InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Model Village ❯ Kikyo's Demise ( Chapter 4 )

I do not own Inuyasha.

Well, kiddies…The reviews for chapter 3 are much appreciated. I'll tell ya what…You all responded so quickly, I hope the winner of the cookie doesn't mind if it's been sitting for almost a week inside a zip-lock baggie…Well, the answer to the trivia question, "Who was it Kagome revived that Inuyasha hates the most?" Well, Kouga was a nice guess, but I'll tell ya what…In this fic, the relationship between Kouga and Inuyasha will have nothing to do with Kagome so far. Kouga hasn't even been awakened yet. Remember, what really did upset Inuyasha the most about Kouga was his cockiness about his love for Kagome. Other than that, if they didn't have Kagome between them in the original series, I would think they would still have been rivals, but I'm sure they still would have helped each other to find Naraku. As for the answer, you think I would ruin it for you before you've even read the chapter? Again, thank you very much for your reviews, and your support and encouragement with this fic. I really appreciate your enthusiasm. And yes, more trivia questions just might come about, seeing as you all are enjoying this fic. So, thanks, R&R, and enjoy {^_-}

Chapter 4: Kikyo's demise

Inuyasha stood at the edge of the clearing with his mouth wide open. He saw him there, but he didn't expect her to revive `him'. `Why him? He only wanted to kill me for my sword, Tetsussaiga.' As Inuyasha thought about that, he decided to step back amongst the trees for just a second and check his sword. If his body was not real, then who's to say the sword that rested at his hip was indeed the Tetsussaiga. He grabbed the hilt of the sword, and noticed the material of the sword was different, just like Miroku's staff. He drew the sword out of the sheath. Sure enough, it was a fake. That supposed Tetsussaiga was a pathetic long piece of plastic that only minutely resembled the dormant Tetsussaiga.

`That's strange. Where's my sword? How could it have been replaced by this piece of junk? Well, I guess I have nothing to worry about now when it comes to HIM…' Inuyasha thought to himself as he sheathed the fake sword at his hip once again, and then strolled out into the clearing with a straight face.

Kagome saw red off to her side amongst the trees. She turned her eyes towards him. Inuyasha had a pensive look on his face, as if he was thinking very hard and seriously about something. Kagome wondered what made him walk off, as he did not too long ago. Was it about that girl? He seemed heart broken. `I wonder what she was to him before they ended up here.' Kagome thought to herself as Inuyasha turned his golden eyes up towards her.

There was that look again, as if Kagome was something special to him. That stare was becoming quite unnerving. Since she didn't understand their relationship, the stare just brought chills down her spine, and caused goose bumps to rise all over her body. She remained locked in that gaze. Her mouth was paralyzed as his eyes asked her many questions she knew she could never answer. The emotion she read the most in those golden eyes was love. A deep love she had never felt or experienced before.

"Inuyasha" A voice called out from a short distance, interrupting his concentration on the many questions and thoughts going through Inuyasha's mind. Inuyasha turned his head towards the source of the voice. It was his older half brother, Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha squared his body with Sesshoumaru and snarled as he cracked his knuckles, ready for a fight.

Kagome felt the heat rise as the two figurines faced-off in a staring contest. Inuyasha's growling scared her. She had never heard such a sound before, and she knew he meant business by that sound. However, what could those two have against each other? She just touched Sesshoumaru's head just to see who he was. Looking at his clothing, she figured him to have been some kind of Lord, or something along those lines. The only peculiar thing about him was that he had similar features to Inuyasha. `Are they related?' Kagome asked herself as Inuyasha finally stopped snarling and spoke.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha turned his eyes on Kagome once again. "What one Earth caused you to awaken HIM?" He shouted as he pointed at Sesshoumaru.

"I was curious about him; he looked a lot like you. I don't know your relationship to him, but I figured that I'd might as well wake up as many of you guys as I can to see who has been reincarnated and who's been frozen in time. Are you two related?" Kagome asked innocently as she shrugged her shoulders, looking from one to sibling to the other.

"We are half brothers. Same father, different mothers. I am older than Inuyasha. My name is Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western lands. Son of the great Inutaisho, the great Inu taiyoukai who guarded the western domain of Japan." Sesshoumaru stated regally as he stared down his younger brother.

"Wow…Doesn't that make you royalty Inuyasha?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha's head jerked to look her way with a look of confusion.

"Well…to a point, but I was never treated like Sesshoumaru has been. He's highly respected, whereas I've been the outcast of the family, because of my mixed blood. Human and Inu youkai." Inuyasha replied as his stature went sullen.

That was what he was the most sensitive about, his mixed blood. Inuyasha was ridiculed, constantly hunted, cast away, and looked upon as nothing more than an abomination all his life. Only person who saw him for who he was and not what he was remained a part of him. That person was his mother, Izayoi. Because of her contribution to his life, he looked like her one night a month, the night of the new moon.

As Inuyasha contemplated his thoughts for a brief moment, Sesshoumaru knew in his mind that he was thinking about `her', that filthy human mother his great father fell in love with. She was all Inuyasha had. In addition, when she died, she left him only what he wore, the fire rat haori. The cloak of the fire rat was richer in fabric than the fake frock Inuyasha was clothed in before him.

Seeing that, Sesshoumaru looked at his armor and his garments. Those too were counterfeit. His armor was made of some strange material that seemed like it could not even protect him from a hard rain. His swords seemed to be made of the same stuff as his armor. His swords, Tenseiga and Toukijin; both were counterfeit. What happened to the real swords? Could the swords have been frozen in time just like him?

"So, what should we do, Sesshoumaru? Do we keep fighting even though we have no powers? Or do we call a truce at least `til we find out what's happened to all of us?" Inuyasha asked his eldest brother, his gaze going cold.

"I see no reason to fight, seeing as I'm just as helpless as you. We both may have our souls, but we have nothing else of value between us. Not even our blood is a factor now. I will work with you on one condition." Sesshoumaru replied with his usual poker face.

"And what's that?" Inuyasha asked with a snort.

"That you act civil towards me, as I promise to act towards you. It would make this much simpler if you act as an adult about this, and not as the child I've always known you to be." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Why you…" Inuyasha raised his sleeve, ready to throw a punch, when Miroku appeared next to him. Miroku put his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder to stop the irrational act.

"Inuyasha, don't fight him. Just accept the truce. Be a man about this, okay? I'm afraid he's right about this. Things will go much smoother if you two see eye to eye for once, as true brothers." Miroku said as Inuyasha scowled over his shoulder at Miroku.

Inuyasha turned his head to face forward, giving Sesshoumaru one last cold stare. He closed his eyes, crossed his arms over his chest, and gave his response in the form of a "Keh". To Miroku, someone who had known Inuyasha for quite some time, that meant, `Whatever'.

Sesshoumaru held his ground, standing just as tall as he had when he awoke. His brother's childish response could never faze him in the least. Sesshoumaru may have come across as heartless to Inuyasha in the past, but he understood his brother's language. It was the slang he gained from living in the wild, raised by no one, and having to fend for himself. Sesshoumaru expected nothing more than that from his inept younger brother.

"Well, Sesshoumaru. Do you have any information as to what happened to Kikyo? Or even where the Shikon jewel may have disappeared to before we awoke here?" Miroku asked the demon lord.

"I do have information." Sesshoumaru replied as both he and Inuyasha sat down closer to each other, directing Miroku and Kaede to sit amongst them in a small circle. Kagome grabbed her chair and sat down at the table, remaining quiet so she wouldn't miss any information that may be shared.

"So? Spill it, Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha requested as Kaede, and Miroku settled down on each side of him. His gaze never leaving his brother's eyes.

Sesshoumaru allowed Inuyasha to scrutinize him for a moment as he sat rested and comfortable in the patch of fake grass. "The Shikon Jewel was indeed in the possession of the miko. How she gained possession of the jewel from Naraku, I do not know. When I came upon her whereabouts, a monk was treating her wounds in a far off village. According to the monk, she had sustained irreparable wounds when she fought Naraku by herself, and gained possession of the jewel. Since her body was made of clay, there was no need to bandage the wounds in hopes of them closing by themselves. Especially with the amount of miasma emanating from the hole in her chest. She was doomed from the moment his tentacles pierced her clay body. She was no longer the wielder of pure light. She was corrupted. She had no chance of survival. The monk tried desperately to purify her, but his skills were not strong enough. I am sorry, my brother, but she did not survive. The last thing I remember was seeing her body being burned with the jewel itself. Then I awoke here, touched by this human, same as you."

Inuyasha just sat there listening intently to what his brother had to say. He was speechless. Naraku killed Kikyo again. How could that be possible? She was not even alive the second time around. How could she have died from miasma? To Inuyasha, that just did not make sense. The only part that did make sense was her soul was reborn again.

`There has to be something more to it.' Inuyasha kept saying repeatedly in his head. Kikyo couldn't die again, her soul was freed. Why did she give up? Inuyasha let Miroku and Kaede talk with Sesshoumaru as he got up and walked away from the conversation. Kagome watched him walk away as if in a daze. The look on his face was not just one of grief, but of confusion.

She didn't know whether to feel sorry for him, or to try and talk to him. Since she didn't really know Inuyasha she just sat and watched to see what he would do, what he'd say, or if he'd just roll over and give up. So far, there had been nothing but sadness and confusion in his eyes ever since she woke up his brother.

`He must have had a very hard life to look like this. I wish I knew what to say. I don't want to say the wrong things to him. The last thing I'd want is for him to growl at me, or threatens me.' Kagome thought to herself as she sat and watched him walk up to the Goshinboku and reach up to a certain spot on the bark, a spot where the bark had not grown for some reason, as on the real tree. As he touched it, his head bowed and he fell to his knees, shaking.

Kagome couldn't help how she felt. She had to try to give him some comfort. She reached down and rubbed his back with her fingers as he shook and tried to hold back tears. After three strokes, he raised his head, and then turned to look her in the eye. What she saw made her shed tears as well. There was something horrible in his past, and he obviously could not hold it in any longer.

"You must think I'm pathetic…crying in front of a stupid tree…A tree that isn't even real." Inuyasha sniffed as he turned his head towards the tree once again, and put his hands on the fake bark. "This is so close to the real thing. I know it's not since I can't feel the comfort the real tree presents. I wish I could feel that comfort again."

"You can, Inuyasha." Kagome stated.

Inuyasha turned towards her in shock at her words. `The comfort of Goshinboku still exists?' "Where is it? Please, tell me…It's a very special place to me…" Inuyasha said as he stood up and turned to face her.

Kagome reached her right hand down next to him as she said, "Here, climb on. It's right outside."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome dumbfounded as he decided to trust her and climbed into her palm. She lifted him up and held him close as she left her room quietly, so they wouldn't let the others know his suffering. As she walked down the stairs, he sat facing away from her. The way he sat was how a dog would sit when on his haunches. Kagome watched him and noticed the qualities he deemed that were those of a dog's. `He's so cute, sitting there like that in my hand. I hope he'll gain trust in me once I show him his special tree. It means a lot to everyone who has ever lived in its shadow.' Kagome thought as she stuck her feet into her loafers and slid the front shoji open.

Inuyasha's ears perked up a bit when he heard the strange sounds; he even covered his sensitive nose when he smelled the odd smells. He looked around and noticed that the scenery had changed drastically from what he remembered. The ground was paved and there was not much grass around. Where they were looked to be a shrine of some sort. As Kagome walked on further into the shrine grounds, he saw the tree. His eyes grew at the sight of the tree he could literally call his home. Kagome continued `til she walked right up to the tree, and held her hand with Inuyasha perched on it close to the bark. As she did this, Inuyasha stepped up and wrapped his small arms around it as far as they would go. Kagome took in the action and decided to touch the bark as well with her empty hand. The peace she was feeling, she hoped he felt as well. Kagome looked to her companion and saw his smile. Just being there with Inuyasha, sharing the same comfort bonded them for just a few short moments, `til he stepped away from the bark and sat down in Kagome's hand, facing her and his eyes closed.

Kagome noticed his movement, and then stepped away to a bench directly across from the tree. Once she was comfortable, Inuyasha then opened his eyes and began to tell his story. Kagome paid close attention to what he had to say. As he told her about how he came to meet Kikyo, his expression changed from grief to fondness. His eyes stayed mainly on the palm of her hand as he recollected his past as best as he could explain it to Kagome.

"Kikyo and I had become very close. I stayed by her side. I protected her, and even helped her to exterminate demons that were after the jewel. Kikyo and I understood each other very well. We were both outcasts, and neither one of us could live a normal life. One day, she and I took a boat ride back to her village. We had been helping another village full of soldiers injured in a battle. I got out of the boat first, and stood by and waited to see if she needed help getting out. Knowing her, of course, she was stubborn enough not to even ask for help. She lost her footing and stumbled into me. That was the closest we had ever been. I didn't know what else to do, but drop the pole and grab onto her. At that moment, I realized how I truly felt about Kikyo. I had fallen in love with her." Inuyasha explained as his eyes shifted once again to Kagome's eyes.

"I was thinking you had. Every time you look into my eyes, I see your emotions. Must have been a deep rooted love, huh?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha nodded in response.

"I had decided right then and there that I would make a wish on the jewel to become human so that we could live together, and finally live a peaceful life."

"But what happened after that? You obviously never made the wish." Kagome stated clearly.

"No, I never made the wish. Kikyo and I planned to meet. She was ready to give me the jewel, but that was when Naraku appeared. That bastard took everything away from me in one day." Inuyasha responded as his eyes became full of contempt and anger.

"Yes, you mentioned him earlier, the baboon figurine. What did he do to you and Kikyo?" Kagome asked, hoping he wouldn't mind her asking.

"Well, here's the funny part. Neither one of us knew it was him both times. He attacked us individually while we were both on our way to this spot to meet and make the wish. According to Kikyo, he appeared to her first, gaining the jewel from her by attacking her from behind. The odd part of all of that was he used our forms to do it. When he attacked and wounded Kikyo, he used my form and my attack, `Iron Reaver Soul Stealer', an attack only I can use. He took the jewel from her in my form saying he never wanted to become human. After that, she saw me as a betrayer. That's when he attacked me, looking like Kikyo." Inuyasha's eyes left Kagome's. He turned to his side to gaze at the tree over his shoulder.

"What did he do to you, as he looked like Kikyo?"

Inuyasha's gaze returned to her as he continued. "He shot arrows in my direction. He made me think Kikyo was betraying me by attacking me, calling me what she used to call me when she first met me…before she asked for my name…He called me `hanyou'…That word always insulted me when someone used it to address me. So, since I thought she had betrayed me, and only tried to get close to me so she could exterminate me, I went for the jewel in the village shrine. I attacked the shrine, set fire to a few of the huts, and I took the jewel. They couldn't lay a finger on me. I was going to use the jewel to make my original wish, to become a full-fledged demon. That's when the real Kikyo caught me in her sights. That was when the true betrayal took place." Inuyasha once again turned towards the tree. He stood up, faced the tree and lifted his right hand with his finger pointing towards the trunk of the tree. "That spot on the trunk, where there is no bark. That was where she pinned me. Arrow straight through the heart. I remained there for fifty years, in a suspended death. She caught me just as I was making a leap past the tree. Kikyo was a true marksman with the bow. No being could get past her aim alive. Not even me." Inuyasha sighed and turned back to face Kagome and sat down once again, his eyes closed.

"Wow. I could never do that to someone I loved deeply. At least not without killing myself afterwards to follow the one I killed. What happened afterwards? How come you're not still pinned to the tree now?" Kagome asked Inuyasha.

"Kikyo was resurrected by an evil witch demon, named Urasue. She had this knack for reviving the souls of the dead to live in clay bodies. Urasue recovered Kikyo's ashes fifty years after she and I died, and revived Kikyo by her ashes, bones, and graveyard soil. Kikyo became a walking clay pot. She had her soul, but in order to remain in that body, Kikyo had to absorb the souls of dead women who had not yet reached nirvana. She still had her powers as a miko, even though her body was a fake one. She realized what had happened, and she removed the spell that held me in suspended death. She told me everything that had happened; even about whom it was that had screwed with us. From that day forward, we searched for him for revenge."

"Wow…So you two forgave each other then." Kagome said as Inuyasha's eyes shot up to hers once again.

"No, there was no reason to ask for forgiveness between us. We knew who needed to beg for forgiveness. We both badly wanted to hear it from him."

"But what has happened with this jewel? What did Kikyo do with it after she died? Was it entrusted to someone else?" Kagome enquired.

"No. Kikyo had the jewel burned with her body." Inuyasha clarified.

"Then how did it resurface? I heard Sesshoumaru saying she had gotten the jewel away from Naraku when he wounded her clay body."

"It came back into this world inside her clay body. She produced it from her mouth when she awoke. That was what Urasue had hoped would happen. She mainly wanted to be able to use her powers as a miko to help her in devious tasks. Of course, Urasue, like every other demon, wanted to possess the jewel. When Kikyo noticed that was what she wanted, she killed Urasue. That was when Kikyo heard clues about Naraku. The village she called home, the one replicated in your room, they were shocked to see her alive once again, fifty years later. She had told them she had been revived and showed them the jewel. Her sister, Kaede, told her of the man whom she had been taking care of had vanished a few days before her demise. She sought information on Naraku, and learned of his treachery. That was when she decided to revive me, to see if her thoughts were correct. That was when we realized we had been pawns in someone else's game."

"Oh. Inuyasha? How did the jewel break?" Kagome asked. She received the same bewildered look from Inuyasha.

"How did you know about the jewel being broken? I never told you!"

"Kaede mentioned the possibility of a wish on the jewel being the reason behind your strange fates. That was when Miroku reminded her of what he last remembered before he awoke here. You all were fighting against Naraku to get revenge and to protect the remaining jewels shards from him. The two in some wolf demon named Kouga, and the one in someone's back called Kohaku, I think that was his name. But how it broke was never mentioned." Kagome shrugged as she replied.

"When was this? When did they discuss this?" Inuyasha asked.

"When you had disappeared the first time, before I revived Sesshoumaru. Miroku was the one who said he had wondered if Sesshoumaru would know because he didn't travel with your group, he stayed apart from you, but he was also in pursuit of Naraku and was also gathering clues." Kagome answered. Inuyasha closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.

"Oh. Well that figures. Only Miroku would come up with an idea like that." Inuyasha snorted.

"So, what happened?"

Inuyasha looked up at her again and continued with, "A demon had acquired it from the village shrine. She had been fighting a demon when the crow swooped into the shrine and seized it. That demon was a corpse crow. It swallowed the jewel and Kikyo shot it with her arrow. What happened was she aimed right for the stomach of the crow, and the arrow pierced the jewel. The shards suddenly flew across the sky to different parts of Japan. That was when our aim became much more difficult. That was when our long journey started. That was how we met Miroku, Sango and her brother, Kouga and his band of wolves, as well as Naraku's many incarnations."

"Oh my! Wow…Sounds complicated. Guess Naraku and the jewel have been the center of all of your lives up to now. I'm sorry to hear that you and Kikyo have never had the chance to live the lives you wanted. No one has the right to take that away from anyone, no matter whom or what they are. Did you and Kikyo get the chance to share any good times at all other than before Naraku, of course?" Kagome enquired.

"No. Kikyo and I were not always together. She wanted to handle this on her own. No matter how many times I refused to let her go anywhere alone, she would always elude me. She wanted to protect me. Naraku had always lusted after Kikyo due to his human heart. She didn't want me near when she destroyed him. She wanted me to have a peaceful life, and forget about her. She knew that Naraku's existence was partly her fault. You see, we found out that Naraku was created from a pact the bandit she secretly nursed made with a hoard of demons. He became Naraku. A half demon menagerie of all different types and forms of demons and the bandit's heart. He is a bitch to kill! I've tried many times, each time harder than the last! All due to the Shikon jewel. We were just about to kill him when time froze. Since the jewel was almost finished, we stuck close to Kouga and Kohaku so that we could protect the shards from Naraku. When he came after us that day, we noticed he didn't look nearly as strong as he was before. It was gonna be such an easy kill too. Dammit! Why? Why did Kikyo have to die again? She was so stupid to go after him by herself. If I had known, I would have taken the hit instead of her." Inuyasha ended with a fist hitting Kagome's hand.

"Ow! That's my hand you hit!" Kagome screamed as she grabbed him with her free hand, set him down on the bench beside her and rubbed her palm gently.

"Sorry, I tend to punch things when I'm angry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Inuyasha apologized as he walked up to her and put his hands on her right leg as he looked up at her face to see how hurt she was.

"It's ok, I didn't expect it. So, what do you think happened to the jewel this time? It's still incomplete. Do you think it will resurface?" Kagome asked as she rubbed her hand.

"I don't know. I certainly hope nothing or no one awakens Naraku though. If he's awakened, then we're in big trouble." Inuyasha stated as Kagome stopped rubbing her hand and concentrated her attention on Inuyasha as he turned around and leaned back against her thigh.

"Well, it would certainly make things interesting, wouldn't it? I mean, he wouldn't have any powers, just like you guys. He is just a plastic figurine after all." Kagome pointed out.

"Huh…that's what you think. I'd much rather see his figurine being destroyed. Burned, melted, cut to tiny pieces, anything. He doesn't deserve a second chance to screw with us. He's screwed with our lives enough." Inuyasha stated as he just stood there watching the clouds sail by in the distance.

"I hope we'll be able to figure this out soon. It's obvious you all don't belong in this era, let alone as little plastic figurines. There has to be a way to undo this strange happening. I'm willing to try and help in any way that I can. It must suck to have lost your abilities, as well as your purpose. I honestly don't think you were meant for this type of life, Inuyasha. This is cruel." Kagome said as he just stared straight ahead, not moving. She had no idea what expression his face held after hearing her say that, but it came from her heart, and she couldn't help but say it to him. She felt he needed to hear something along those lines. Sure, he had only been living like this for a few hours, but still, he must be hiding some frustration over the situation of his body. He'd lost enough in his life, and then to have his very strong and capable body taken away and given a plastic body. "You must feel like Kikyo now, huh?"

Inuyasha's eyes opened suddenly. She had hit it right on the nose. At that moment, he was thinking about how Kikyo must have felt to loose everything but her soul. He turned towards Kagome with shock on his face. Not only shock, but also a strange calm was present in his eyes. She had made a connection with him, the same type of connection Kikyo and he made when she had said they were both outcasts due to their lives, who and what they were. Inuyasha definitely felt Kikyo's presence in Kagome at that moment.

"Yes. I was just thinking about that. Kikyo and I are now the same, once again. You talk as if you know me. It's as if Kikyo is sitting next to me. You have no idea how that comforts me to hear you say that. Did you know her eyes looked just like yours?"

"No. Since her eyes were closed, I couldn't tell. So I remind you of her. But, what do you think of me alone? Is there any chance you could see me as Kagome, and not as Kikyo? I know it may be hard for you, finding out you've lost her once again, but do you think you could accept me?" Kagome asked as his eyes penetrated hers.

"I don't know right now. I've never loved another person as much as I love her. I've never moved on, because I never had the chance or the reason to." Inuyasha looked down at his hands as he placed them on Kagome's bare thigh once again.

"Well, we'll figure this mystery out first, and then I'll help you move on, okay? It's all right to mourn your loss, but to become blindsided by it can hinder our chances of figuring this out and getting you all back to normal again." Kagome said sympathetically.

Inuyasha nodded as he said, "You're right. I'll try to concentrate on this for now. I'm glad you're our owner, Kagome. We should go back upstairs and tell the others what we've decided. Maybe we can figure this out if we all know that same information." Kagome nodded in response, and scooped him up in her hands once again. As she stood up and began to walk, Inuyasha decided to speak once again, "Kagome? Thanks. It's nice to know I'm not alone like I thought I was." Kagome looked down at his smile and nodded in reply as she proceeded towards the house as the sun began to set for on a very long evening ahead of them.

Well now…To distribute the two well earned cookies. The cookies go to…(drum roll)…Cherimoon from ff.net, and diablodude from mm.org! YAY!!! These two deserve their cookies for getting the answer correct from the get go! Here ya go! (tosses cookies at the screen…Cookies hit the screen and land on the keys) AWWWWWWWWW!!!!! Man…I know they'd disappear in the mail…Oh well, I'll eat `em for ya, K? LOL! ;-P JK! Grab whatever cookies you have in your home and imagine it was from me, K? Love you all! Thanks again for your support and for reading! Ja ne for now!