Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own my story and the characters I have introduced
Chapter 4
A Mischievous Child and a Priestess Long Forgotten
Kagome blinked open her eyes and found herself in unfamiliar company.
"Aww! So you've awakened at last?" laughed the woman. Her flat, ebony hair fell around her neck and rested on her right shoulder. "Good morning." She said with a smile.
"Where am I?" She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, suddenly remembering her previous company. "Kaede-bachan?!" She cried, looking around the small house. "Yoko?! Akemi?!"
The woman covered her ears at the volume of Kagome's shriek. "Hush now. This house is small. If they were here, you'd be able to see them without a breath of difficulty."
"But… Where are they then?!" Kagome cried again, louder still.
"You still don't need to shout. The room hasn't become any bigger in the last ten seconds."
"And still you haven't answered my question!"
"Damn! What a nuisance we caught!" In walked a vision from many of Kagome's nightmares. Previous and recent. His gleaming black hair tied into a braid down his back and the purple, four-pointed star on his forehead brought horrific scenes from years ago flooding back into her mind's eye.
"W-what… How…" She stammered.
"Well, my love, it seems you've found a way to shut her up." The woman winked at Bankotsu.
He laughed lightly, contradicting the sadistic murderer Kagome knew him to be. "Who knew it'd be this easy?" He said as he flashed a smile at her. In flash realization that he was looking at her, she flicked her head away from him and the woman.
"Aw!" The woman flicked her pointer-finger towards the sky, "I still haven't answered your questions, have I?"
At the thought of learning news of her dear Mentor and apprentices, Kagome whipped her head around and cried "No, you haven't. Please tell me!" The thought of this devil looking at her held little sway in comparison to such news.
After a quick laugh, the woman nodded. "Well, …"
FlashbackChikotsu rushed through the door, and stood directly in front of Akemi and Yoko who were carrying Kagome's limp body.
She flashed a sweet, innocent grin at them said gently, "May I have her?".
Akemi looked at her in disbelief. "Are you mad? How stupid do you think we look? You're not even from the village?"
"Ohh… That's too bad."
"Be gone! You have no place here!" Kaede called from her bed.
"Aww! Kaede-bachan." She smiled at the old woman, but another unfriendly emotion lay behind her warm gaze. "It really must have been a long time for you to look like this now.".
Taking advantage of Chikotsu's distraction, Akemi reached forward to drive the small dagger in her hand into Chikotsu's jugular. As the blade slid cleanly through Chikotsu's flesh, Chikotsu merely looked disapprovingly at her. "Now, that was a bad choice."
Akemi's eyes widened in shock because where the knife still stuck out of her neck, Chikotsu did not bleed nor did she even react to any pain. Chikotsu gently slid it out of her neck and let it fall to the ground. Looking back at Akemi, Chikotsu heaved in a long breath, then parted her lips ever-so-slightly that only a sliver of air shot our from her mouth, but Akemi's skin began to crystallize. She groaned and shook, but she'd lost the mobility in her arms and legs. As her body began to lean to the side, Chikotsu reached out, grabbing the girl by her collar.
"I'd be more cautious if I had been you. A butterfly is no match for a Phoenix." And then she shot her hand through the young miko's stomach.
"Akemi!" Yoko cried, holding tighter to Kagome's limp body, "What have you done?!" She looked up sadly at Chikotsu, "Why would you kill her? You, obviously, can't be killed so why would it matter if she tried?"
Chikotsu looked at her with care. "She was in my way."
"In your WAY?!" Yoko cried, losing her common composure.
"Calm, my child!" Kaede cried.
"Oh, I'm sorry Kaede. I'd almost forgotten you." Chikotsu looked casually back at the aging miko lying on her bed, mere feet from the door.
"Child, why hast thou come?" Kaede looked cautiously at the woman standing in her doorway.
"Why, my dear Kaede-Sensei, Do you not remember?" Chikotsu cast a faux sad look at the miko. "I told you that I'd return when you had no life left in you."
" 'Kaede-Sensei'? Kaede-Sama, what is she talking about?" Yoko looked over at her, her eyes begging for answers.
Kaede paid Yoko one of her all-knowing stares and replied, "The answers will come in time."
"Kaede-?" Yoko's muscles relaxed slightly in confusion and mourning for the lost life of her dear friend and fellow apprentice under Kagome.
"I told you that you that I loved you, and that I refused to allow you to be old and feeble." Chikotsu glided gracefully over to Kaede's immobile body, whispered her a safe journey to Lord Death, and ran a long pearl dagger through the aged miko's heart. Kaede took two quick breaths, and eased into her departure.
"KAEDE-SAMA!" Yoko threw down Kagome's body and ran towards Chikotsu, but paid little attention to her as she flung herself on top of Kaede's plump corpse. "Kaede-sama!" She sobbed, crying into the miko's Haori.
"Why do you cry over her?" Chikotsu asked as kindly as was possible.
"She was like a grandmother to all of us. And now you've taken her from us!"
"No I didn't." Chikotsu replied matter-of-factly.
Wiping away a tear, Yoko looked up at her with questioning eyes and whispered hoarsely, "What? Do you think I am BLIND?"
"No. But I did not take her from you. Time did." She nodded and drew in breath to begin again, "She was old and feeble and tired. That was not Kaede. Her spirit needs freedom and that body of hers was not adequate for her spirit any longer." Yoko rose to look eye-to-eye with this mysterious woman who's logic she could not understand.
"Do you think I am foolish enough to believe that you did that out of compassion?!" Yoko burst, pointing down at the blood-soaked white dagger that protruded out of Kaede's chest.
"Hmm…" Chikotsu pondered on this for a moment. "Compassion…?" She stood silent for a minute or maybe even two until she shook her head and chuckled. "I don't really know. It's been so long."
Yoko glared at her with sorrow, anger, and confusion. This woman… what is she?! She's not a demon, but she has powers a human should not have! How could she just kill them without a shred of remorse?! Yoko was ripped away from her thoughts by Chikotsu's bright laughter. "What is so funny?!"
"Nothing. Truly!" Chikotsu cried, still laughing heartily. "It's just…" She paused catching her breath "… You're the first person in 20 years who has been faced with death and has not been afraid to face it!" She gripped her sides, laughing hard and loud. "I can't believe it. You don't entertain me."
"I don't mean to disappoint." Yoko groaned.
"Not at all. You're quite impressive!" Chikotsu calmed herself down and smiled at Yoko. "I like you, Yoko. Therefore I won't kill you." She gave her another bright, warm smile and placed a hand on Yoko's strong shoulder. The comforting smile on her face scared Yoko slightly, but mostly she found herself numb. Suddenly, Yoko felt a shock-wave pass through her body and she felt herself falling backward…
End Flashback"After that, all I had to do was lift you up and run on home."
That smile of hers is REALLY giving me the CREEPS! It's… happy and comforting, but at the same time, you can see… that there's truly just malice behind it.
"Oh that's not very nice!" Chikotsu folded her arms and pouted. "You shouldn't assume someone's a bad person when they're trying to be nice."
"See? I told you." Bankotsu pointed his hand in Kagome's direction.
Kagome's eyes flashed from the woman to Bankotsu and back to the woman. What's going on?? These people are freaking me OUT!
"Uhh!" Chikotsu threw her arms into the air in exasperation. "I give up with this one."
"Too hard?" Bankotsu mocked.
She whipped at him glaring. "Now, I comment like that is gonna leave you without ANY conquests for a few weeks!"
Bankotsu laughed. "You'd never last as long as your threat."
"That's very true Love, but I'm not as picky as you." And she flipped her charcoal black hair in his face and floated out the door. Bankotsu's eyes bugged out and after a moment or two he turned after her and cried, "You were just kidding… right?!" A hint of fear quaked in his voice as he chased after her.
What is going on here?? Kagome listened closely to hear any clues as to her location. She could hear some work going on out in front of her hut, Bankotsu seemed to still be racing after that woman for whatever reason, she didn't want to know, it seemed to be raining. I wonder what Inuyasha's doing right now… Wait! Inuyasha!! She jumped from the mat she was sitting on and ran for through entrance. She swung her head around and caught sight of the woman at the edge of the clearing, Bankotsu's arm draped over her shoulders. She stood about 3 inches shorter than him. "Hey! Hold up!" She screamed as she began to sprint toward the woman. After gathering up so much momentum, she couldn't stop on the wet ground and she just ended up sliding right into her. "Oof!" She puffed on impact, and lost her footing.
"Whoa!" Chikotsu cried out of reflex as she wrapped her arm around Kagome's waist to hold her steady until she regained her footing. "You alright there?" She asked laughing lightly at Kagome's clumsiness.
"Uh… Yeah. Thanks." Kagome shook off the surprise of her near slip and remembered why she had run over here in the first place. "What happened to Inuyasha!"
Chikotsu released her waist and cupped her hands over her ears. "Damn! What is with you and yelling at people who are only inches away from you?"
"Sorry. But what happened? What did you do to him?"
" 'Do?' We didn't do anything to him." She pointed at herself and Bankotsu. "It was Amai. What'd she say happened?" She asked over her shoulder to Ban.
"She said that as soon as you and I were done, she just hit him in the head and ran off after us."
"Then he should be just fine!" Chikotsu smiled that same warm and comforting yet chilling smile at Kagome and patted her shoulder. "Amai may be blood-thirsty, but she also likes to make it last so, she wouldn't have gone too far."
"What does that mean? "too far"?" Kagome rushed through every imaginable meaning of "too far" in these people's eyes.
Chikotsu just shrugged. "Well… I know he's not dead!" She smiled again. "That's… kinda it so far. I can try harder if you'd like."
"What do you mean?" Kagome cocked an eye-brow in confusion.
"Do you want to find out how your boyfriend is doing?"
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Inuyasha groaned and told his hand to rub his eyes, but for some reason his body was feeling stubborn today. "W-What's going on?" He stammered as he opened his groggy eyes and they were met by the eyes of an old friend. "Shippo!" He cried in shock.
"Hey Inuyasha!" Shippo chirped with the same child-like enthusiasm but his voice was now older and the voice of the man he now was.
"What's going on, Shippo?" Inuyasha looked the room and his senses suddenly cleared to the all too familiar scent of blood. Now his body wasn't so stubborn. He shot up and grabbed Shippo's slender arms. "KAGOME! Where is she?!"
"Calm down, Inuyasha!" Miroku cried running up from behind him. "Please, rest! You've sustained many injuries!"
I KNOW that ya stupid monk. Inuyasha grumbled in his head. The pains all over his body were impossible to ignore.
"Inuyasha, lay back down." Sango pleaded. "You're injuries need time to heal."
"Shut up about ME! Where the hell is Kagome?!" Inuyasha bellowed.
Sango and Miroku looked at each other and Miroku nodded. "We don't know." He sighed.
The blood rushing to his head, Inuyasha reached out and grabbed Miroku by his collar, wrenching him over so that Miroku's face was inches away from his own. "What did you say?!"
"We don't know where she is, Inuyasha." Sango said sternly, pushing Inuyasha away from her husband. "By the time we got here, Kagome was already gone."
"Then, can you, at least, explain the scent of blood! This room is SOAKED in it!" Inuyasha bellowed again.
"It's not Kagome's!" Miroku shouted.
"I know that! I've smelled it enough…" Suddenly he paid somewhat closer attention to the scent. Before, he'd only checked to make sure it wasn't Kagome's blood. His eyes bugged out as sharp realization hit. Kaede?! "That's… Kaede's blood…"
Miroku nodded. "Yes."
"Then… where is the old hag?" Inuyasha asked in his normal indignant tone. This time, Miroku didn't take it so calmly. Hearing Kaede spoken of like that made him react out of pure instinct. Throwing his arm back, Miroku delivered a bone-crushing punch to Inuyasha's left cheek.
"Miroku!" Sango jumped forward grabbing Miroku's arms. "Calm down! It's just how Inuyasha is! Try and remember that!" She wrestled with him for only a moment. Inuyasha didn't say a word out of pure shock that Miroku had reacted so strongly to something that he did every day.
Finally, his normal attitude surfaced. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, YA STUPID MONK?!"
"Don't talk about her so disrespectfully!" Miroku yelled back at him.
"Why not? I do it every day!"
"BECAUSE THIS TIME, SHE'S NOT HERE TO BRUSH IT OFF!" This took a minute for Inuyasha to process, but it quickly set in.
"Kaede… She… She's not…"
"Yes. This time, she really is dead." Miroku hung his head in grief.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" Inuyasha bellowed, but Sango, as patient as she was, was tired of hearing him screaming, so she did that one thing she knew would quickly shut him up. She got down on her knees and shot her pointer finger straight at the deepest of Inuyasha's injuries. The gash on his right side that Amaikotsu had finished with.
As Sango's finger began to reopen his wound, his body froze and, letting out once last howl of pain, fell back down onto the bed. Apart from slight tossing and turning, he remained relatively still while Sango began changing his bandages.
The pain he was going through would be excruciating, even for someone like Sesshoumaru, but through the agony, Inuyasha's only thought was this: Kagome, please be alright.