InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Unicorn and the Spider: Kik/Nar drabbles ❯ The Last Festival ( Chapter 18 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

AN: Written for the “Festival” prompt for 30shards for my Naraku/Kikyou claim.
 
The Last Festival

Smiling children run through the streets, their faces covered in masks of the Dragon. Kikyou wanders through the bustling crowd with strong feelings of joy seeping into her empathic senses.

She wishes she could be as happy as they are. It's a celebration, after all. Memories of the last New Year she celebrated stirs alive in her mind, and for seconds, she almost feels as though she isn't undead and stilled in time as she continues her search.

She senses Naraku's energy at this place, and she knows it's not residual. He's lingering in the cracks and shadows, waiting and chuckling. He's assessing the village, feeling out the energy of every human and youkai that passes by.

This village is special, and rumors suggest a fragment of the jewel is here. Kikyou surmises that an innocent human unknowingly has the Shikon fragment in his or her grasp. She knows that Naraku is aware of this too, and his fiery energy tapping at her senses shows that he's one step ahead of her - and he's excited.

His youki is recognizable, and she sees his miasma hovering over the villagers' ankles, ready to strike. Kikyou frowns. These poor, happy fools do not know true danger they are in, and she sees their inevitable deaths plainly within her sight.

She cranes her neck around, looking at the joyous village one last time. In another life, she might have tried to help them, and deep inside her soul she wants to save them.

But she's here for Naraku - and Naraku only.

Fireworks shoot into the sky, and they cry for the last minutes of the living human village. Her heel turns, and she's moving to the outskirts of the village for cover in the forest, hoping her exit will lead Naraku away from them - her small chance to spare innocent life.

Yet, he won't follow. She knows this.

And with the first cry, her eyes tight shut for a second, and she knows that he has shown himself. Acrid smoke fills her nostrils, and she can smell his destruction.

She turns around, and she's ready. Her bow and quiver are straight and assured in her grasp. She narrows her eyes, fazing out the screams of villagers running past her. Her soul stealers linger behind her, and she feels her invigorated false body sigh.

Her one and only prey is on the rise. So she steps up to hunt with haste.