Do you know a life of loneliness
And one filled with pain?
Living a life with nothing to gain
Surrounded by darkness
Overwhelmed with shame.
A life without peace
With no one to blame
By: Michelle Boyd
Hey Everyone! Here is the next chapter. It's a little longer than what I am use to writing but I wanted to try and speed up the process and get to the more interesting parts of the story. Please, don't forget to leave a review! It can be a compliment, opinion, or even criticism! All is welcomed. So here you go!
~~ Inuyasha~~
Inuyasha punched a tree in frustration.
He had lost Kikyo's scent.
"Damnit!"he shouted as he threw another punch to the tree, leaving behind a small indent where the bark had broken off.
Inuyasha knew Kikyo was around this forest somewhere. Her scent was strong when he first entered the forest and he had spotted her winged demons flying around the area searching for souls.
"Come on,"Inuyasha thought to himself. "Give me some clue to tell me where you are Kikyo."He looked up to the sky. No soul collectors to be found. Her scent all but vanished.
Just then, he caught another scent.
Blood. And lots of it.
"Whose blood is this?"Inuyasha said aloud. It was strange. Though he could smell blood, he couldn't figure out whose blood it was. In fact, it almost seemed like his sense of smell was off. As if distorted by something...
Just then, Inuyasha heard a scream close by. He didn't need his nose to know who that was.
"Kikyo!"
He sprinted towards her voice. Trees and bushes went by in a blur with Inuyasha barely giving them a second glance.
He noticed movement up ahead. He ran even faster.
He ran directly into the clearing and took a second to register in his mind what he was seeing. Kikyo had what looked to be a demon pinned up against a tree, dagger in hand and across the demons throat. The demon had baby blue eyes, long pointed ears and light purple hair that flowed all the way down her back. She was wearing light armor and placed at her right side was a white flute. The demon had been hurt, as a dark black liquid trailed down the demon's right shoulder all the way down to her right leg. She gritted her teeth.
Kikyo didn't budge but held the demon in place.
"Kikyo!"Inuyasha shouted. Kikyo didn't take her eyes off the demon but Inuyasha knew that she had probably anticipated his arrival since they were so close to the Bone Eater's Well.
"Huh,"snickered the purple haired demon. "Looks like your hero has arrived to save the day!" Kikyo didn't bother to take the bait of the demon.
"Inuyasha, you need to leave"Kikyo said, in a stern tune. She began to push the dagger upon the neck of the demon even harder. Inuyasha could see a small trickle of blood start to escape from the demon's newly fresh cut.
"What is going on? Who is she?"Inuyasha began, but Kikyo turned her glaze to the hanyou and gave him a cold angry stare.
"It matters not, you need to leave. Go, before this demon-"and just as Kikyo realized what was happening, the demon evaporated into thin air. Kikyo, dagger still in hand, started looking around the clearing.
"Inuyasha go!"she called out. But it was too late.
The demon reappeared from behind Inuyasha and made a swinging motion towards the back of his head. Instead of hitting her mark, the small sword that the demon held made contact with Kikyo's right arm. Blood sprayed around the ground as Kikyo dropped to her knees.
"Kikyo!"Inuyasha cried, bending down next to the priestess. His eyes lit up with anger when he noticed the large slash in Kikyo's arm. "Damnit Kikyo, why did you do that?"Kikyo just gave the hanyou a little smile.
"You really are naive Inuyasha"she calmy said as she put pressure on her arm as the blood continued to soak her white kimono red.
"Ah, did I hurt your little girlfriend? Boo-hoo!"laughed the demon as her voice echoed from within the forest. "Too bad for you, she'll probably die from blood loss before you have a chance to save her."Inuyasha stood up and from his shealth, he pulled Tetsaiga. The sword came to life as Inuyasha held it in his hand, ready for battle.
"Oh, so the big bag boyfriend wants to play, does he? That's funny. Can you even find me?"The demon laughed, her voice coming from all angles. Inuyasha couldn't pin-point the exact location and this frustrated him.
"Inuyasha,it's no good to use your senses. Yuko's barrier will distort all your senses."Kikyo explained, as she continued to stare beyond the hanyou and into the forest. "She's not a normal demon."
"I don't care, I will kill her"was the hanyou's only replied as he began scanning the area for any indication of the demon's whereabouts.
Just then, a swirl of light purple colored petals appeared above one of the tree's branches as the demon resurfaced, smiling down upon the two.
"Kill me? What confidence we have! But I am afraid you should listen to little miss priestess over there. I am no ordinary demon."Inuyasha took three steps before leaping up in the air and swinging Tetsaiga at the demon's body. Without Yuko even blinking, Inuyasha was thrown back by a force he couldn't see. He landed on his feet with one hand on the ground to gain balance.
"For a demon that thinks she's so strong, it's kind of sad that she has to use barriers to fight!"
Yuko smiled. "Who says I will be the one fighting?"The demon took out her flute and pressed it to her lips.
"NO!"Kikyo cried and she stood up and took a step towards the demon. Blood began to gush out of her arm as the miko collapsed upon the ground again. In the short amount of time since her wound, Kikyo had lost a lot of blood. Inuyasha could see the pain in her eyes.
The demon began to play a soft melody. Upon hearing the sound, Inuyasha could feel his body begin to ignore him. He stood up and lowered his sword.
Yuko stopped playing and smiled.
"Good boy!"She teased. "Now it's time to properly train this pup!"The song began again.
Inuyasha tried fighting it off but he could feel his body giving up complete control. He was under the demon's spell.
"I got to do something about her song"Inuyasha thought, but how? He couldn't even control his own body. The song began to change.
Inuyasha began to raise Tetsaiga and turn his attention onto Kikyo. He then proceeded to walk towards her.
Kikyo clenched her arm where she sustained her wound and continued to stare at Inuyasha who was making his way over to her.
"No!"thought the hanyou, but he was powerless. No matter what he tried to do, the demon had complete control over him. The only thing he still had left was his mind.
"That's right!"cheered Yuko, holding the flute to her chest and grinning. "Now it's time to teach little priestess here what it means to pick on a demon such as myself! Let's end her by the one she loves! Oh what fun!"
Kikyo tried yelling at Inuyasha.
"You got to fight her control Inuyasha! Don't let her in!"
Inuyasha screamed at his body to stop as he watched with horror as he raised Tetsaiga in the air.
With one swift movement, he made contact with his sword and Kikyo's body. Kikyo let out a scream as more blood escaped her and covered the ground and Inuyasha along with it.
Inuyasha was screaming too. Though on the outside he appeared calm and collected; the demon was still in control.
"Fun fun fun!"Yuko jumped down from the tree she was perched on and walked towards the hanyou and priestess. "Did I mention that I was not a normal demon, hmm?"She chuckled as she wrapped her arm around the hanyou's. Then she turned her attention to Kikyo."Should have killed me when you had the chance."
Kikyo's breathing became fast and unsteady, as she peered up from the demon and her once beloved hanyou.
"Well, wish I could stay but I really have a lot of things to do."The demon girl turned to face Inuyasha and began leaning into his ear. "It's been a pleasure, my pup! But it's time to finish her off"And with that, a swirl of petals began dancing around Yuko as she disappeared.
Inuyasha was still under Yuko's influence. He looked at Kikyo with a cold blank stare before he once again raised Tetsaiga to the air. Kikyo closed her eyes. She was too weak to do anything due to the blood loss and the pain from Inuyasha's blow.
Inuyasha, with one last attempt, tried to take control of his body again as he watched his priestess brace herself for one last blow by his hand.
~~ Kagome~~
Kagome continued to run towards the direction she heard Kikyo scream from. She didn't sound very far, but as Kagome was running she couldn't find signs of the priestess anywhere.
"And where is Inuyasha?"Kagome had a sinking feeling that they were in danger.
Just then, she noticed a clearing not too far away where her beloved hanyou stood only feet away, back on to her.
Inuyasha!
Kagome made her way into the clearing and towards the hanyou when she noticed something was off. Inuyasha stood only feet from Kikyo, but instead of helping her, he had his Tetsaiga raised as if he was about to strike down.
What was he doing?! Kagome ran towards the two as fast as her feet would allow her, all the while screaming Inuyasha's name.
The hanyou failed to respond.
Kikyo turned to face Kagome and raised her hand up, trying to warn her. Kagome could see by now that Kikyo was hurt, very badly hurt.
Oh no!
Instead of taking Kikyo's warning, Kagome jumped in between Tetsaiga's blade and Kikyo, making herself into a human shield for Tetsaiga's blow. One look into the hanyou's blank expression and she knew that Inuyasha was not the one in control.
"Inuyasha, wake up!"The young woman cried out at the top of her lungs. She didn't know if this would actually work or not, but what else could she do?
She closed her eyes and waited for the striking blow upon her, but nothing happened. Just like that, she heard the sound of Tetsaiga being dropped to the ground and reverting back to its old rusted state. Kagome opened her eyes.
What she saw almost torn her heart in half. Inuyasha stood there, covered in Kikyo's blood, and crying. Tears had started to fall from the hanyou's eyes and hit the ground.
"Kikyo..."he said softly, looking beyond Kagome as if she didn't even exist. Kagome felt a little tug in her heart. Of course he wouldn't see her. Not while Kikyo was around.
Inuyasha ran towards Kikyo and put his hands on her shoulders. With tears still slowly running down each cheek, he muttered apology after apology.
Did he do this to her?
Kagome didn't know what to do. What could she do? She felt like she was intruding on their moment. But where was she suppose to go?
"Inuyasha... please...take me to Kaede"Kikyo said in a low voice. She was trying to fight with the last bit of energy she had, but one look could tell she wouldn't last much longer. She needed help.
Inuyasha choked back the tears as he wrapped his arms around Kikyo. His face tightened as his face clearly showed the pain he was in.
"Don't die on me Kikyo... please, don't leave me again"He gripped her even tighter and drew her body close, as if he was trying with all of his might to keep death at bay.
Kagome noticed that Kikyo had finally lost consciousness as her body went limp in Inuyasha's arms.
"Kikyo!"he cried.
"Inuyasha, she'll be fine but we got to find her help right now"Kagome went to touch Inuyasha's arm but with one quick movement, he pushed her hand away. Tears were replaced with anger as he gritted his teeth.
"I know that!"He snapped. Kagome withdrew. What was his problem?! She understood he was upset but he didn't have to take it out on her. She was just trying to help.
"Kikyo... stay with me just a little longer. I will find you help"Inuyasha stroked Kikyo's hair, trying to keep a decent composure through all that had just happened. Before Kagome could even register what was going on, Inuyasha gently kissed Kikyo's forehead and proceeded to touch his forehead with hers, as more tears started to well up in his eyes.
"Don't leave me. I need you Kikyo."
Kagome took a few steps back as she felt her own heart being crushed from the inside. It wasn't like she was new to this feeling. Every time Inuyasha was with Kikyo, Kagome had experienced feelings like this, but this time it felt like it was worse. She always knew that Inuyasha loved Kikyo, and probably always would. But to hear those words come from his mouth when she never heard so much as a compliment from him, it was crushing her.
Kagome could feel her own tears starting to form, when all of a sudden she heard familiar voices call out.
"Kagome! Inuyasha! There you are!"Kagome quickly wiped away any feelings she was currently feeling and turned to face the sky where Kilala was coming with Sango, Miroku, and Shippo in tow.
With a quick thud, they landed only feet from where Kagome, Inuyasha, and Kikyo were.
"Sango, we need hel-"
"Sango!"Inuyasha interrupted Kagome, as he stood with Kikyo in his arms. "Kikyo, she's hurt! I need you to help me bring her to the village."Sango and Miroku, who quickly surveyed the situation, jumped from Kilala's back and quickly got to helping Inuyasha with Kikyo's limp body. Miroku instantly started ripping off fabric from his robe and tying it to Kikyo's body, trying to stop the rest of the blood from flowing out. Sango started directing orders to Kilala to lie down so as to load Kikyo's body upon her companion's back. Inuyasha started to help Sango out with lifting Kikyo's body. And Kagome...
Kagome just stood there, dumbstruck. Why wasn't she helping? Why wasn't she running over to help her friends when someone was in desperate need for her help. Why?
A small tear trickled down Kagome's cheek.
She was the worst.
Just a few feet from her, a woman was itching towards death and all she could think about was about Inuyasha and Kikyo. Inuyasha showed so much pain and love for this woman when all she ever did was hurt him. So why was he so mad at her and push her away when all she ever did was care about him?
Anger boiled up within Kagome.
She was mad at Kikyo for always butting in when it was going good between her and Inuyasha. She was mad at Inuyasha for always choosing Kikyo over her, when all she wanted was to be appreciated and loved by him.
But the one she was mad at most was herself, because for a fleeting moment when she stumbled upon the scene of Inuyasha and Kikyo, she wanted Kikyo to disappear. She wanted Inuyasha to finish her off. She wanted so badly to see Kikyo succumb to the injuries she had sustained. She wanted Inuyasha to look at her, and only her.
And in that fleeting moment, Kagome knew.
She stared at her friends who were busy helping Kikyo and working so hard to keep her alive.
"I'm sorry"she whispered. And that's when she quietly walked away from her friends, tears flowing down her face, never once looking back.
~~ Daisuke (OC) ~~
Daisuke sat there feeling frustrated and annoyed. Only moments before, he and Katsu (his sword) had sensed two very strong demons nearby and they were all but ready for a little action. However, they never came across a single demon and certainly none with the power he had sensed before.
It annoyed him that he missed such an opportunity and it frustrated him that he was left twiddling his thumbs and doing nothing while the days passed on.
"Ughhhh!"Daisuke cried out, rubbing his head through frustration. "Would it be too much to ask to have a little demon to hunt?"He leaned against a tree and signed. Maybe word got out about him hunting demons and they all fled in fear of him. Yeah, that must be it.
Just then, Katsu started acting up again. Daisuke sat up quickly and looked at his pride and joy. "Ah! Demons!"He smiled from ear to ear. He was given another chance! And like hell he would lose the demon a second time.
He quickly jumped up and started scanning the area for any demons that would be within ear shot or eye sight. But he didn't hear anything.
"Hey now..."Daisuke picked up his sword and started to shake it. "Don't tell me you're broken?"The sword reacted even stronger, vibrating even Daisuke's arm. "Ok ok! You're not broken."Jeez.
Daisuke stopped cold when he heard what sounded like footsteps coming from only a few feet away. He smirked.
Show time!
He ran over to a tree which had thick broad branches and with one leap, landed upon one of the thicker branches the tree had. He began to watch silently for his prey.
To his dismay, a young woman with raven black hair was walking in his direction. She kept her head down and walked rather fast, as if she was in a hurry to get somewhere.
"Huh. Well that's no fun"Daisuke signed and he sat down on the branch. It was only a human and he wasn't about to hunt a human, no matter how bored he got. He placed Katsu on his lap and stared down at it.
"You got me all excited over a human?!"Daisuke was disappointed, but even more confused. Katsu had never reacted to anything other than demons before. So why was it reacting over this human girl?
"Well, I guess the party's over. Time to head back to camp –"Katsu began to vibrate and was sending strong vibes throughout Daisuke's body. "No way! I'm not hunting no human!"The sword continued to react as if ignoring its master's words.
Daisuke looked over to the girl who was slowly getting further and further away. She didn't seem special, so why was it her to make his sword react the way it was?
And as if the gods themselves were answering his question, he saw a dark image only feet away from the human girl jump from tree to tree.
"Ah, there you are!"
