Jealousy
by crazykitsune17
Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
As a self-dubbed "ladies man", I think I would be qualified to say that I know jealousy. Many women have been jealous over me, and I have seen the toll it takes on them. Irascibility, red-tinged cheeks, a certain sort of flare in their eye… the typical symptoms of jealousy.
It is the look I see in Kagome's eyes every time she sees Kikyo.
And I don't blame her. Kikyo is a work of special beauty. Exceptional beauty, one would even go so far as to say. Though she is pale and quiet most of the time, I'm sure that in her day, she was quite astonishing. That isn't to say Kagome herself isn't astonishing – very astonishing, really, with the showy, attractive school uniform – but Kikyo is more of a… distinguished beauty. In Kikyo, one can see everything through her eyes… pain… suffering… love…
And Inuyasha can see that. I can too. And so can Kagome, I'm sure of it, otherwise she wouldn't be so jealous.
Kikyo… was a one-of-a-kind. A gentle woman with a kind heart, lending her love to a creature nobody else would touch. While she may not have had the opportunity to melt Inuyasha's heart completely, she at least thawed it out a little bit so that he could share some of his emotions with another fellow person. For taming Inuyasha's soul, Kikyo is the one responsible.
Kagome may think she is doing him a favor by "training" him with the special necklace, but her methods simply cannot compare to the tranquilizing effect that Kikyo has upon the half-demon. Perhaps it is her mysterious, eerie way of floating when she walks, her soft-spoken words of loathing and regret, the pure attractiveness of a woman who can overcome you with just a sharp stare. If it were me, Kikyo would have had me completely with just one glance…
In any case… Kikyo is a rare beauty, and Inuyasha could see that. There will always be more Kagomes; a girl like Kagome – kind, happy, carefree – is not difficult to come by, even in our day and age. But women like Kikyo, a real woman who still has the strength to keep "living" even after being dead, the strength to undergo such pain and torture as seeing the man she once loved with another woman… Well… there are not many Kikyos in the world.
As for jealousy… Kikyo is above that. Kagome may run home in tears at the first sign of Inuyasha's inevitable infidelity, but Kikyo, having nowhere to run to, stays and allows the death grip of envy consume her rigid body, her face unchanging with none of the usual signs of jealousy. She is a strong woman, stronger, I think, than anyone realizes… which makes her a formidable opponent as well an icon of attraction…
While Inuyasha may lack some discretion when it comes to courting women, he really had the right idea fifty years ago with Kikyo. He knows he was blessed with the good fortune to befriend such a woman, and he knows how important it is not to forget that. It is understandable that he has trouble because of this. It would madden anyone to have such an astounding woman as an ex-lover; they would never be able to get over it. And Kagome… in all of her new-age cheerfulness and understanding… may never be able to realize this, blinded as she is by her jealousy.
Ah... I sense a change in the wind. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I see Kagome tense and flush. The half-demon's heart thaws just that much more…