AN: Warnings for blood and death mentions.
The old woman stood back from the dirt pit, fat wet clumps clinging to her hands. She had combed through the first seven feet of soil in the mausoleum twice, making sure to have picked up every last scrap of bone. The fruits of her labor sat quietly in a jar against the wall, next to another larger jar filled with burial soil to up to the brim. Her job was done.
Tucking the two jars into the basket on her back, the woman exited the tomb to face another crone, albeit one half her age. All of her flesh was her own, at least.
"Urasue!" snapped the younger, "return my sister's bones!"
Urasue was nonplussed. "Not after I went through so much effort to get them, my dear. If I had found what I really wanted, your sister would not be coming with me."
"If you wish to return her soul to those dead things," Kaede said, pointing to the basket with her cane, "yer work was for naught. Her soul has long ago passed on to the next world."
"Wherever it may be, a soul will return with the right magic," Urasue replied, "for much the same reason that simple charms won't protect a grave from robbers."
"And if she has reincarnated?"
Urasue shrugged. "With the right magic."
Kaede sent a blast of lightning from her cane, the night lit with a screaming crash of thunder. But Urasue had been too quick, and her silhouette, framed by her large scythe, was the only black mark in the sky. The spot Urasue had occupied seconds prior had been eviscerated, and the leaf litter surrounding the grave set aflame. Kaede muttered a halfhearted hex against Urasue, and with a wave of her cane extinguished the small brushfire. Night settled again.
The mausoleum's structure was undisturbed aside from the stone door, carelessly tossed a few feet away. The soil was entirely upturned inside the grave, but the little herb garden a few paces away was the same as it had always been.
Kaede sighed. She was too old for this. Why would anyone want to live like that damned Urasue? How many humans had tried to achieve a fraction of the lifespan of a demon, stitching their flesh together and denying their limited fate? Her sister too had fallen into the practice, though that was consequence more of her power than the pure greed Urasue felt. Kaede had, in her youth, sacrificed a good deal of her own years for a quick path to power. That had been the first and last time she had dabbled in dark magic. She had spent the rest of her life using her mistake for good. After all this time, Kaede had not decided whether or not she regretted it.
Her sister's bones were now only sacred for what they meant to her. If Kaede had ever intended to use their power, she already would have. They had been dead for decades, and had surely lost their potency by now. Even with Urasue's power, it was unlikely she could conjure anything with them.
Kaede determined that whatever damage had been done could be addressed in the morning. She shuffled back to her hut, deciding to make a cup of tea before bed.
"Do you think she's dead?"
"Obviously not, you fool. She's breathing fine."
"Not her, stupid, the other one, who the idiot keeps yelling about."
"Oh, yes, if you're talking about her, she's certainly dead. Or, at least, probably dead."
"You don't sound so sure."
The sound of sudden howling rendered the rest of the chatter unintelligible. Kagome's head throbbed, and the ache in her stomach hadn't receded any. The side of her neck itched. She must have moved, because the chatter momentarily stopped.
"Miss?" Came the voice of an old man, close to her ear. "Have you awoken, my girl?"
"Of course she woke up, with you sucking her blood like that." said the other voice.
Kagome's eyes shot open and her hand slapped to her neck, swatting away some annoyance- but hadn't been the itch, or the voices, but the incessant banging sound that woke her. She sat up and whirled her head around, only aggravating her headache, searching for the voices. The banging continued from a nearby room.
"Hello?" came a pitiful voice from her lap.
On her apron lay a bug-size man with antenna where his moustache should be. Kagome yelped with surprise, shaking him off.
Another voice cackled from underneath the couch. Peeking underneath, a boy no older than ten was hooting at the expense of the little bug demon. A deafening roar from the other room broke through the boy's levity, and he scrambled from under the couch to pick up the bug man, exposing a fluffy fox tail.
"MYOGA! SHIPPO!" boomed the voice from the other side, so powerful she was sure it hadn't come from any human or demon she had ever seen.
The fox boy gulped, but feigned bravery. "We're not letting you in until you calm down!"
He was answered with a ferocious barking. The bug demon shook in the fox boy's palm.
"Hey," said the fox boy to a white-faced Kagome, "what's your name?"
Kagome gave it, stuttering, eyes now transfixed on the origin of the enraged cacophony.
"Her name is Kagome, not Kikyo!" the fox boy yelled to the door.
"Could she be lying?" the bug man asked, hiding behind the boy's thumb.
"Would you lie in her situation?"
"If it would spare me my life…"
Kagome, realizing that her executioner was the source of the banging, felt tears well in her eyes. Whatever attacked her before had meant to kill her. She was tired, starving, sore, and some beast wanted her dead. She would have done anything to be in Souta's place, shoveling horse filth.
The bug and the fox demon traded the blame for making her cry, when the door splintered and broke. In a blur of motion, the couch toppled over with the weight of the monster, rocketing Kagome on the floor and into a wall.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?" Roared the beast, pressing its massive snout into her face. Claws at either side of her head trapped her to the floor by her hair. Hot saliva dripped onto her blouse and down her cheek.
"Fur brain!" yelled the fox boy. "If the girl could do any magic, she probably would have used it to escape by now!"
"Silence," the monster demanded. Taking her skirts in his mouth, the monster dragged Kagome to the center of the room and sniffed her top to bottom. Kagome balled her body up as tight as possible, hiccupping with fear. He pushed her arms from her face with chair-sized paws. "I commanded you to be silent!"
For an instant, she saw his eyes, bulging, red, and full of hate. The moment the monster saw hers, his growling ceased, and he turned away. With a huff, he stepped over her and back through the broken door, white tail dragging on the floor behind him.
For the second time that day, Kagome fainted.
This time when she opened her eyes the little fox boy was fanning her face with a lampshade. "It was all I could find!" he said, before she even opened her mouth.
"We made tea," said the bug man. He hardly stood above the saucer.
"We?" asked the fox.
"You know if I could help, I would."
"Ha! You don't help when you can!"
Kagome groaned and turned her face away from the two.
"My dear Kagome," said the bug, "I beg your pardon for our rudeness and the rudeness of our master earlier."
Kagome would have laughed if it didn't hurt to even try.
"You see," he continued, "there has been a case of mistaken identity that rather unfortunately for you has resulted in a grievous error on the part of milord."
"Fleabag thought you were someone else," said the fox.
"How dare you insult my kind!" Squeaked the bug.
So he was a flea demon. That explained the blood sucking.
"I'm Shippo, and he's Myoga," said the fox, continuing his rapid fanning, "and we're really sorry."
Kagome sighed and closed her eyes again, longing to sleep off her injuries and her emotional turmoil.
"The master is sensitive of his condition, and hasn't had a visitor in ages" said Myoga. "Please don't fault him too dearly for his crass behavior."
Even Shippo, who seemed the more realistic of the two, seemed to agree. "He's annoying and he's always had a bad temper, but he got a lot worse after he was cursed."
How could she expect to sympathize with a beast that attacked her twice? For that matter… "What happened to me at the gate?" she asked, more to herself than the two demons.
"Oh," Shippo said. "I stopped him with foxfire until we could bring you inside."
"And I sucked enough blood from his head to make him drowsy for a day or so," said Myoga, patting his swollen stomach.
A wave of guilt washed over Kagome. She hadn't considered the lengths the two little demons might have gone through to save her. Neither made themselves out to be a hero, but she expected that it must have taken a good deal of effort to stave off the beast if the scene earlier was any indication. Kagome sat up and took the tea from its tray. It was still warm. They had placed her blanket over her, too. "Thank you both, though I can't think of any way to repay you," she said. Kagome mustered a smile.
"Well, there might be a way," Myoga said, tentatively. Shippo hit him with the lampshade. Myoga yelped.
"You can't ask that of her!" Shippo hissed. "She's been through enough."
"But it could be the master's only option."
"Curse or no curse, it's his own fault."
Kagome sipped her tea and let them argue.
"Milord was tricked!"
"Milord was greedy."
The door nudged open, and milord padded in.
The monster, as she had called him, was a dog that dwarfed the little sitting room. Kagome, fully standing, would have barely reached the bottom of his shoulders, his head and neck taking up another good half of her body. She blanched.
"Girl," said the dog, "what is your name?"
"Kagome," she said, firmly. Some of her courage had returned to her voice, but her grip on her tea was white-knuckled. She refused to meet his eyes, even as he circled around her. The two little demons sat quietly for once and watched.
He sniffed at her again, a low growl rising in his throat. "Why have you come to my castle?"
"I had no intention of finding your castle at all, your lordship," she said, remembering her manners. "I was heading in the opposite direction when I fell down the mountain, quite literally on your doorstep."
"Where were you going?"
"Lord Sesshomaru's castle, my lord."
The dog hesitated briefly but continued his pacing. "For what purpose?"
"To return to my lady's service, my lord."
"What lady?"
"Lady Kagura."
The dog looked unimpressed. Kagome felt a small bit satisfaction at that, having lost any interest in preserving her lady's reputation. "And in what capacity do you serve your lady?"
"I wash pots." Kagome bitterly recalled her most recent conversation with Kagura. "I also wash my lady when she commands it." She'd rather wash the pots.
"Two ill-matched duties," said the dog.
"I would agree, if I were in a position to say so."
"And why are you given the tasks of both a peasant and a lady's maid?"
"Were I in any position to say, my lord," Kagome said, venom leeching into her tone, "it would be ill of me to do so. My speculation as to the decisions of my lady would be entirely gossip. A loose tongue is a poor trait in a peasant and lady's maid alike."
The dog stopped his pacing and glared at her. This time, Kagome looked right back at him.
"I didn't ask whether or not it was appropriate to tell me. I asked you why."
"Forgive me," Kagome said, "But to fully understand the intentions of Lady Kagura, you will have to ask her yourself."
"Why, you insolent wench!" Spat the beast, dropping formalities. Kagome, resolute, did not waver despite the knot that grew in her stomach.
"My lord," she said, "if you would like to know my opinion, I would be happy to provide it, though I don't espouse to know the truth in its entirety."
He twitched with rage, but folded. "Fine," he said, gruffly.
"Lady Kagura believes I am involved in some illicit relationship with Lord Sesshomaru, and wants to keep her eye on me."
Silence fell upon the room. Kagome's fingers clenched so tightly on the cup, she thought it would shatter.
He laughed. She couldn't tell whether it was in genuine amusement, derision, or some mix of both. "Sesshomaru doesn't give a shit about humans, especially pot-washers."
"While I'm inclined to agree, Lord Sesshomaru has also taken in an orphaned human girl and is raising her as his heir. For what purpose is anyone's guess."
His laughter only grew, but Kagome pushed up her chin.
"Milord, by your leave, the girl speaks the truth," piped Myoga. "In your absence, much has changed."
Shippo squeezed the bug demon between his fingers. "Bad timing."
"What are you all planning? Trying to distract me from some witch's trap?" The dog asked, humor evaporating. "Why did this Kagura really think you were fucking Sesshomaru?"
The frankness of his question sent blood rushing to her face. "She said I smelled like dog." She must smell like dog now, with the monster's slobber all over her front.
Padding towards her, he quickly sniffed at her again. "Girl, do you practice magic?"
"Never in my life." She hardly believed in it. Magic could only be done by humans, and in a demon's world, human power of any kind was rare to come by.
"You reek of it."
"Is that what that is?" asked Shippo. "I just thought you smelled really nice, Kagome. Nicer than most humans."
The dog growled. "Whatever you say, girl, my nose doesn't lie. If you haven't used magic, you've been around it for a long time."
Kagome couldn't think of when that could have happened. "I sleep in the same room as a dozen other humans every night, my lord. There could be a witch among them, but I promise you I know nothing of it."
His mouth twisted in a mocking sneer. "Is this on the nights you're not sleeping with Sesshomaru?"
Abruptly, Kagome stood. "Enough! Do you think that I would be sent out into the depths of a dead forest alone if I meant anything to some pretentious self-important liege lord? Do you think such a prideful man would lower themselves to a pot washer, or do you really suspect that my so-called magic is strong enough to seduce the ruler of all the Western Lands? You, my lord, give me far too much credit." Kagome slammed the tea and saucer on the little sitting table. "If you are thoroughly done with me, I must get back to freezing to death in the forest, so that Lady Kagura will be fully satisfied that I don't pose a threat to her attempts at captivating the great Lord Sesshomaru." With that, she curtseyed as dramatically as could with her injuries and breezed out of the sitting room.
She had hardly made it down the hallway when the dog bounded out of the room, turning to block her way. "I won't allow you to leave, wench."
"My lord, I do apologize, but there are others who need my assistance. I can only imagine how many pots need to be washed, how cold Lord Sesshomaru must be without me to warm his bed."
"Watch your tongue!"
Kagome picked up her skirts and waltzed past his massive haunches like they were a piece of furniture.
The dog doubled back, blocking her once more, more careful to obstruct any means of escape. "I'll gut you if you take another step."
"Will you take the risk? Don't you fear my magic?" Her fear had fully dissipated, rage filling her with a foolish bravery.
The beast leapt.
Light filled the hallway all at once, absorbing all color and noise. Kagome closed her eyes, blinded by the white expanse. The brightness receded, and at its center, a sphere appeared. Out of instinct, she reached out to touch it.
The light sunk into her body and rushed out her arm.
When the world reformed around her, the beast was lying on the ground at the far end of the hallway. Her ears rang. Her arm, still extended, trembled.
He tried to stand, but his limbs buckled and he fell, head lulling to the side of his body.
Kagome ran, following down any hallway she could find. She wanted to be out of the castle, out of the woods, out of the mountains, far away from demons and magic and the cold.
She fled down a large flight of steps that merged the two wings of the castle, whipping past the grand columns and balustrades to the door at the front. Kagome slammed her weight into it, once, twice, three times, but it wouldn't budge. She grabbed the gilded handle and pulled.
The wind caught the door and hurled it open, carrying in powdery snow. Kagome ran into the wind, falling from its force and the high snowbanks.
A roar broke out behind her, muffled by the howling gusts. She turned back to see the door ajar, the dog laid flat and limp in the entryway.
She looked out into the darkness, and back to the beast.
Aided by the wind, she ran back to him.
Shippo and Myoga helped her pull him back inside. Kagome struggled, but managed to close the door after several attempts.
The two little demons hunched over their master. Shippo had grabbed his lampshade while Kagome had been working with the door, and fanned him at a rapid pace.
"My girl," Myoga said as she returned to the dog, "run to the cellar beneath the kitchen and find the cabin that holds the wine. At the farthest corner to the left there are five bottles in a basket. Bring them."
Kagome sped past the finery of the castle, which looked to be more and more neglected the further she delved into the interior. The kitchen was covered in cobwebs, and the lock to the cellar had rusted shut. She grabbed a wrought iron pan and struck it, the rotted wood crumbling away immediately.
The dust below was suffocating. The only light filtered in from the kitchen, and that was dim. Coughing, she retrieved the basket and returned to the entrance hall.
Myoga looked rather heartbroken she had found it. "Help him drink them," he sighed.
Kagome tried to pull the dog demon's head into her lap, but he jerked away from her.
"I'm sorry," she said, and gently stroked his fur to show that she meant it.
She uncorked one of the bottles and pulled back the beast's lips, pouring the red liquid into his mouth.
The beast growled, and thrashed away. "Myoga," he croaked, "you bastard."
As the liquid dribbled down her hands, Kagome realized the bottles were full of blood.
"You couldn't have expected me to finish all of that in one sitting, could you?" said the flea, bouncing onto Kagome's shoulder.
"It's his blood?" she asked, grimacing. How morbid.
"Stranger things have already happened tonight," the flea replied. "Blood as medicine shouldn't surprise you."
Kagome had to give him that. She reached for the beast again, and dumped the rest of the first bottle between his lips. The beast gurgled and tensed, but didn't protest.
By the time that all the bottles were emptied, her arms were bloody up to her elbows. The demon's white fur had matted and crusted around his mouth, but he could stand without wobbling after he rested a few more minutes.
Myoga declared his ribs to be shattered and one of his back legs split, but nothing that wouldn't be healed within the week. He began to chide his master for having moved in his condition, which must have only aggravated his injuries, but a low growl silenced him before Myoga could get very far. Shippo mopped up the blood with a rag Kagome was relatively sure was once a slipcover for a chair. "Save that for me!" the flea yelled to the fox boy when he had finished.
"Has anyone told you that you're gross lately?" the boy said, flinging the rag into the basket that now held five empty bottles, carting them off back towards the kitchen. The flea followed, complaining about the fox's lack of respect for elders.
The demon and the girl were left alone.
"Why did you come back?" he asked.
"I don't know," Kagome answered, truthfully. She looked from the beast to her own bloody arms and wondered what had come over her.
"Kagome!" the fox called, tottering back from the cellar. "You're staying the night, right?"
"I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" The weather outside was more terrifying than a beast that could hardly move.
Shippo's face spread into a wide grin. "I'll make up a guest room!" He bolted up the stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him.
"So full of energy, that one." Said Myoga, now settled somewhere in Kagome's hair.
"Leave us, old man," the dog rasped.
Myoga squeaked and hopped off after Shippo.
"I'm sorry," Kagome said, again, once the little demons disappeared into one of the castle wings.
"Why? I tried to kill you, girl," he grunted. He took a moment to lie back down. The standing must have strained him. She was amazed he had made it downstairs after her.
Kagome wondered if she wiped the demon's blood on her apron if she would smell even more like dog, and regretted the thought. If she ever saw Lady Kagura again, it would be too soon.
"You look just like the witch who cursed me," the beast said.
"Kikyo?"
His ears perked up. "The curse forbids me from saying so."
"In the sitting room, Shippo told you that my name wasn't Kikyo," Kagome said. "I guessed."
"Everyone knows. I don't know why the ban on her name is even part of the curse."
"Is that why you attacked me?"
He looked away, huffing in a way that sounded suspiciously like an apology.
"Then even with… whatever happened in the hallway," Kagome said, choosing her words with care, "you don't think I'm her?"
"She would have had much more control," he said. "She is much stronger than you."
Shippo bounded down the stairs, unwittingly diffusing the tense air. "Kagome, how many pillows do you want on your bed?"
Kagome laughed. She hadn't slept with a pillow in months. "However many you'll give me."
The boy counted on his fingers, made a panicked groan, and ran back upstairs.
"I want you to break my curse."
Kagome, in shock, spun back to the dog, whose gaze was fixed on some fraying tapestry behind her. "Do you think I can?"
"Witches aren't very easy to come by."
Kagome stood. The blood on her hands had begun to turn brown, and was now only sticky and red between her fingers. "I don't know the first thing about magic."
"You'll learn."
A low echo of voices sounded from atop the stairs. The little demons were quarreling again. "… and the tea is still boiling, you can't serve it like that!"
Shippo tried to balance a tray packed with pastries and sugar and cream while swatting at the flea by his neck. "Well, it's the thought that counts! You're not trying to help me, I'm doing all the work to make her comfortable!"
"Who was it that saved the lord a few moments ago? What were you accomplishing with that lampshade of yours?"
"The only way you helped him was giving him back the blood you sucked out of him!" Shippo said, before putting on another winning smile for Kagome. "The room is still a little dusty, so I brought out tea and cake for the wait," he said.
"Thank you, Shippo, but I think I'll have to wash up first." She held up her bloody hands.
Myoga bounced from Shippo to Kagome. "Lady Kagome, I would be more than happy to show you to your washroom."
"No fair! I want to go with Kagome! What do I do with this?" Shippo held up the tray, following the girl and the flea up the grand staircase.
"Take them to her room, you silly child. The tea was too hot anyway," said Myoga.
"Girl," the beast called softly from below.
Kagome stopped, and looked down at the demon. "I will give you an answer tomorrow, my lord."
"Beast," he grunted, "is a good enough name for me."
How could a thing so powerful be so pitiful?
"Good night then, Beast."
Faintly, as she turned the corner, she heard him say goodnight back.
The cave was damp, but it had become a suitable second home to Urasue. Most of her highly combustible materials were kept there, safely out her cozier wooden shack. They had a tendency to be volatile, even with protective charms.
The burial dirt had been formed like a sarcophagus around the bones. Herbs were scattered strategically over the mass: angelica and absinthe for the head, carnation at the wrists, willow and wormwood in the left hand, boneset along the limbs, and vervain and elm on the heart. Finishing with a large ring of salt marked by candles, Urasue surveyed her work.
As dark magic went, the setup for reanimation wasn't difficult. It was all in timing and execution. Waxing moon, no stars, though Cassiopeia and Andromeda should be in the rising stages for best results. The burning should begin right at midnight, but within the hour is acceptable. Ideally, it should be a place free of any aura of death, but Urasue had to make compromises. There was enough smell of death coming from her alone that any location would be at least a little tainted.
The lamb let out a bleat as the baby girl next to it slept. Urasue frowned. She hated working with live ingredients.
At the stroke of midnight, the clouds parted, and the moon shone right at the head of the dirt body. Urasue lit the first candle and tipped it into the salt. The altar set ablaze, engulfing the herbs and soil. A thick haze of smoke filled the cave.
Urasue spread her hands above the fire, chanting a spell in an ancient tongue in a low, hushed tone.
The flames rose, but after five minutes of continuous focus, not even a flicker of Kikyo's soul appeared.
The witch clenched her teeth. The lamb bleated louder as Urasue led it toward the flames. It was only a day old, but they were supposed to be fresher. Urasue sliced its throat with her nail and tossed the body into the fire.
The flames jumped high and took on a menacing green tint.
The eel-like tails of soul collectors slithered in, bearing spheres of light. They arrived in a swarm, so many packing into the small cave that the witch had little room to even move. As numerous as they were, none could enter the flames.
Urasue turned her head. Behind her, the sky was awash with a pale light. Where the soul ended and the collectors began, she couldn't say.
Was her soul really that big? Or had she really been reincarnated?
The witch picked up the sleeping baby girl. The girl had been born that night, and still hadn't been washed.
Urasue slashed her throat, and blood spattered across the cave wall. The souls flooded into the dirt, and all went black but the moon.
In the darkness, the earth moved.
AN: Hey all! Another long chapter. I'm sensing a pattern…
The amount of dialogue in this way more than I'm used to. I'm blaming Shippo and Myoga.
Would anyone be interested in beta-ing this? I haven't had a beta before but considering how long this is I'm starting to think this would be a good plan. I keep catching little errors (I tend to go overboard on commas lmao)
Anyway, please review! I'm kinda considering breaking the chapters into smaller chunks bc I love seeing feedback and more chapters means more reviews! Right?!
Quick update- Finals is busting my ass so HOPEFULLY I'll start updating again early May. Sorry to take a break this early on.
