Inuyasha
"Return of Kikyo"
Disclaimer - "Inuyasha" is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi. I'm not making any money off of this; I'm doing this for fun.
Authors Note - Right, so… All of you Kagome's lovers, I'm sorry. Kagome doesn't exist in these fics and blurbs. Anayame has taken her place. She's my original character. She's MINE. I'm proud of her; she's come a long way.
I happened to be watching "Inuyasha" on TV and they started the series over again, naturally I got back into it and thought I'd write my take on the return of Kikyo by Urasuei. So here goes ….
"Return of Kikyo"
A Blurb by Chedder Fries
Urasuei cackled, but it sounded so far away. As if I were dreaming that she was there. The witch's miasma drowned out Inuyasha's; and I wasn't sure if he was still around. My body was heavy and sore. My chest ached where apart of my soul had been taken. I tried to will my fingers and toes to move, but I was paralyzed. Blackness played at the edge of my vision, threatening to take me. I did my best to fight it off.
"Anayame!" Inuyasha's voice came. So he did stay. That was a surprise. My submerged ears caught the sound of footsteps on the ground. The concoction I was in smelled of foul herbs and stale water. My long red hair was heavy with it. My jeans and black tank top were soaked through. I wanted out of this mess! I wanted out, now!
I tried to call Inuyasha's name, but my voice didn't come. My skin felt as if it was on fire and it was getting hard to breathe. I was tired from fighting unconsciousness, but I didn't give in to it.
Help me, Inuyasha!
"Don't move any closer, Inuyasha." Said a harsh female voice that wasn't Urasuei's. Her miasma was confusing. She had a demonic aura, but her spiritual energy wasn't unlike my own. Wait, could it be?
I tried to turn my brown eyes up to the form that spoke, but I couldn't move my head. I heard an unsteady shuffling of someone who'd forgotten how to walk and a shape walked toward me and the pool of black magic. She stood right beside it. Her robes were red and white, like a priestess'. Her hair was a long raven curtain down her back, perfectly straight and beautiful. Brown eyes were hollow, except for small traces of hatred I saw flash behind them.
"K-Kikyo?" Inuyasha stammered and I was forgotten. It appeared I was going to have to save myself and I could imagine how much it was going to hurt. I closed my eyes and called up whatever spiritual energy that made me what I was. But it was weak because of Urasuei's black magic.
I concentrated as hard as I could on my problem. Pushing everything else aside. I wiggled my fingers and toes. Fire filled my veins and I ignored it. I pulled my arm free and put it on the solid earth beside me. My skin and body in incredible pain I pulled myself out and laid on my side, taking in ragged breaths and tears streaming down my face. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and picked out the foul herbs before propping myself up on an arm.
Around me were fallen men, sacrifices I'm betting. Disheveled weaponry littered the ground. I made sure I knew where all of it was.
Urasuei cursed and leapt over to me. In an instant she had my arms around my back and a knife to my throat. She hissed in my ear, her wiry silver hair touched my cheek, burning it a little.
"How did you do that?" The old woman demanded. "How did you get out!?"
"Luck." I said simply and evenly. Urasuei pressed the knife closer into my skin. "Either that, or you're not good enough."
"You insubordinate wench!" Urasuei yelled.
"Inuyasha!" I cried out in spite of myself. Both the priestess and half-demon turn to me. Kikyo's dead eyes locked on my live ones, as if to sense how I was feeling. In a flash, the priestess was behind the witch. With one hand on Urasuei's head and one under her chin, Kikyo twisted the head and it popped with a sickening crack. Urasuei fell. Her body dissolved into ashes behind me and I could feel my face pale.
Kikyo grabbed me by my arm and threw me at Inuyasha's feet. I landed on my side and remained on the ground before him. He knelt behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.
"You okay?" He asked me.
"I'm fine." I replied. "Sort of?"
"Why did you betray me, Inuyasha?" Kikyo asked. I could feel her spirit energy surpassing my own. My stomach did flip-flops.
"I didn't." Inuyasha looked genuinely confused at the priestess' allegations.
"You killed me, Inuyasha." She accused again, she picked up a fallen bow and arrow, aiming it at Inuyasha. The half-demon leapt in front of me. I looked at the priestess from behind his legs.
"Ana, get up." He said, his eyes on Kikyo, he lowered his hand to me. I took it and he helped me to my feet. I leaned against his back for support and looked over his shoulder at the woman.
Suddenly, a consciousness bubbled inside of my own. My mind boggled as new feelings, that weren't mine, filled my head; anger, fear, loathing, confusion as to why I was here; and above all, heartbreak. She had been in love with Inuyasha. He made her feel important. I gasped a little.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I can feel what she's feeling." I said, staring at Kikyo's angry face. "She doesn't know what's going on. She's been dead for fifty years she doesn't know what happened to her. Or why I'm here."
"I didn't kill you, Kikyo." He told her. Her face softened, but not much. I didn't feel anything different.
"How dare you lie!?" She growled. She fired her arrow. Inuyasha leapt one way and I leapt another. I fell to my side and landed next to a bow. I got to my feet again and picked up the bow. I grabbed an arrow from the chest of a fallen man and put the nock against the string.
"Kikyo!" I called to her. She looked at me. "Inuyasha didn't kill you. You were betrayed by someone who could shape-shift. There was a misunderstanding!"
"How do you know? Who are you!?" She demanded.
"Don't worry about who I am." I replied. "Inuyasha wouldn't hurt you. You were his friend and he may be a lot of things, but a traitor isn't one of them."
Inuyasha looked at me in surprise, but I kept my eyes locked on Kikyo. Her feelings shifted for a minute, but only a minute. Her anger was back as soon as she looked at Inuyasha once more.
"You've been saved today, Inuyasha. But I will not rest until I see you dead." Kikyo vowed. She ran off.
"Kikyo!" He cried. He started to go after her, then stopped and looked at me. "Ana… I'm… I---."
"Just go." I coaxed. He nodded and ran off. I fell to my knees on the ground and set the bow and arrow beside me. I wrapped my arms around my sticky skin and felt the pain come in waves from every angle. My empathy for Kikyo was weakened the farther away she got, but she was still there… in my head… judging what I was.
She was angry because I knew what she was feeling and she couldn't feel me. I felt my own sadness at the discovery of Kikyo's love for Inuyasha. He must have loved her back because he probably wouldn't have chased her if he didn't. I felt my hope for Inuyasha's love dwindle into nothing but a spark. But I wasn't going to fight for him. He has to choose who he wanted to be with, I wouldn't push it. I'm not the kind of girl to get jealous easy, and someone else's happiness meant more to me than my own.
I set up camp in a small clearing away from Urasuei's evil ways. My body shivered even though I sat next to the campfire. I put my arms around myself again and tried to quell my shaking. Next time I get tossed back in time, I'll pack a sweatshirt. I sat close to the fire light, feeling its heat on my bare arms and face. I pulled my hair back with a piece of rope to get the smell away from my face. Until we could get to the nearest river, I'd have to deal with my hair smelling like something out of the bottom of a garbage can.
A twig snapped in front of me. I looked up worriedly to see Inuyasha slowly walking toward me. His head was lowered, he wiped at his face furiously as if he'd been crying and didn't want me to see. He sat down on the opposite end of the fire. He put his hands in his sleeves and looked into the dancing flame. I glanced up at him, poking the embers of the fire with a stick to keep the flame high.
I said nothing. I didn't want to make him angry. I looked back down into the orange hot fire and kept to my thoughts. "She fell." He said suddenly.
"Hm?" I asked him, looking at him again.
"She fell over a cliff. I had her hand, then she let go and fell." He explained.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha." I said quietly.
He got up then and walked over to sit next to me. He took his red kimono off and put it on over my shoulders. "You okay?" He asked.
"Just a little sore and smelly, but I think I'll be fine." I replied.
"There's a hot spring nearby, I passed it when I was chasing her. You can clean up there in the morning." He offered. I nodded and snuggled deep into his kimono. His aroma was on the cloth and it was intoxicating, but I was good at hiding those kinds of feelings from him.
"I'm sorry I let Urasuei get you." He said.
"Forget about it. It happens. Thankfully I managed to get the strength to get out of that slime." I said, poking the fire again.
"You tired?" He asked.
"Yes." I replied.
"Get some sleep; I'll be up for awhile. I'll keep watch." He said. I nodded and threw the stick into the fire. I curled up underneath his kimono. He got up to his feet and leapt off. I knew he wouldn't leave me. I pulled his kimono up to my chin and looked toward the direction he went.
He sat in a sturdy Japanese maple with twisted branches. The leaves were red-gold and about to fall. It was autumn after all. He landed on the thickest branch without disturbing one leaf. He was silhouetted against the full moon, looking longingly toward it. I sat up; the kimono fell down my shoulder as I looked up at him.
Suddenly, I felt a twinge of something. Distant, but it was there. The same fear the confusion and unknowing of what to do next. Kikyo.
Kikyo was still alive.