Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha", owned by Rumiko Takahashi. No copyright infringement intended or implied.
Not Human
Kikyo was called away to tend injuries, when she had barely finished tending Inuyasha's hands. She returned with the rising of the full moon, unsurprised, yet disappointed, when she saw his place vacated. Oddly, though, she could still sense his aura. Frowning a little, she hurried. He wouldn't be inside the hut, so where--?
A noise caused her to look up. She halted, breath catching in her throat, atavistic fear abruptly sparking through her nerves, as she beheld, illuminated by the moonlight, a figure crouching on the roof. A figure that did not look human.
Human ears did not perch on top of a head and glint silver as they twitched. Human eyes did not reflect light, glowing green. Human bodies did not seethe with youki, glittering darkly to the trained inner eye.
He watched her for a long moment with those alien eyes, before turning and leaping away, vanishing into shadows. Kikyo opened her mouth to call him back, before closing it, knowing it would do no good. She felt bewildered. Why was she suddenly afraid? They were friends. They had fought together. She could trust him.
"Youkai are never to be trusted. Those with youkai-blood may seem beautiful, may smile at you and beguile you, but it is all an act. They do not know love. They do not know kindness. They know only greed, power, selfishness. They are evil, and must be destroyed."
Those words had been repeated during her training. How many times, how many variations? She had believed that. But Inuyasha--
"He's not like that," she whispered, shivering. "He's not. He's part human. He's not selfish. He's not evil. I know that. Sensei is wrong. I know he's wrong."
But under the eerie light of the moon, she trembled.
Author's Note: This was written for the Live Journal community "Wilted Rose," for contest #14: Moonlight. It was originally published on February 6, 2009.
