Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Unbreakable Bonds

Introduction

It is almost sundown. A small mouse demon ventures out of its hole to get a drink of water before predators awaken. He sits up abruptly, his ears twitching as he listens for danger. Suddenly, he shoots off into the bushes. From the opposite direction there are heard two voices, both female. When the brush is parted it reveals a young-looking priestess with old looking eyes. She is dressed in long red pants and a flowing white shirt. She carries with her a longbow and quiver of arrows. She has long black hair and eyes; her carriage is of one with nobility, around her fly the Shinidamachu. Her companion, though also female, on closer inspection is shown to definitely have demonic blood in her veins. Her hair is a light shade of aqua blue adorned with a pink water lily, while her eyes are an indigo color with a black pupil in the middle. At first glance they appear snake-like, but in an instant they appeared normal again. This demoness is wearing long silver-blue clingy pants made of a fabric that closely resembles leather. All she wears on top is what looks like a bikini top. It is light pink in color and made of the same fabric as her pants. She wears a necklace made of coral around her neck. Its centerpiece is a scallop shell. The demoness, whose name is Aureate, is endeavoring to convince her companion to make camp near the river.

"It's a perfect spot to make camp in. See? There's a tree for you to sleep in and…"

"And there's a river for you to frolic in."

"Hee hee, exactly, so you see, it really is the perfect spot, lady Kikyo."

"Fine, Aureate, if you really want to stop here for the night then we'll stop here. But please just call me Kikyo."

"Ok, lady Kikyo." Kikyo glared at the demoness who was grinning at her.

"You're just trying to annoy me."

"I know." Kikyo shook her head and smiled, as she set her bow and quiver down underneath the big tree.

She watched as her friend dropped her pack and leapt into the water, barely making a ripple when she touched it. She thought back to when they had first met.

"Huh," Kikyo sighed, as she leaned back in the tree. She looked up as her Shinidamachu flew toward her carrying souls. She relaxed more and more as the souls revived her. 'That battle took more energy than I thought it would,' she thought. As she was revived, she became aware that she was being watched. The one watching her possessed a demonic aura of medium-strength. Though it was a demon, she sensed that it wasn't malevolent.

"You shouldn't spy on people. They might turn out to be more powerful than you."

"I only spy on you because I know who you are." The response caught Kikyo off-guard, though she didn't let it show. "If you know, then who am I?"

"You are lady Kikyo, or should I say priestess Kikyo? You are one of the living dead brought back by the demoness Urasue. During your life, you were the most powerful priestess in history, and was charged with keeping the Shikon Jewel safe. Even now, when you should be nothing but a shell, you find a way to live, to once again become one of the most powerful spiritual beings around."

The demoness, for Kikyo could tell from her voice that she was female, paused as if in thought, then continued. "Well, am I right?"

"You are, to an extent. My name is Kikyo and I was a priestess in my time alive. I was the guardian of the Shikon Jewel, but I certainly wasn't the most powerful. The witch Urasue did indeed bring me back as one of her living dead. What I am doing now, I would hardly call living in any form." She gestured to the Shinidamachu floating around her. "There are many spiritual beings in this land a great deal more powerful than me."

"You speak of the priestess garbed in strange clothing? I have not met her, but I have heard of her deeds along with your own. I believe you to be the more wise and powerful." Kikyo sat up, intrigued by this demoness who was not afraid to speak to a priestess she herself deemed so powerful.

"Why not show yourself, so that I may see you? After all, you seem to know much about me, while I know nothing about you. I don't even know what you look like." After a pause she heard a shift of the water and then there stood Aureate exactly as she was today.

They had been traveling together ever since. 'I don't usually travel with others, but she's different. She's good for me. She makes me feel, makes me live.' She was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts by water dripping onto her face. She glared up at the hand waving in her face.

"What, you were just staring off into space. I had to make sure you were ok," pouted Aureate.

Kikyo laughed at the expression on her face. Aureate joined in.

When they had both stopped to breathe she spoke, "Before I met you, the last time I truly laughed was when I was truly alive."

"Then it's a good thing I'm around then, huh?"

"Yes, it is." The two sat there, just looking at one another for awhile, then, "We should make camp, Aureate."

They both stood up, Kikyo to go get firewood and Aureate to catch some fish for their dinner.

"Kikyo?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we'll be able to? Defeat Naraku, I mean."

"We have to be. We can't allow him to stay alive."

"You're right. No matter what, we have to kill him."

Three days later, they hear about how Inuyasha refuses to join Sesshoumaru in a fight against a mutual enemy.

"They'll never be able to beat Naraku like that. They need to join together."

"The two of them have never gotten along and I doubt that will change now, Aureate."

"But I don't understand them. They possess two of the most powerful weapons around, and yet instead of joining together to destroy Naraku, they waste time fighting with each other."

"That is the constant fight between full demon and half demon."

"That's stupid. In a fight like this one, I don't think your blood matters."

"That just shows how hard it will be for us to defeat him on our own, when even demon like Sesshoumaru can't."

"There has to be a way to do this. I mean he has so many enemies. Surely he can't defeat them all."

"The problem is all of his enemies are split into many different camps, we included."

"Then maybe instead of fighting him when we know we can't defeat him yet, we should be searching for a some strong allies."

"I think you're right Aureate. We should be making ties and forging bonds. That is how we will beat Naraku, not separately, but together."

"Exactly, Kikyo."

"But to do this quickly, I think it would be in our favor to…"

"Split up? You're absolutely right."

The Next Morning...

"Alright, so here's the plan, we split up and find as many strong allies as we can."

"Allies that are willing to work together with others."

"Exactly."

"We'll meet back together Mt. Suna in exactly six months, unless we contact each other beforehand."

"Yes, Kikyo this is our best bet at finally defeating him."

With that the two friends bid farewell to each other and split to try and join together groups of people who had previously fought against each other.

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