes flutter gently. That small doggy nose of his sniffed the air hesitantly; she could see the vines around him shake in his awakening.

Millie tried to coax him gently, "Mr. InuYasha...wake up please..."

At the sound of his name, the hanyou's eyes snapped open. He stared at Millie as if unable to comprehend where he was for a few minutes. His mouth opened slightly in an effort to speak, she waited to hear his words eagerly.

^Get these damn vines off me.^

"...Eh?"

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Who was this woman? She was really tall, with lots of light brown hair and happy blue eyes. But no matter what her appearance looked like, he couldn't trust her. She had just been there, watching him as he finally woke up. It was suspicious, to see strangers right when he opened his eyes.

"InuYasha, are you alright?"

Turning his head, he could see Sango awakening beside him. Her hair was still pulled into that high ponytail and she wore her battle outfit. Her eyes gazed hazily about her until she noticed the outsiders. Another woman was coming up to them, one with short blue hair and an odd white garment upon her shoulders. Sango and InuYasha looked at each other warily before shifting in their bindings to face the intruders.

"My friend here does not speak Japanese. She called me over to talk with you."

InuYasha noted that the other tall woman had a confused look on her face. He supposed she couldn't understand what he was saying; he knew that there must be other languages out there. Kagome had told him before that Japan was actually only a small mass of land. So of course there would be other people who wouldn't know his language. The question was...why was she here?

[Kagome...]

At the thought of the girl, InuYasha's ears flicked forward. Now that he had broken free of that damn sleep, Kagome's calling was stronger than ever. It seemed to be everywhere at once, resonating throughout his entire being. His golden amber pupils shifted about, noticing that the shrine looked exactly as it had when he had been placed under Kikyou's spell. He supposed she had enchanted the entire area to stop it from aging.

"Where is Kikyou? Where is Kagome?"

He flinched as the shorter woman who spoke Japanese smiled bitterly and began to untie him from the vines. She had already let Sango loose; the girl was stretching her limbs and examining her hiraikotsu. It seemed as if the long sleep had not only stopped them from aging, but had also kept their physical strength from deteriorating as well. The woman finished removing the greenery and stepped back to allow InuYasha to pass. He did not sense hostility within her, but there were those who were able to hide their feelings even from youkai.

When she did not speak, InuYasha repeated his question, "Where is Kikyou? Where is Kagome?"

She bowed her head, "Kikyou...the miko passed away only a few minutes ago. Just before you came awake. I am sorry."

"She is...gone?"

"Miss...is that true?" Sango peered into the woman's eyes, "You are saying that the miko who bound us to the Go-Shinboku has finally gone back to the realm of the dead?"

"Yes. That is correct."

Sango straightened and looked back at InuYasha, "What does this mean?"

At the sound of more rustling, InuYasha quickly turned his head to see Shippou bounding up to him, with Kirara at his side. Miroku walked at a calmer pace while clutching at his shakujou. The metal rings clinked at the side of the pole as he stopped next to Sango, nodding his head cordially to the two strange women. The short one nodded back solemnly.

"Your Kikyou had told us that Kagome is in great danger. She will destroy everything on Gunsmoke if we do not act quickly. We were transported here no doubt to lead you back to our planet."

"Your...planet?" Sango cocked her head, "There is more than just this land we live on?"

"Of course you would not know, from what I've heard you had lived during the feudal era. What this `land' is called, as you put it, is Earth. Not so far away is our own home, Gunsmoke. Mortals used to live upon Earth until they had used up the resources and traveled away to give Earth time to heal. It would seem that over the century Earth has thrived without human pollution."

InuYasha scowled, "I don't care where this `Gunsmoke' is, I just want to find Kagome. You say she is in danger?"

"Of destroying Gunsmoke as well as herself, yes."

"Then take me to her!"

Miroku steadied his hanyou friend with a calming hand, "Patience is a virtue InuYasha. We do not even know this fine lady's name," He bowed his head to her, "I am Miroku. I'm sure you know my companion, InuYasha. This beautiful young woman is Lady Sango, a taiji-ya. And these two are Shippou and Kirara."

"Oh! How cute!" The woman picked Shippou up to his pleasure, cuddling him close and smiling happily, "You are just the sweetest thing I have ever seen! A kitsune, I presume?"

"That's right. And you are...?"

"Meryl is just fine. And this is my friend Millie." She nodded her head to the two men coming up from behind the group, "Those are Vash and Knives. They're not mortals but they're not youkai either."

"I see."

InuYasha nudged the Buddhist monk, "Oy, if we're done...can we go?"

"If we are all here...am I correct to assume so, Meryl-san?"

Meryl set Shippou down, her amethyst colored eyes wandering the shrine grounds, "It would be best if we set off. But there were two others with us; I think they went to look around..."

Sango hefted her hiraikotsu, "Perhaps we could be of some help. What are their names?"

"One of them is a youkai, the other is his mate. They had also live in the feudal ages as you have; I believe you know of them..." She craned her head to look down the many steps of the shrine, "...Sesshoumaru, and Rin?"

When they did not answer her, Meryl looked back at the large group. InuYasha was staring at her as if she had spoken forbidden words.

"...What??"

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The cold hands of her master met her cheek once more, "Bitch, why aren't you releasing your power?!"

[If I do, I will not be me anymore.]

Her eyes watched the battle raging on behind her master's shoulders, staring dumbly as one of her master's assistants sliced off the leg of an old lady. She had on a shawl, and her hair was a pure white. She could see the fine details of the décor upon the woven dress, the healthy cream color of the grandma's skin. The blood that stained her clothing, seeping it way upwards until the red turned black.

[The Animal is crying out. Is this what you want?]

Two more times his palm connected with her face, she bit the inside of her cheek and tasted the metallic flavor of her own lifeblood. There were no tears to vent her emotions; she had used up her tears long ago. But the pulsating would not stop in her breast. To her unknowing; her pupils began to shine a brilliant white. Her master smiled.

"It doesn't matter. Your power will be released no matter what you do to stop it."

[What is left?]

Scrambling through her mind, she tried desperately to find something there worth saving. Something that would keep her from succumbing to the Animal. If there was something there, for her to protect...would she have the strength to remain herself? Was there anything of herself that was even worth keeping?

[Nothing...I was nothing all along...]

Without her realizing it, she had been the Blankness all along. The Animal reveled in her Blankness, and was screaming to join her in ecstasy. If she let it out, it would be no different as if she didn't let it out. There was nothing there anymore. She never realized that she had never been anything to begin with.

[It's eating me.]

Her master let her go when she began to shriek. The Animal joined her, fed off her sorrow and filled her up with the tears that were not there. The void within her became whole again, brimming with the Animal that wanted to wipe everything out. It wanted to destroy the people, the land, the laughter, the anger, and herself.

[The Animal is me...I am the Blankness.]

Those Golden eyes, the three who wanted her free...they were nothing more than obstacles in her true vision. They stopped her from seeing herself in reality. They wanted her to believe that she was something more than the Animal. They wanted her to think that she was better than the Blankness. That she was a slave to her master even though she was actually a partner. The Queen of the Blankness joins the King of the Darkness. He was smiling at her with the happiness of finding her true self. The Golden Eyes was defeated. The three `saviors' were defeated.

She had almost believed in Hope.

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"Bastard!"

"It does no good to protest, InuYasha."

"I don't believe you!"

Sesshoumaru stood with Rin behind him, tensing in case his younger sibling decided to go in for the kill. As of right now, the inu hanyou clutched at his sword. The taiji-ya and the monk were beside him, the taiji-ya shielding the kitsune and her pet. He could sense Meryl and Millie off to the side.

"It is true that I had started out hating you, only tracking Naraku because I had wanted you alive when I took the Tetsusaiga from you. But that is all in the past, InuYasha. There is no bitterness in my heart anymore."

"You still want the Te'saiga. I know it."

"Stop this InuYasha! Can't you see he's changed?"

Rin stepped out from beneath her mate's protective grasp. Her deep brown eyes shone with honesty as she approached the trio several feet from her. InuYasha backed away warily, not wanting to hurt the woman he had known to be a little girl with a chipped tooth.

"It's not you I'm fighting Rin. Go away."

"I will not! Sess is trying to make you understand, don't you see? There is no need to hate each other anymore; he has put aside his differences. The only enemy you need to face is Naraku."

"Lady Rin, how are you so sure that he is what you say he is?" Miroku stepped up to intervene, "Perhaps he HAS changed over the centuries we have been asleep. But we have only known him when he has tried to kill InuYasha over and over. How do you expect our opinion of him to change when we know nothing except what you have tried to get us to believe?"

"I wouldn't have mated with him had I not trusted him with my life! Isn't that proof enough? Together, we have protected the Shikon no Tama for nearly seven centuries, keeping Naraku at bay until we had found a way to rescue Kagome. Why can't you believe our word?"

"You left the Shikon no Tama with that...that woman!" InuYasha pointed furiously towards Meryl, "That's not what I'd call `protecting'!"

"InuYasha, calm down!" Sango slapped his hand down before he could do anything more drastic, "What reason has caused you to believe that Sesshoumaru still wants to kill you? He has not made any attempts of attack in this entire time we have been awake."

"He's always trying to get at the Te'saiga. I know he's just biding his time."

"Think back, InuYasha," Rin pleaded with her mate's half brother, "During this entire conversation, Sess could have taken the Tetsusaiga for himself. But he had done nothing but stand there while you rant! Please, at least calm down for now and face Naraku before going to kill your only brother."

"InuYasha, perhaps Lady Rin is right. We should call a truce until the battle is over. Then you will be able to settle your differences with Sesshoumaru."

InuYasha growled deeply, keeping his eyes upon his youkai brother, "If you even_think_of taking the Te'saiga..."

Sesshoumaru lifted up his hands in acceptance, "Then I will allow you to confront me. We will settle this matter later, Kagome's need is far more important." Turning to Meryl, he inquired, "Is the portal still there?"

"Yes, I can still see the Shikon no Tama and that locket on your table. Are we going now?"

"For the moment, we have reached peace with each other. Now is the best time."

Sango and Miroku moved to join up with Sesshoumaru and his friends from Gunsmoke. They were still a little wary of the youkai, but he had done nothing for them to fear. He had been InuYasha's enemy after all, not their own. InuYasha only joined up once Rin took his hand to lead him to the portal. He refused to look at his brother, choosing to watch as Meryl began speaking to her own companions in whatever language they were using. During the entire conversation with Sesshoumaru, he had forgotten about the two men and the other woman. But apparently they had been trying to decipher what the others were saying to no avail.

"Is everyone ready?" Rin, the only one who was on friendly terms with the entire group turned around to face the crowd. It was only when they all nodded that she stepped through the patch that contained her living room, assuming that the rest would follow. For now, it appeared as if InuYasha and Sesshoumaru would fight side by side to kill Naraku. She would have to stop worrying over that sibling rivalry until the battle was over and done with. It was only then that they would be allowed to settle their differences together.

It wasn't until they were all back on Gunsmoke that the loud screams were heard outside. Rin ran to the window, her eyes widening in shock, "Naraku is on the move, this is sooner than we had anticipated..."

The man called Vash rushed to the doorway, shouting in some language that only the ones from Gunsmoke understood. However, his urgency was clear enough and InuYasha ran out the door with Miroku at his side. Sango gently urged Shiipou upstairs where Rin's other children were peeping out from their rooms. She took Kirara with her, the animal growing enormous to the astonished eyes of Meryl, Millie, and Knives.

"Ready, let's go."

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He saw her there, the girl that had haunted his dreams for over two centuries. She was white, and glowing. He couldn't see her eyes before she took the hand of his hated enemy.

InuYasha called to her as she shrieked.

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"KAGOME!"

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Stop, Time.

[That name.]

She looked up.

[Again. That name.]

There he was.

[The Golden Eyes.]

He was forcing her to believe.

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A/N: I still thought some parts were a bit uneven (like always). But I suppose that being an author, my work will always seem off to me. I hope I got the vibe down right though.

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JAPANESE DICTIONARY

Youkai - Demon

Hanyou - Half Demon

Hiraikotsu - Sango's boomerang weapon.

Miko - Priestess

Shakujou - Miroku's staff

Taiji-ya - Demon slayer

Kitsune - Fox. In this case, fox demon.

-San - Suffix used for someone you respect or someone older than you.

Inu - Dog

NOTE: As you all know, the Tetsusaiga or the `Iron Pulverizing Fang' is InuYasha's sword. I just thought you should also know that InuYasha slurs this word so he ends up calling is the `Te'saiga' and not `Tetsusaiga'. The same goes for his Sankon Tetsusou or `Soul Shattering Iron Claw' attack where he calls it `Sankon Tet'sou' instead.

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