InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Kikyou ( Chapter 13 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.28.2006 | Updated On: 07.12.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 18.2K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.28.2006 | Updated On: 07.12.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 18.2K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 13 – Kikyou
With summer well underway, the gang panted in the immense heat as they traveled down the dry, dusty road. Kagome had begun to wear her tank tops during the day, the long sleeves of her school blouse simply being too much for her in this weather. What she wouldn’t give for a summer rainstorm right about now, she mused in longing. It would soak her to the bone, granted, and probably turn her sweaty, glistening, tank-clad bodice into something fit to show on ‘feudal era girls gone wild’, but right now she didn’t care.
Hair tied up in a bun on the top of hear head, she proudly sported both her bonding mark on her arm, as well as her mating mark on her shoulder. Sango had finally stopped blushing, except on the few occasions that Miroku managed to find something extra… creative…to say. He was certainly in no mood for poking fun at them at the moment, his heavy monk’s robes making him feel like he was roasting.
“Is there a stream nearby?” Shippo asked suddenly, believing he heard the trickling sound of flowing water, but not being sure.
Stopping to listen, Inuyasha and Kagome both perked up when they realized he was right.
“Keh, come on then, this way.” he said, as they ventured off the path, towards the scent and sound of water deeper within the woods. In a quieter tone, he murmured “Good job, runt.”, Kagome being the only one besides the kitsune to hear the comment.
Entering the canopy of the forest, everyone already felt 100% better just to be out of the sun, but once they reached the small stream, they each took turns dabbing soaked wash rags around their necks and chests. Even Kirara plopped down on the damp shore, despite the feline’s usual disdain for water.
“I don’t remember it being this hot last summer.” Kagome moaned, as she wiped the dust from travel off her legs.
“That’s because it wasn’t.” Sango grumped, stripping off her yukata in front of everyone, since she was clad in her taijiya outfit underneath. Kagome felt sorry for the slayer; she couldn’t imagine how hot it must be for her, in all that black leather.
Barely taking a moment to undress, himself, Shippo promptly sat himself down within the cool spring, a pleasant smile of relief adorning his youthful visage.
“Perhaps we should rest here while the sun is at its peak, then continue traveling again once the evening has begun to cool things down.” Miroku suggested.
“I suppose, if we rest here for a while, we could do a little bit of night travel.” Kagome agreed, realizing that only Miroku himself, as well as Sango, were the ones that lack any sort of night vision, and they’d be safe enough while traveling with both her and Inuyasha, as well as Shippo and Kirara.
“That ain’t such a good idea.” Inuyasha grumped, dislodging the group’s plans. “It’d be safer to spend the night at a proper camp site, with a fire going. Traveling in the dark would make us prey to nocturnal predators.”
Kagome smiled despite her discomfort, touched by his concern for their friends’ safety.
“Well, it’s not too safe for us to be marching out in this unbearable heat, either.” Miroku countered, while removing his outer most, bulky monk robes, to reveal a trim, dark blue yukata. Sango, meanwhile, had ducked behind the largest tree to remove her sweaty slayer uniform, returning clad in only the pink and green ensemble that she usually reserved for outerwear.
“Can’t we just stay here until tomorrow?” Shippo asked innocently, as he splashed Kirara, who amazingly enough didn’t complain about getting wet beyond merely sending the kit a glare of mild annoyance. You knew it was hot when a fire-youkai didn’t mind getting wet. “Miroku’s right, this heat’s not good for humans…not even Kagome.”
Inuyasha sighed, knowing the kit was right, as he glanced towards his mate, the sunburn on her shoulders already healing, but visible nonetheless.
“Okay, we’ll rest here for a while, do a little of evening travel, until it gets too dark, then we’ll make camp, and head out early for as much travel tomorrow as possible before it gets too hot again.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
It wasn’t even like they were heading anywhere specific, except that they knew they’d simply come across additional villages if they kept to the main road. But the amount of horse prints along that road, as well as lack of footprints, indicated just how far away the next village probably was. Maybe they should speed things up in the morning by riding on Kirara.
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After resting for a few hours, they took to traveling again for about an hour or so, but once the sun started to set Inuyasha, insisted on getting off the main road, stating that it was time to start looking for a suitable location within the woods to set up camp. Having found one, everyone went about setting things up for the night. There wasn’t a spring or stream close by to this particular clearing, but Kagome had already refilled all of their water bottles at the previous stream they’d stopped at earlier that day, so she had plenty of water for the ramen dinner they’d all agreed to prepare.
Having been thoroughly drained from marching in the heat throughout the majority of the day, Kagome found that both Sango and Miroku had fallen asleep rather quickly, as she listened to their steady breathing and heart rates. She honestly wasn’t that tired, herself, but did find that she enjoyed resting in the cool shade. It was nice to take her mind off of a few things for a while, as she leaned up against the base of the tree her mate was currently perched within. Shippo had taken to snuggling next to Kirara within Kagome’s sleeping bag, and it brought a small chuckle to her lips, as she smirked down at them. Oh well, she wasn’t really cold with the demonic blood flowing through her veins, anyway, so the heat from their fire was more than enough of a blanket for her.
At some point in time, she’d apparently fallen asleep, while sitting up against that tree. She awoke slowly, when a strange stench made it to her nose.
Smells like death… she realized dryly, wrinkling her nose. I don’t remember smelling this earlier, she thought, wondering what on earth could have died that would already stink like the rot of a graveyard…
Graveyard…soil… she realized slowly.
Snapping her eyes open, she shot to her feet, and looking overhead, realized with foreboding that Inuyasha was no longer at his post.
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Inuyasha had worn a small smile on his face as his tuckered out human companions submitted to their unconsciousness so quickly. Travel at night, yeah right, they could barely keep their eyes open. The heat had really drained them. But not his Kagome, he realized, as his smile increased, looking down from his observation post up in the tallest tree, to see her going about tossing their ramen cups into the fire, and sitting herself down against the base of the tree he was currently residing in.
He’d thought about jumping down there, and bringing her up into the tree with him, but quickly thought better of it, knowing how he was when he got that close to her, especially since she was currently in heat. Though true, he knew she wouldn’t get pupped, he’d be more likely to lose himself to his lust, which wasn’t a problem during the spring, when everything else was likely mating, as well. But now, he’d better stay on alert, at least for tonight. Something was telling him that the area wasn’t completely safe; he didn’t dare distract himself. Since Kagome hadn’t seemed upset when he’d silently decided to stay in the tree by himself, he figured she understood. Thanks to their blood-bond, she understood a lot of things about him now.
Hearing her chuckle slightly, he looked down, and saw what had made her laugh. Shippo and Kirara had practically taken over her sleeping bag. Damn, he might need to bring her up here with him after all, or maybe he should just leap down, and give her his suikan. But when he saw her snuggle herself comfortably against the base of the tree, and didn’t sense that she felt cold in the slightest, he settled himself back down as well. That’s right, thanks to their blood-bond, she wasn’t as sensitive to things like temperature any more, either. Not that it was even all that cold tonight, with as hot as the day had been.
After a couple of hours, he picked up the sounds of her even breathing that revealed she’d fallen asleep, as well. Good, she needed her rest. She may possess youkai blood, but not nearly as much as he did. She was still human, basically, and did need her sleep. He, on the other hand, continued to stay awake.
A couple more hours went by rather uneventfully, but then quite suddenly, he began sensing something…something undead.
Kikyou… he realized, as he sniffed the air to discover her scent.
Leaping up higher into the tree he resided in, so he could see above much of the forest, he looked in the direction the scent of graveyard soil seemed to be originating, and sure enough, he saw the lights of her soul collectors hovering over a spot in the woods, not too far away from where they were camping.
I’d better let her know… he realized begrudgingly… She deserves to know…
He debating briefly on whether or not he should wake Kagome and bring her with him, but eventually decided against it, simply telling himself that he wouldn’t be gone too long, and that Kagome needed her rest.
Leaping silently into the tree next to him, he then leapt into the next one, then the next, and so on and so forth, until he jumped down from the thick of the treetops to land right before Kikyou where she stood.
“Inuyasha.” she acknowledged, rather emotionlessly.
“Kikyou.”
He sighed, and even knowing what needed to be said, he found that his tongue was suddenly caught in his throat, as he wished to delay the inevitable. “Heard anything about Naraku?” he stalled.
“Not as of late.” she replied, raising an eyebrow at his nervous posture.
“How…how about the jewel shards?” he asked next, shifting his position slightly.
“Also no.” she responded, adding in curiosity, “Tell me, is something the matter?”
Sighing once more, he attempted to begin, suddenly wishing he had brought Kagome with him, because for many intents and purposes, she was his strength.
“Kikyou, there is something I need to tell you.” Please don’t hate me… he added in his mind.
She didn’t make things any easier on him, when she suddenly took on a rather soft and caring expression, approaching him ever so slightly, murmuring the words “You know you can always tell me anything, our souls are one.”
I guess that’s true in a way, since Kagome bears your soul... “No, they’re not.” he said aloud, instead.
Kikyou immediately took a step back, hurt present in her otherwise vacant eyes.
It is that reincarnation of mine… she quickly realized. She is taking him away from me…
“I see. So you do not keep your promises then?” she asked him suddenly, bitterness creeping into her voice.
Sighing in frustration, he tried his best to find the right words.
“Kikyou, I haven’t done anything I promised I wouldn’t, and I will do what I promised I would.” he began, while staring at his feet. Before she had the chance to comment, he quickly took a breath and continued. “I promised I’d protect you from Naraku, and I will. I will defeat him. I will free you from the threat he possesses, so that you can find your peace.”
“I shall never find peace…” she spat back sarcastically, “…until our souls are resting together in hell.” she added.
His ears flattened to his head at her words. He had told Kaede that he would gladly follow Kikyou to hell, if that was her wish, but he’d never actually ‘promised’ Kikyou herself that he would. She’d tried to drag him there once, rather against his will, as her spell had rendered him unconscious. It was Kagome who had saved him then, and it was Kagome who would save him now…
“I’m sorry, but I cannot follow you to hell.” he said matter-of-factly, praying that she had heard his softly spoken words so that he would not be forced to repeat himself.
“I see.” she ground out with contempt, adding with venom “It is that reincarnation of mine, is it not?” Her words cut through him like daggers.
“Kikyou…” he sighed, ears lowered even more, hating himself for the hurt he was obviously causing her. “Forgive me…” he whispered, feeling helpless.
“Forgive you?” she damn near laughed. “As if a lowly, filthy half-breed such as yourself would be worthy of my forgiveness.” Now she was laughing. “I am the great Kikyou, guardian of the Shikon no Tama” she said in a rather name-drop fashion.
No your not… he thought to himself, but didn’t dare voice out loud. His hurt expression did nothing to lull her musings, perhaps actually fueling them instead, as she continued.
“You will join me in hell, whether or not Naraku still lives.”
Inuyasha didn’t notice the strange aura that was beginning to surround the area in which they both stood.
“I walk this earth fueled by my love and hate for you. You shall be mine, and then, only then, will I rest.”
At this point, she took a few steps towards him, and he tried to back away, but realized too late that he couldn’t move.
Damn it!
“But I never betrayed you.” he said quickly, unable to run, and praying that he could somehow reach the heart of the Kikyou he once knew… “It was Naraku. You should want to drag him into hell, not me.”
At that point, he was speaking in nearly a whisper, as Kikyou had approached his position, closing the gap between them. Standing not even three feet from him now, she suddenly drew her bow, notching an arrow.
“Kikyou…” he pleaded with her. “I wasn’t the one who attacked you! I wasn’t the one who killed you!”
“But you were the one who brought me back!” she spat evilly, “Into this false shell of hatred, forced to feed on the souls of dead girls…becoming the filth I despised in you. Becoming like…a youkai.”
Inuyasha couldn’t really say anything to that; it was true. Had he not called her name, she would never have been resurrected.
As she pulled back on the arrow, preparing to fire, she continued rather sadly, something of the true Kikyou ringing through, at least for a second, before it was quickly clouded over once again.
“I did love you, once…had we used the jewel to make you human, we could have lived happily, but that was never meant to be. Even now, that love for your human heart still exists, but there is nothing for it. Even if I were to use the jewel to return myself to the flesh, you would forever be hanyou, and no priestess could ever love a hanyou.”
“I do!” was suddenly shouted from somewhere within the trees.
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When Kagome had first discovered that Inuyasha was gone, it didn’t take her very long to figure out where he’d disappeared to.
Breathing slowly, she smoothed out the wrinkles that had formed in the skirt she’d left on, having never changed into pajama pants as she’d felt comfortable in the in the cooler garment. She was about to change back into her packed up uniform blouse, but decided last minute to leave her tank top on, instead.
Let her see my marks… she thought vindictively, as she headed off in the direction her youkai senses were telling her her mate had gone.
Seeing the lights of the soul collectors, it confirmed her fears. She’d been hoping, praying up to that point, that she’d somehow been wrong.
How could you? she thought to herself, before quickly shaking that thought free. No, he swore he loved me, inu take only one mate, and I’m his mate.
Getting a little bolder now, she made sure to keep herself down wind, as she made her stealthful approach. Her increased hearing made her privy to the conversation that she otherwise would have been missed, and she quickly realized that Inuyasha was not betraying her.
“You will join me in hell, whether or not Naraku still lives…” she heard Kikyou say.
She was still several feet away, and couldn’t see them yet, so the moment of silence afterwards had worried her, until she finally heard…
“I walk this earth fueled by my love and hate for you, you shall be mine, and then, only then, will I rest.”
Which of course, worried her more.
Creeping up behind a large bush, she was finally privy to the scene before her, as she saw Inuyasha standing there, several feet in front of Kikyou, who looked rather bored, which in Kagome’s opinion, drastically contracted the tone of voice she’d just heard the undead miko use.
“But I never betrayed you.” she then heard him answer in defense, and though it stung her a little, she knew it was the truth, and as she saw Kikyou walking towards him, closing the distance between them, as he whispered “It was Naraku. You should want to drag him into hell, not me.” It completely freaked Kagome out to suddenly realizing what was really going on. Kikyou was planning on dragging him into hell with her…now.
It was then that she saw it; she didn’t know why she hadn’t seen it before. Several of her preincarnate’s soul collectors were wound around Inuyasha’s body, preventing his movements, which explained why he’d remained standing in that same spot, perfectly still, even as Kikyou’d approached him, bow in hand. She must have been using some of the same magic she’d used before, Kagome realized, when she’d bound her to a tree using those damn things, and Inuyasha could no more see them than he could see, or hear, her.
But despite his apparent obliviousness to Kikyou’s soul collectors, the nervousness she was picking up from him told her that he was very well aware that his life was in danger, and if he wasn’t able to physically defend himself at the moment, then she knew that meant that it was up to her.
She continued to listen, as he continued his soft-spoken pleas to Kikyou, but though she would admit that his words hurt her, a little, she also knew that they were true, nonetheless. It was also apparent that the love he had once felt for Kikyou was no longer present, as she continued to sense nothing but fear from him through their bond. Now was not the time to allow petty jealousy to cloud her vision to what was really going on. Not now, when that bitch was threatening to kill her mate. She knew Inuyasha was remaining loyal to her in his heart, and she would remain loyal to him, as well. It was when Kikyou barked out her next words that she was drawn from her thoughts…
“But you were the one who brought me back! Into this false shell of hatred, forced to feed on the souls of dead girls…becoming the filth I despised in you. Becoming like…a youkai.”
Now wait a minute… Kagome’s rage was beginning to boil. That wasn’t his fautl! Like he’d known what the hell was going on… and just what do you mean ‘the filth I despised in you’? she wondered. Then it hit her, like a baseball bat with the word duh printed across it, even as Kikyou said her next words.
“I did love you, once…had we used the jewel to make you human, we could have lived happily, but that was never meant to be. Even now, that love for your human heart still exists, but there is nothing for it. Even if I were to use the jewel to return myself to the flesh, you would forever be hanyou, and no priestess could ever love a hanyou.”
Something inside her snapped, as she promptly stood up, shouting “I do!” at the top of her lungs, before she crashed into the clearing, only to be repelled by Kikyou’s barrier.
“Kagome!” Inuyasha shouted, suddenly finding himself in the clutches of several soul collectors.
Is this why I couldn’t move? he questioned himself, as he managed to move his left hand, ever so slightly, in order to grab Tetsusaiga’s scabbard, instantly repelling the youkai around him when he activated the sheath’s barrier.
Instantly freeing himself, he ran over towards where Kagome stood, on the other side of a blushish swirl of energy, which he found he couldn’t penetrate when he, too, crashed against it. Preparing to draw and use Red Tetsusaiga to break the barrier, he momentarily forgot that Kikyou, who was still standing behind him, also still had her arrow notched.
In all about the time of three seconds, he smelled the sudden spike in fear from Kagome, and saw the delayed reaction of her facial expression morphing to display said panic. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was eating dirt, and it quickly dawned on him that she’d cried “Sit!” at the top of her lungs. Wondering what the hell had just happened, he managed to pry his face from the ground, only to look up and see Kagome also laying on the ground…with an arrow protruding from her chest.
“Kagome? KAGOME!!!!!”
He somehow managed to get up to his feet, despite the fact that the subduing spell hadn’t fully worn off yet. But the weight against his neck was nothing compared to the weight on his heart, as he turned, eyes flashing red regardless of his father’s fang still being strapped to his hip.
“You are not the Kikyou I once loved! She died fifty years ago!” he shouted, right before he drew said fang, and sliced her down where she stood, her expression of amusement barely having time to morph into horror, before she was dead.
In a brilliant flash of light, the barrier dropped, as Kikyou’s captured souls floated up towards the heavens, finally released from their prison. The soul collectors flew off as well, returning back to wherever it was that they’d come from, all except for one, who first took it upon itself to snatch the largest of Kikyou’s escaping souls, before proceeding to fly towards where Kagome lay, gently placing the soul back within her body. Silently, Inuyasha understood, and as he held his unconscious mate in his arms, he made no movements to hinder the soul catching youkai, as it returned what was rightfully hers.
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 13 – Kikyou
With summer well underway, the gang panted in the immense heat as they traveled down the dry, dusty road. Kagome had begun to wear her tank tops during the day, the long sleeves of her school blouse simply being too much for her in this weather. What she wouldn’t give for a summer rainstorm right about now, she mused in longing. It would soak her to the bone, granted, and probably turn her sweaty, glistening, tank-clad bodice into something fit to show on ‘feudal era girls gone wild’, but right now she didn’t care.
Hair tied up in a bun on the top of hear head, she proudly sported both her bonding mark on her arm, as well as her mating mark on her shoulder. Sango had finally stopped blushing, except on the few occasions that Miroku managed to find something extra… creative…to say. He was certainly in no mood for poking fun at them at the moment, his heavy monk’s robes making him feel like he was roasting.
“Is there a stream nearby?” Shippo asked suddenly, believing he heard the trickling sound of flowing water, but not being sure.
Stopping to listen, Inuyasha and Kagome both perked up when they realized he was right.
“Keh, come on then, this way.” he said, as they ventured off the path, towards the scent and sound of water deeper within the woods. In a quieter tone, he murmured “Good job, runt.”, Kagome being the only one besides the kitsune to hear the comment.
Entering the canopy of the forest, everyone already felt 100% better just to be out of the sun, but once they reached the small stream, they each took turns dabbing soaked wash rags around their necks and chests. Even Kirara plopped down on the damp shore, despite the feline’s usual disdain for water.
“I don’t remember it being this hot last summer.” Kagome moaned, as she wiped the dust from travel off her legs.
“That’s because it wasn’t.” Sango grumped, stripping off her yukata in front of everyone, since she was clad in her taijiya outfit underneath. Kagome felt sorry for the slayer; she couldn’t imagine how hot it must be for her, in all that black leather.
Barely taking a moment to undress, himself, Shippo promptly sat himself down within the cool spring, a pleasant smile of relief adorning his youthful visage.
“Perhaps we should rest here while the sun is at its peak, then continue traveling again once the evening has begun to cool things down.” Miroku suggested.
“I suppose, if we rest here for a while, we could do a little bit of night travel.” Kagome agreed, realizing that only Miroku himself, as well as Sango, were the ones that lack any sort of night vision, and they’d be safe enough while traveling with both her and Inuyasha, as well as Shippo and Kirara.
“That ain’t such a good idea.” Inuyasha grumped, dislodging the group’s plans. “It’d be safer to spend the night at a proper camp site, with a fire going. Traveling in the dark would make us prey to nocturnal predators.”
Kagome smiled despite her discomfort, touched by his concern for their friends’ safety.
“Well, it’s not too safe for us to be marching out in this unbearable heat, either.” Miroku countered, while removing his outer most, bulky monk robes, to reveal a trim, dark blue yukata. Sango, meanwhile, had ducked behind the largest tree to remove her sweaty slayer uniform, returning clad in only the pink and green ensemble that she usually reserved for outerwear.
“Can’t we just stay here until tomorrow?” Shippo asked innocently, as he splashed Kirara, who amazingly enough didn’t complain about getting wet beyond merely sending the kit a glare of mild annoyance. You knew it was hot when a fire-youkai didn’t mind getting wet. “Miroku’s right, this heat’s not good for humans…not even Kagome.”
Inuyasha sighed, knowing the kit was right, as he glanced towards his mate, the sunburn on her shoulders already healing, but visible nonetheless.
“Okay, we’ll rest here for a while, do a little of evening travel, until it gets too dark, then we’ll make camp, and head out early for as much travel tomorrow as possible before it gets too hot again.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
It wasn’t even like they were heading anywhere specific, except that they knew they’d simply come across additional villages if they kept to the main road. But the amount of horse prints along that road, as well as lack of footprints, indicated just how far away the next village probably was. Maybe they should speed things up in the morning by riding on Kirara.
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After resting for a few hours, they took to traveling again for about an hour or so, but once the sun started to set Inuyasha, insisted on getting off the main road, stating that it was time to start looking for a suitable location within the woods to set up camp. Having found one, everyone went about setting things up for the night. There wasn’t a spring or stream close by to this particular clearing, but Kagome had already refilled all of their water bottles at the previous stream they’d stopped at earlier that day, so she had plenty of water for the ramen dinner they’d all agreed to prepare.
Having been thoroughly drained from marching in the heat throughout the majority of the day, Kagome found that both Sango and Miroku had fallen asleep rather quickly, as she listened to their steady breathing and heart rates. She honestly wasn’t that tired, herself, but did find that she enjoyed resting in the cool shade. It was nice to take her mind off of a few things for a while, as she leaned up against the base of the tree her mate was currently perched within. Shippo had taken to snuggling next to Kirara within Kagome’s sleeping bag, and it brought a small chuckle to her lips, as she smirked down at them. Oh well, she wasn’t really cold with the demonic blood flowing through her veins, anyway, so the heat from their fire was more than enough of a blanket for her.
At some point in time, she’d apparently fallen asleep, while sitting up against that tree. She awoke slowly, when a strange stench made it to her nose.
Smells like death… she realized dryly, wrinkling her nose. I don’t remember smelling this earlier, she thought, wondering what on earth could have died that would already stink like the rot of a graveyard…
Graveyard…soil… she realized slowly.
Snapping her eyes open, she shot to her feet, and looking overhead, realized with foreboding that Inuyasha was no longer at his post.
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Inuyasha had worn a small smile on his face as his tuckered out human companions submitted to their unconsciousness so quickly. Travel at night, yeah right, they could barely keep their eyes open. The heat had really drained them. But not his Kagome, he realized, as his smile increased, looking down from his observation post up in the tallest tree, to see her going about tossing their ramen cups into the fire, and sitting herself down against the base of the tree he was currently residing in.
He’d thought about jumping down there, and bringing her up into the tree with him, but quickly thought better of it, knowing how he was when he got that close to her, especially since she was currently in heat. Though true, he knew she wouldn’t get pupped, he’d be more likely to lose himself to his lust, which wasn’t a problem during the spring, when everything else was likely mating, as well. But now, he’d better stay on alert, at least for tonight. Something was telling him that the area wasn’t completely safe; he didn’t dare distract himself. Since Kagome hadn’t seemed upset when he’d silently decided to stay in the tree by himself, he figured she understood. Thanks to their blood-bond, she understood a lot of things about him now.
Hearing her chuckle slightly, he looked down, and saw what had made her laugh. Shippo and Kirara had practically taken over her sleeping bag. Damn, he might need to bring her up here with him after all, or maybe he should just leap down, and give her his suikan. But when he saw her snuggle herself comfortably against the base of the tree, and didn’t sense that she felt cold in the slightest, he settled himself back down as well. That’s right, thanks to their blood-bond, she wasn’t as sensitive to things like temperature any more, either. Not that it was even all that cold tonight, with as hot as the day had been.
After a couple of hours, he picked up the sounds of her even breathing that revealed she’d fallen asleep, as well. Good, she needed her rest. She may possess youkai blood, but not nearly as much as he did. She was still human, basically, and did need her sleep. He, on the other hand, continued to stay awake.
A couple more hours went by rather uneventfully, but then quite suddenly, he began sensing something…something undead.
Kikyou… he realized, as he sniffed the air to discover her scent.
Leaping up higher into the tree he resided in, so he could see above much of the forest, he looked in the direction the scent of graveyard soil seemed to be originating, and sure enough, he saw the lights of her soul collectors hovering over a spot in the woods, not too far away from where they were camping.
I’d better let her know… he realized begrudgingly… She deserves to know…
He debating briefly on whether or not he should wake Kagome and bring her with him, but eventually decided against it, simply telling himself that he wouldn’t be gone too long, and that Kagome needed her rest.
Leaping silently into the tree next to him, he then leapt into the next one, then the next, and so on and so forth, until he jumped down from the thick of the treetops to land right before Kikyou where she stood.
“Inuyasha.” she acknowledged, rather emotionlessly.
“Kikyou.”
He sighed, and even knowing what needed to be said, he found that his tongue was suddenly caught in his throat, as he wished to delay the inevitable. “Heard anything about Naraku?” he stalled.
“Not as of late.” she replied, raising an eyebrow at his nervous posture.
“How…how about the jewel shards?” he asked next, shifting his position slightly.
“Also no.” she responded, adding in curiosity, “Tell me, is something the matter?”
Sighing once more, he attempted to begin, suddenly wishing he had brought Kagome with him, because for many intents and purposes, she was his strength.
“Kikyou, there is something I need to tell you.” Please don’t hate me… he added in his mind.
She didn’t make things any easier on him, when she suddenly took on a rather soft and caring expression, approaching him ever so slightly, murmuring the words “You know you can always tell me anything, our souls are one.”
I guess that’s true in a way, since Kagome bears your soul... “No, they’re not.” he said aloud, instead.
Kikyou immediately took a step back, hurt present in her otherwise vacant eyes.
It is that reincarnation of mine… she quickly realized. She is taking him away from me…
“I see. So you do not keep your promises then?” she asked him suddenly, bitterness creeping into her voice.
Sighing in frustration, he tried his best to find the right words.
“Kikyou, I haven’t done anything I promised I wouldn’t, and I will do what I promised I would.” he began, while staring at his feet. Before she had the chance to comment, he quickly took a breath and continued. “I promised I’d protect you from Naraku, and I will. I will defeat him. I will free you from the threat he possesses, so that you can find your peace.”
“I shall never find peace…” she spat back sarcastically, “…until our souls are resting together in hell.” she added.
His ears flattened to his head at her words. He had told Kaede that he would gladly follow Kikyou to hell, if that was her wish, but he’d never actually ‘promised’ Kikyou herself that he would. She’d tried to drag him there once, rather against his will, as her spell had rendered him unconscious. It was Kagome who had saved him then, and it was Kagome who would save him now…
“I’m sorry, but I cannot follow you to hell.” he said matter-of-factly, praying that she had heard his softly spoken words so that he would not be forced to repeat himself.
“I see.” she ground out with contempt, adding with venom “It is that reincarnation of mine, is it not?” Her words cut through him like daggers.
“Kikyou…” he sighed, ears lowered even more, hating himself for the hurt he was obviously causing her. “Forgive me…” he whispered, feeling helpless.
“Forgive you?” she damn near laughed. “As if a lowly, filthy half-breed such as yourself would be worthy of my forgiveness.” Now she was laughing. “I am the great Kikyou, guardian of the Shikon no Tama” she said in a rather name-drop fashion.
No your not… he thought to himself, but didn’t dare voice out loud. His hurt expression did nothing to lull her musings, perhaps actually fueling them instead, as she continued.
“You will join me in hell, whether or not Naraku still lives.”
Inuyasha didn’t notice the strange aura that was beginning to surround the area in which they both stood.
“I walk this earth fueled by my love and hate for you. You shall be mine, and then, only then, will I rest.”
At this point, she took a few steps towards him, and he tried to back away, but realized too late that he couldn’t move.
Damn it!
“But I never betrayed you.” he said quickly, unable to run, and praying that he could somehow reach the heart of the Kikyou he once knew… “It was Naraku. You should want to drag him into hell, not me.”
At that point, he was speaking in nearly a whisper, as Kikyou had approached his position, closing the gap between them. Standing not even three feet from him now, she suddenly drew her bow, notching an arrow.
“Kikyou…” he pleaded with her. “I wasn’t the one who attacked you! I wasn’t the one who killed you!”
“But you were the one who brought me back!” she spat evilly, “Into this false shell of hatred, forced to feed on the souls of dead girls…becoming the filth I despised in you. Becoming like…a youkai.”
Inuyasha couldn’t really say anything to that; it was true. Had he not called her name, she would never have been resurrected.
As she pulled back on the arrow, preparing to fire, she continued rather sadly, something of the true Kikyou ringing through, at least for a second, before it was quickly clouded over once again.
“I did love you, once…had we used the jewel to make you human, we could have lived happily, but that was never meant to be. Even now, that love for your human heart still exists, but there is nothing for it. Even if I were to use the jewel to return myself to the flesh, you would forever be hanyou, and no priestess could ever love a hanyou.”
“I do!” was suddenly shouted from somewhere within the trees.
````````````
When Kagome had first discovered that Inuyasha was gone, it didn’t take her very long to figure out where he’d disappeared to.
Breathing slowly, she smoothed out the wrinkles that had formed in the skirt she’d left on, having never changed into pajama pants as she’d felt comfortable in the in the cooler garment. She was about to change back into her packed up uniform blouse, but decided last minute to leave her tank top on, instead.
Let her see my marks… she thought vindictively, as she headed off in the direction her youkai senses were telling her her mate had gone.
Seeing the lights of the soul collectors, it confirmed her fears. She’d been hoping, praying up to that point, that she’d somehow been wrong.
How could you? she thought to herself, before quickly shaking that thought free. No, he swore he loved me, inu take only one mate, and I’m his mate.
Getting a little bolder now, she made sure to keep herself down wind, as she made her stealthful approach. Her increased hearing made her privy to the conversation that she otherwise would have been missed, and she quickly realized that Inuyasha was not betraying her.
“You will join me in hell, whether or not Naraku still lives…” she heard Kikyou say.
She was still several feet away, and couldn’t see them yet, so the moment of silence afterwards had worried her, until she finally heard…
“I walk this earth fueled by my love and hate for you, you shall be mine, and then, only then, will I rest.”
Which of course, worried her more.
Creeping up behind a large bush, she was finally privy to the scene before her, as she saw Inuyasha standing there, several feet in front of Kikyou, who looked rather bored, which in Kagome’s opinion, drastically contracted the tone of voice she’d just heard the undead miko use.
“But I never betrayed you.” she then heard him answer in defense, and though it stung her a little, she knew it was the truth, and as she saw Kikyou walking towards him, closing the distance between them, as he whispered “It was Naraku. You should want to drag him into hell, not me.” It completely freaked Kagome out to suddenly realizing what was really going on. Kikyou was planning on dragging him into hell with her…now.
It was then that she saw it; she didn’t know why she hadn’t seen it before. Several of her preincarnate’s soul collectors were wound around Inuyasha’s body, preventing his movements, which explained why he’d remained standing in that same spot, perfectly still, even as Kikyou’d approached him, bow in hand. She must have been using some of the same magic she’d used before, Kagome realized, when she’d bound her to a tree using those damn things, and Inuyasha could no more see them than he could see, or hear, her.
But despite his apparent obliviousness to Kikyou’s soul collectors, the nervousness she was picking up from him told her that he was very well aware that his life was in danger, and if he wasn’t able to physically defend himself at the moment, then she knew that meant that it was up to her.
She continued to listen, as he continued his soft-spoken pleas to Kikyou, but though she would admit that his words hurt her, a little, she also knew that they were true, nonetheless. It was also apparent that the love he had once felt for Kikyou was no longer present, as she continued to sense nothing but fear from him through their bond. Now was not the time to allow petty jealousy to cloud her vision to what was really going on. Not now, when that bitch was threatening to kill her mate. She knew Inuyasha was remaining loyal to her in his heart, and she would remain loyal to him, as well. It was when Kikyou barked out her next words that she was drawn from her thoughts…
“But you were the one who brought me back! Into this false shell of hatred, forced to feed on the souls of dead girls…becoming the filth I despised in you. Becoming like…a youkai.”
Now wait a minute… Kagome’s rage was beginning to boil. That wasn’t his fautl! Like he’d known what the hell was going on… and just what do you mean ‘the filth I despised in you’? she wondered. Then it hit her, like a baseball bat with the word duh printed across it, even as Kikyou said her next words.
“I did love you, once…had we used the jewel to make you human, we could have lived happily, but that was never meant to be. Even now, that love for your human heart still exists, but there is nothing for it. Even if I were to use the jewel to return myself to the flesh, you would forever be hanyou, and no priestess could ever love a hanyou.”
Something inside her snapped, as she promptly stood up, shouting “I do!” at the top of her lungs, before she crashed into the clearing, only to be repelled by Kikyou’s barrier.
“Kagome!” Inuyasha shouted, suddenly finding himself in the clutches of several soul collectors.
Is this why I couldn’t move? he questioned himself, as he managed to move his left hand, ever so slightly, in order to grab Tetsusaiga’s scabbard, instantly repelling the youkai around him when he activated the sheath’s barrier.
Instantly freeing himself, he ran over towards where Kagome stood, on the other side of a blushish swirl of energy, which he found he couldn’t penetrate when he, too, crashed against it. Preparing to draw and use Red Tetsusaiga to break the barrier, he momentarily forgot that Kikyou, who was still standing behind him, also still had her arrow notched.
In all about the time of three seconds, he smelled the sudden spike in fear from Kagome, and saw the delayed reaction of her facial expression morphing to display said panic. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was eating dirt, and it quickly dawned on him that she’d cried “Sit!” at the top of her lungs. Wondering what the hell had just happened, he managed to pry his face from the ground, only to look up and see Kagome also laying on the ground…with an arrow protruding from her chest.
“Kagome? KAGOME!!!!!”
He somehow managed to get up to his feet, despite the fact that the subduing spell hadn’t fully worn off yet. But the weight against his neck was nothing compared to the weight on his heart, as he turned, eyes flashing red regardless of his father’s fang still being strapped to his hip.
“You are not the Kikyou I once loved! She died fifty years ago!” he shouted, right before he drew said fang, and sliced her down where she stood, her expression of amusement barely having time to morph into horror, before she was dead.
In a brilliant flash of light, the barrier dropped, as Kikyou’s captured souls floated up towards the heavens, finally released from their prison. The soul collectors flew off as well, returning back to wherever it was that they’d come from, all except for one, who first took it upon itself to snatch the largest of Kikyou’s escaping souls, before proceeding to fly towards where Kagome lay, gently placing the soul back within her body. Silently, Inuyasha understood, and as he held his unconscious mate in his arms, he made no movements to hinder the soul catching youkai, as it returned what was rightfully hers.