Chapter 10
Die Kikyou!
(I'm not Kikyou bashing in here, though it may seem like it. I'd only seen approximately 18 episodes when I wrote it back in 2003-2004…er, somewhere in there. ^_^)
Everyone sat down at the table to enjoy the dinner that Kaede and Kagome had prepared. They all ate with zest, except Inuyasha. He mostly played with his food. Night had fallen and Sango and Miroku had gone outside to enjoy a clear night of star filled skies. Inuyasha took the opportunity to step up to Kagome, and with all seriousness in his voice, asked her to go outside and keep company with Miroku and Sango.
"I must speak with Kaede alone, Kagome."
With a questioning gaze Kagome did as he asked and sat on the porch with Sango and Miroku. In hushed whispers, they tried to glean what was going on with Inuyasha.
This is unusual, Kagome thought to herself. Inuyasha rarely seems to respect anything Kaede might have to say.
Inside the hut, Inuyasha, though fidgeting in his nervousness, was determined to get an answer to the question that had been plaguing him since he and Kagome had cemented their relationship.
"Kaede, I need to ask your advice concerning Kikyou. I broke my promise to her. How could Kagome ever really trust me, even though I chose her as my mate?" Inuyasha asked lowering head, sadness in his voice.
"Tell me of this promise Inuyasha."
"Kikyou had bound Kagome to a tree and made her invisible to me. Kikyou thought that I hated her in her new body. But, I told her that I didn't care what she looked like, that her soul was what I cared for. I promised Kikyou that I would join her in the depths of hell just to be with her. Kagome heard every word and saw Kikyou kiss me. Then I fell unconscious as Kikyou began to take me to hell with her. If it hadn't been for Kagome's scream, I wouldn't have woke up. I was scared for Kagome and jumped out of Kikyou's arms. Then Kikyou drifted away as I ran after her. I didn't know that Kagome had seen us until she yelled and sat me. Then she stomped her way home. She wouldn't even talk to me at all!"
"I see," Kaede sighed. "Ye told Kikyou that ye would go with her. Did ye make the promise to her heart, her soul, or to her clay form?"
When there was no response, Kaede sucked in a breath and straightened her back. "Come, Inuyasha," she ordered. "Ye must open your eyes."
Inuyasha wondered what Kaede was up to, but he followed her to the door anyway.
"Look at that young woman over there," she insisted, pointing to Kagome strolling across the field with her friends.
"Do ye love her body or her soul?" Kaede asked in all seriousness.
"Both," Inuyasha stated, pride warming his heart.
"Now, where did that soul she harbors originate?"
"Kikyou!" Inuyasha gasped as realization began to dawn. Why was it that his brain seemed to work so much better when he was alone with her?
"All the clay body of Kikyou has is the souls of dead women and memories from the bones her body was made of. She is a fake, not my sister, but a demon made by a witch. Ye love Kikyou's soul and Kagome's heart. It is Kikyou's soul that resides in Kagome. It was to Kagome that ye made this promise. Kagome knows this and her only desire is to love ye and be beside ye as Kikyou once did. She wants ye to live, whereas, the demon Kikyou only desires to kill ye and take ye to hell with her. Dost thou think Kikyou will love ye once ye are in hell with her? She consorts with Naraku and Sesshoumaru when she should be by your side. What dost this tell ye, Inuyasha?"
Understanding, and most of all, relief, passed over Inuyasha's features.
"Thank you, Kaede. Thank you so much!"
He took a deep breath, grabbed the old woman, and held her firmly to his chest while a lone tear rolled down his face. He closed his eyes, relieved that his confusion had been dispelled.
Kaede thought he would never let go. But finally, he freed her. Smiling, he pulled her back to him for another tight hug. Kaede could barely breathe. She'd never expected this kind of behavior from Inuyasha.
He must truly love her, Kaede thought, knowing that her Kagome would be in good hands.
Just then, the three friends walked in through the door. Their eyes widened in shock as they beheld Inuyasha hugging the old woman.
What is this? they all thought in unison.
"I told you to leave us alone, WENCH!"
"Humph! Baka!" was Kagome's only response as she held Sango's and Miroku's hands and led them back out the door.
"What was that all about?!" they whispered to each other as they strolled away from the hut.
Inuyasha stepped away from the old woman and motioned for her to sit. He sat beside her, a frown marring his face. "I have one more question. Did Kagome make you promise not to tell me what happened while I was transformed the last time?"
Kaede sat in silence, staring at him with a strange look on her face.
"What is it, Kaede?" Inuyasha demanded.
"I am bound by oath to Kagome. Only she can tell you."
"Damn it all old woman! I need to know. Let me tell you what happened while we were in the forest." Inuyasha relayed everything that had happened, how Kagome had wept violently in his arms.
Kaede merely stared down at her hands.
"Look at me old woman! Did I hurt Kagome?!"
Kaede looked up at him with pain and sadness in her eyes. She did not want to break his heart, and she would not. "I'm sorry Inuyasha; I will keep my vow to Kagome."
The old woman's expression said it all. Inuyasha knew that he was the one who had slashed Kagome. He cut her to ribbons. Killed her. His face turned to stone as his chin fell to his chest. His stomach churned and bile rose in his throat. At the same time, his head felt as though someone had shoved a hot coal inside of it. The knowledge that he had been the one to do such a horrifying thing to Kagome was slowly driving him mad. He turned and shuffled to a dark corner then began tapping his head into the wood. Maybe it would make the pain go away and clear his mind. As tears streamed down his face, the tapping turned to pounding.
How could I have done that to her? I have never hurt her before. How…
"Stop it Inuyasha! Do not let Kagome see ye like this! It would break her heart. Just as ye protect her, she protects ye. Don't ye understand?" Kaede yanked him from the corner and slapped him in the face, hard.
"What'd you do that for?!" he choked out.
"Straighten up, suck it up, and grow up!" Kaede commanded. She wiped the tears from his eyes with her apron all the while staring at him with deep concern. "Now, ye go out there and call her a 'bitch' for coming in here against your wishes just as ye normally would! Go! Now, ye baka! Don't ye dare break my Kagome's heart!"
He knew Kaede was right. Her suggestion was a perfect example of the same type of bravery Kagome would show. Determined to never be the cause of anymore pain to Kagome, Inuyasha straightened his clothes and washed his face with a damp cloth.
"Thank you, Kaede," he quietly whispered then strode outside, took a deep breath as he straightened his back, and lifted himself to his full height. "Come here, bitch! Didn't I tell you to leave me and Kaede alone?!" he yelled striding up to Kagome with a scowl. A grin lit up his features as he stood above her, reveling in the clear show of fuming anger that adorned her lovely and most importantly, living, visage. Leaning down and softly grabbing her back side, he whispered in her ear, "Now bark, bitch."
Kagome's anger quickly deflated. She giggled and gave him a barely audible yelp. She didn't argue when he grasped her hand and began to lead her toward the forest.
Sango and Miroku could hardly believe what they had just witnessed. In the past, and under normal circumstances, Inuyasha's behavior would have led to an all out war between the two. Not so this time. Both beings stood, perplexed, for long minutes before Miroku finally broke the silence.
"Have no fear Sango! They will be bickering soon enough," Miroku stated confidently as his hand crept toward her lovely behind.
Kaede smiled, watching through the door that was slightly opened, just enough for her to peek. She shook her head at the antics of the young men and women. In her eyes, they were all still children, the children she'd never had.
Kagome found herself backed into a tree with Inuyasha hungrily kissing her. He pulled away to gaze into her eyes, dark depths of eternity reflecting moonlight.
Gazing beyond Inuyasha, Kagome sucked in a breath and her eyes widened in shock. Kikyou had lit in a tree just behind them. Inuyasha turned, his expression full of anger and hate.
"What are you doing here Kikyou?"
"You have broken your promise to me. Do you think I did not see you mating with her?"
"Watching us is unforgivable, Kikyou. But you deserved it after what you forced Kagome to see!" Inuyasha growled with all the power his voice could carry.
Kagome pressed herself further into the tree, tense with fear, questioning the outcome of this meeting. No, her fear did not arise from what Kikyou would do to her, but from what Inuyasha might do. Would he go to Kikyou?
"My shadow will never trust you. Our kiss will always be in her sight. You will never have her heart completely," Kikyou proudly stated.
Inuyasha hurt for Kagome, knowing that if he did nothing, Kikyou's words would be the truth. He looked back to Kagome, seeing the fear in her eyes displayed in how she trembled. His resolve to relieve Kagome of her fear and pain led him to unsheathe Tetsusaiga. It was not only for Kagome, but also for the fact that Kikyou, or rather, this monster, had deceived him. Kikyou was a demon, a golem, not the woman he had loved. She devoured the innocent souls of dead women. Had she been anyone else, he would have dispatched her long ago.
Damn that witch, he thought angrily as a low growl vibrated from his belly and resonated in his chest.
"I made that promise, not to a piece of clay, but to a loving soul I once knew. That caring soul is no longer in you, Kikyou. You're just a piece of clay with the souls of dead women inside. You are worse than a demon. The soul I loved, and still love, is standing right here behind me! Right there!" Inuyasha exclaimed, pointing his clawed finger at Kagome.
Kagome gasped as she heard Inuyasha's words. 'Since when did he come to this understanding? Was it his talk with Kaede?'
Tetsusaiga's flame grew as Inuyasha stepped toward Kikyou.
"You are mine and I am yours. She will never have you!" Kikyou yelled as she threw a ball of lightening toward Kagome.
Testusaiga blocked the attack while Kagome sank to the ground in shock. It had happened so fast and she hadn't even felt the sudden rise in power that such a display would require.
"Die, Inuyasha!" Kikyou screamed, stretching both arms in front of her electrifying the air with her power.
Tree limbs began to crackle and fall, one toward Kagome as she sat, head down, hands clasped to her chest, and breathing in pain. Inuyasha could hear the limb that traveled toward her and jumped back to grab and swiftly carry her to safety. Kagome's world blackened as she fainted. These past few days had taken so much out of her that another confrontation this soon was just more than her mind and body could tolerate.
"I'm tired of hearing you order me to die, bitch! Go back to the ground you came from!" Inuyasha yelled, swinging Tetsusaiga. The ground roared as flames swept toward Kikyou. Her escape seemed effortless even though she had nearly been licked by the flames.
Kikyou grinned in cold triumph. "How could you, Inuyasha, after the love that we shared?" She raised her glowing hands toward Inuyasha. At the last moment, she suddenly redirected her attack toward Kagome.
"Shit!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he swung Tetsusaiga into the oncoming path of Kikyou's attack.
The crashing sound of Tetsusaiga meeting the clay bitch's attack brought Kagome to consciousness. She gasped at the sight of Kikyou throwing another bolt at Inuyasha, which blasted him quite a distance before he crashed into the trunk of a tree. Tetsusaiga dimmed when it fell from his hands.
No. She can't win. I won't let her have him. He's MINE!
Kagome jumped up and ran toward Kikyou.
Inuyasha lifted his head and sharply drew his breath. Then it all came out in a rush as he helplessly watched Kagome running toward Kikyou. Everything was happening as though in slow motion and he knew that he would never reach her in time.
"Noooo! Kagome...!"
Kagome screamed at Kikyou, blinded by the tears in her eyes as she ran with all her strength while drawing her arm above her head.
"Inuyasha is mine! Go to hell, you bitch!"
Inuyasha could see the jewel shards around Kagome's neck glowing brightly. With all of the life in her, Kagome put as much of her soul as she could into the ball of lightening suddenly appearing in her hand. Throwing it with all of her might, the glowing orb grew larger and brighter as it left her hand, rushing toward Kikyou and gaining speed. Kagome stumbled and fell as it left her. But, she never took her eyes from it. As Inuyasha looked on as Kikyou burst into a thousand pieces, the souls of dead women streaking away to freedom.
Kagome let her head fall to the ground, her chest heaving. She had done it. She had saved Inuyasha.
Inuyasha ran to her, dropping to his knees as Sango and Miroku raced up behind them.
"What happened? We saw the lights and heard the thunder. We came as quickly as we could," Miroku said through pants.
"You, wench," Inuyasha spoke softly as he kissed Kagome's temple, "are truly amazing."
"What happened?!" Miroku demanded.
"Miroku, Kikyou has been shattered. Will you clean up this mess so it can never come back to haunt us?" Inuyasha asked, already knowing that Miroku would grant his request.
"Gladly!"
As far as Miroku was concerned, the monster in the likeness of Inuyasha's lost love had been a curse on them all. He was elated that Kagome would no longer be left lying in her sleeping bag while Inuyasha ran away to Kikyou whenever she made her presence known. No more pained sniffles in the darkness. No more of his friend being torn in half by confusion. Miroku felt as though a giant weight had been lifted from the group. It didn't matter that, each time he used his wind tunnel, he was brought closer to his time of death. This was well worth every bit of it.
Inuyasha lifted Kagome to her feet and could feel her trembling, so he gently picked her up into his arms and stepped back along with Sango. Everyone watched as Miroku removed the prayer beads from his right hand and unleashed the wind tunnel with which Naraku had cursed his family. Though the use of it caused the hole in his hand to grow and would one day swallow him, unless he killed Naraku, he would do anything for the happiness of his friends. They would never have to see Kikyou again. Kagome would never be haunted by her again. Inuyasha would not be torn by Kikyou's claims of betrayal when she knew damn well that Naraku had changed shapes in order to fool the two into believing that they had betrayed each other. It was Naraku who had killed Kikyou and caused the Shikon jewel to be tainted with evil. Evil that only Kagome could purify.
Everyone watched in gratitude, knowing the price that Miroku was paying for ridding them of this evil.
Inuyasha whispered into Kagome's ear, "I know what I did to you. No one broke their promise. I am so sorry, Kagome. Can you ever forgive me?"
Kagome put her arms around Inuyasha's neck and gazed into his eyes with a tenderness that bathed his heart with healing warmth.
"I never blamed you, Inuyasha, but if you need to hear me say it, I forgive you. Now, can I go home and tell my mother that we have mated?"
Inuyasha, with his golden eyes glowing, perhaps from Tetsusaiga's power, searched Kagome's. He sighed and nodded, relieved that she seemed to have no fear of telling her family.
Disclaimer
I do not own Inuyasha. He is only my toy, as are the other characters associated with him. Kaiaela, the child Midoriko, Kalen, the child Oberon, Eolande, and Mr. Sesshou are solely my creations and whom you will eventually meet on your journey through the twisted mind of this author.