Parallel

Chapter One

- Bare Feet and Bloody Shoulders -

She inhaled through her nose and notched the arrow into the bowstring. Her shoulder screamed in agony once she pulled her arm back to aim. God, did her shoulder hurt. The bow in her pale hands stretched and whined at the tension.

"It's Inuyasha!" she heard a few of the village men off in the distance cry out in fear. The name caused a great, cold pang in her heart and she clenched her jaw. Continuing to breathe through her nostrils, she promised herself that something such as this would never happen again. She felt responsible for what transpired, she was meant to protect her people, not put them in harm's way for her own selfish wants.

Red flashed out of the corner of her eye. He was here and there in his clawed hands he held her responsibility; the Shikon Jewel. "Inuyasha!" Kikyo roared and released the arrow. It flew, whistling as it pierced the air and landed merely inches before the half-demon, embedding its head deep into the trunk of the Sacred Tree; Goshinboku.

He stopped in his tracks and turned gleeful, golden eyes to her, grinning, "That's funny, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Kaede shot that pathetic twig and string." Kikyo's jaw tightened, damn she missed. Her bad shoulder must've thrown her off.

"Inuyasha," Kikyo called out to him, "enough of this destruction! Hand over the Shikon Jewel to its rightful owner." She held up her bloodied, pale hand towards him. Her deep, dark brown eyes softened as she wondered if this was this their fate from the beginning. Had the gods above determined that their lives would end with hatred and anger filled in their hearts?

Inuyasha's long, silver hair flew around him once a gust of wind picked up. "Rightful owner?" He outright laughed at the thought, sharp canines glistening and pointed ears atop his head twitching. "You're not part of that category either, you wretched miko." The man crouched for a short moment only to leap through the air and pounce through the trees.

"Sister Kikyo!" The young woman turned towards the tiny voice that yelled her name to see a small child with a bandage wrapped around her head and left eye running towards her.

Kikyo's chest throbbed for the child and she fell to her knees before the little girl. "Kaede," she placed a cold hand onto the young one's cheek, "I don't know how much longer I have left in this lifetime, but I must put an end to what I had started." The child's older sister smiled warmly, "You are the village's protector now. It is time to be a big girl." Kaede's brown eye filled with tears, she sniffled harshly and gave a firm nod, unable to say anything.

A few of the men that had been attempting to ward off the half-demon gathered around Kikyo, along with a few of the village women. "Lady Kikyo!" they complained once she stood to her wobbly feet, leaning heavily on her long bow.

"It is my responsibility to finish this." Kikyo turned to the women group of women, staring deeply into their eyes, "Take care of Kaede." And she was off, wobbling towards the forest that Inuyasha headed towards, using her bow as a walking stick.

Suddenly, Kaede ran in front of the woman, holding her small arms out on either side of herself. "No!"

Kikyo's brows rose at her sister's defiance. "You are in no place to deny me, Kaede." She moved past the little girl and did her best to walk a bit steadier, she did not want to be remembered as weak once she was gone, she was the village's protector, after all. Kikyo did her best to ignore the fact that the word "was" played a rather large role in the scenario.

Past the small village, beyond the rice paddies, deep within the thick forest of trees sat a content half-demon within the branches of a large camphor tree. A pair of triangular ears sat atop his head that occasionally moved in the direction of a possible threat. He grinned, his fangs shimmering once he licked his lips in utter excitement.

He observed the pink orb within his hands, plucking at it with his sharp claw-like nails. The jewel's color already began to darken to a violet hue. His inhuman, yellow eyes moved back towards the direction of the village with contempt stinging his chest. "Stupid bitch," he muttered.

It was then that he caught a whiff of her blood and he immediately stood, "Speak of the fucking devil." He bounded further into the woods. His bare feet came to rest on top of the Bone Eater's Well. Just a few feet away from him, leaned the injured woman against a tree, her chest heaving, her breaths leaving her in wheezes. "Someone's looking awfully exhausted... Maybe you should get some rest, Lady Kikyo." The term originally intended as respectful came off as bitter once it rolled past his tongue.

The woman jumped in surprise and notched another arrow, aiming the bow at the young man. "Inuyasha, hand over the Jewel!" Kikyo could feel her muscles beginning to lose their strength, she was getting so cold. She was so far gone, she could hardly even sense a half-demon barely more than a few feet in front of her. Soon enough, she would be dead.

"Damn, you don't waste any time do you, Lady Kikyo?" Inuyasha's lips curled back in a snarl, "I knew I should've never trusted something as pathetic as a human, perhaps I should just kill you now and get it over with. Rid the world of one more verm-" The half-demon had suddenly stopped speaking and his eyes widened. His head whipped down, looking into the opening of the well, his nose rapidly sniffing. "What… You're s'posed to be dead!" he yelled into the Bone Eater's Well.

The Shikon… Jewel… Give it… to me…

Multiple hands abruptly shot out of the well and grabbed the half-demon. Some gripping his wrists, the others his legs and torso, one even clenched onto his long, silver hair. Kikyo's brows raised once she realized that soon both Inuyasha and the Shikon Jewel would be pulled into the well and she shot her arrow. It pierced Inuyasha's wrist, forcing him to release the jewel and it landed harmlessly onto the grass.

"Kikyo, you fucking bitch!" Inuyasha cried out as he was pulled into the well. A white light enveloped both him and the arms and before he knew it, they were gone from the Feudal Era.

Kikyo staggered towards the well and peered in, only to find it empty. Falling onto her knees before the Shikon Jewel, she dropped her bow and shakily scooped up the sphere into her bloodied palms. Its color began to lighten until it was once again an innocent pink. Sighing, Kikyo clutched the Shikon Jewel close to her chest and collapsed, leaving the world until she would be reborn once again into a new life that she prayed would make up for her past sins.

Deep within the well, within a vacuum of darkness, there floated the half-demon Inuyasha. "Where am I?" He asked aloud, only to be answered by silence. "Kikyo?"

You have… what is mine…

He whipped around to find himself staring into the face of a perturbing looking woman. Her black, beady eyes pierced deeply into him, her teeth began to enlarge past her lips, much like fangs. The woman's multiple arms twitched in anticipation and the long, bug like tail, which trailed behind her, slowly moved towards Inuyasha, intending to wrap itself around his body.

Inuyasha smirked, "Madam Centipede. The cockroach, herself, in the slimy flesh."

Give me… the jewel…

Her arms shot out towards him, grabbing his shoulders. The legged red and green tail that began at her hips now enfolded itself around his legs into a tight coil. The creature's sickly face moved closer to his.

It's… mine…

"In case you didn't notice, you blind bitch," he held up his now bleeding wrist, along with his empty hand, "I don't have it anymore." Taking the opportunity, Inuyasha pressed his claws firmly against the blood of his wound and slashed his hand forward. Blades of his blood lashed out from his wrist and sliced through the demon woman, effectively cutting off one of her six arms.

Madam Centipede let out a blood-stopping shriek and released the half-demon, a few hands clutching at the injury. Inuyasha proceeded to claw at the woman again with his blood, only for her to rocket upwards, towards an opening above them. The young man could only assume that to be the exit.

Inuyasha followed after her, through the opening of the Bone Eater's Well.


Author's Note:

What do ya'll think? I hope you enjoy, next chapter coming up next Friday! Yes, Inu's got a dirty mouth, sorry, but I like that development that some have of him. Quick side note, Inuyasha and Kagome are 18 in this story, as in Kagome is just finishing up highschool, along with that, Kikyo would be 21 instead of 18.

Any questions? Thoughts? Assumptions? If so, please let me know and I'd be happy to answer them within the next chapter's A.N.

P.S. (fun fact-ish thing?) I am a firm believer in the butterfly effect. So, if anyone had caught that Kaede's left eye was injured as opposed to her right (like in the original work) who is to say that a different outcome/ story is to not take place?

Until next time!