Title: The Encounter
Author: Fyyrrose
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: Sometimes chance encounters reveal more than they should
Song: I'm like a Bird by Nelly Furtado
Notes: I heard this song and suddenly this story started to unfold in my head. Normally I would kill Kikyo (because I can) but this is the result. The challenge was to allow our media player to select five songs in random orderand we had to write a story using a song as "inspiration". This is a complete fic, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Kikyo stumbled down the path towards the next village. Be it as it may, the next village was still over a day's walk away. She felt tired, rather strained after having some of her souls removed, and her companions had not yet returned with another supply.
She was thinking of simply sitting down and waiting for more souls to enter her body before continuing, but she knew she couldn't. That would be weak. Right now she could not afford to be weak.
Using her bow as support, she dragged her feet and continued on. Soon she was out of the forest and stood atop the cliff. The trail down was to her right and she would take it; that was as soon as she was certain that she would not fall head first down the steep trail.
She gathered what was left of her strength and started to walk slowly down the hill. She could see the outskirts of the village from this height, but it was still quite far in the distance. She wished that her soul stealers would arrive shortly. She wondered what could be taking them so long.
Usually they were constantly ready with a new supply. War caused a great deal of causalities, and in her circumstances, it both pained and excited her. A loss of life was nothing to celebrate over, but it meant she could remain here in this form until her mission was complete.
How she longed for the eternal sleep that was constantly just a finger short from her grasp. She was cursed with never truly living and never dying. The gods had blessed her with a curse and it was all because she gave her heart to a demon…half-demon.
She slipped going down the hill. She slid and she could feel the material under her feet give. She really didn't need to wear sandals; she could walk bare foot and not feel a thing. How could the dead feel?
She made her way down the hill and reached the bottom. The wild grass stood to her shoulders making the trip to the next village a little more dangerous. Who knew what kinds of demons lived in this region? Frankly, she didn't care what lived in here so long as they were peaceful demons.
This meant staying from her line of sight and away from all humans. She wasn't a demon loving person like her reincarnation; she was a pure priestess of her time. She killed and then asked questions later as all good priestesses should.
She came across a small clearing and was surprised to see a little old woman sitting beside a small fire cooking her evening meal. It wasn't out of the ordinary for people traveling great distances to be camping out for the night, but this old woman looked like she was alone.
Somewhere deep inside her, she felt the need to look over this old woman for the night. She was a protector after all. Plus, she couldn't go far without more souls to replenish her.
"Come, child, and sit with an old woman for a while."
Kikyo slanted her eyes. She had been downwind from the old crone, so she could not have been a demon, and she was behind her and silent; too silent for a normal old person to hear. What was she?
Kikyo approached with caution. This thing could try to kill her, but she was already dead. So the chances of her succeeding were nil and void. Kikyo sat across from the old woman and remained silent. The woman stirred the contents of her evening meal and when it was ready, offered some to Kikyo.
She didn't require food, so she politely refused.
"A young woman such as yourself requires nutrition." The woman forced the bowl into Kikyo's hands and proceeded to eat her own meal.
"Why are you alone by yourself?" Kikyo was not one to beat around the bush. She asked the questions she wanted to know and demanded answers from the said questions.
The old woman gave a sad smile, "Because I have no one left in the world to accompany me."
Kikyo knew how she felt. Tied to a world where everything changes so quickly and so easily. Not having anything or anyone to fall back on. She felt a pang of sorrow for the old woman. She wondered briefly if this was how her life would have turned out had Inuyasha not betrayed her.
But then that was in the past, and what was done could not be undone. The rest of the meal was consumed in silence. Surprisingly, the meal was tasty and Kikyo thanked her for the meal.
With nowhere to be, Kikyo settled in for the night. She didn't feel the cold, so she gave the extra blanket to the old woman who was already shivering.
The old woman sat in silence then she suddenly perked up. "How about I tell you about your next life? I know it seems strange, but it's an ability from my grandfather. He was much better than me, but I can try my best."
Kikyo narrowed her eyes, "I do not need such trivial things known to me." She already knew about her next life.
The woman poked the fire and continued on as if Kikyo had never said a word. "In your next life you will be a beautiful maiden. You will have your hand at many suitors, but the one you will want is one that is constantly out of your reach."
Kikyo gripped her bow and squeezed with all of her strength. "I do not want to know," She said through clenched teeth.
The woman seemed like she was in a trance and never heard her reaction. "There will be one woman that stands in your way to true happiness. This is a test of your love and friendship. You will meet a great deal of friends and enemies in your lifetime. You will see a great deal of things."
Kikyo was close to the point of losing all her composure. "That is enough." Again it was futile and she felt herself growing weaker. She knew it wasn't from the old woman. She clearly had no power, but it was the rage within herself that caused her own strength to be depleted.
The old woman snapped out of her trance-like state. "Most people are thrilled to know what kind of life they will live after this one."
Kikyo gave a short snort and what almost seemed like a cold laugh. "Had you come to me a lifetime ago, I might have welcomed your story. I know all about my reincarnation. I don't need someone telling it to me again."
"I see." The old woman shook her head. "I should have known from the start that you were not a normal priestess. I pity you, really I do."
Kikyo's eyes narrowed. She was waiting for the move that told her that this woman was evil and she would kill her. It was her job to make sure that evil is eradicated from this world. She would find no qualms about killing this woman. It was something she had to do. Evil must be killed at all costs. This price even cost her her life.
"Why would I want to hear about a life that I will never have? My life was taken from me, so why would I want to hear about someone else's happiness?"
The old woman shook her head. She had nothing she could say. Both females remained silent as the night dragged on. The fire's embers were charred, signaling the need of placing another piece of wood on the fire.
Kikyo felt the presence of a small jewel shard. She stood to get up before realizing that she was too weak to move. The shard must be taken back at all costs. She was about to cry out in frustration when she felt a larger presence of the jewel chasing after the first one.
She knew it was them.
At the speed in which the second presence was moving, Kikyo was safe to assume she was with Inuyasha. She remained seated. She didn't want any of them to know that she was in this state. All of them would be worried about her. Well mostly everyone. The female slayer would rather have her head, but Kikyo could understand the reasoning behind it.
Then there was her reincarnation. She always made sure that everyone was alright. Kikyo hated her, but not for the reasons most think. Kikyo hated Kagome because Kagome saw the good and potential in everyone. The child never hesitated when it came to friendship. She would put her heart on the line, and if it got broken, she healed it and tried again.
Kikyo was never strong in that sense. She was always too cautious, too guarded.
"So your reincarnation is near. I never thought I'd see the day when the living dead and living soul came to meet."
Kikyo simply ignored her. The night sky was black minus a handful of stars that twinkled in the sky. She could feel her soul stealers approaching. She was almost giddy with anticipation. She wanted to get going.
Souls dropped one by one into her body and she felt her strength return. She felt almost whole again, or rather, about as whole as she could with a large chunk of her original soul elsewhere.
She thanked the old woman for the evening meal and left towards the pull of the jewel shards. She still had a mission to complete.
The old woman sat tending the fire chuckled to herself. Young people always had places to go and people to kill. None every really sat down to think about the meaning of her words. She knew all about the young woman's current life. Everyone around these parts knew the tragic tale of Kikyo.
She shook her head and lay down. Children were amusing. She had said the next life, not the one that she was living now.