Ch. 10 sorry it took awhile lol I had some business to take care of. This one was originally gonna be two parts but I was too lazy to actually separate them so you just get the whole thing. Ch. 13 is already halfway there on the typing just need to finish off some more details. Oh and before I forget there's gonna be a time skip on chapter 13 so just to warn ya...I like timeskips so I might do more than one...sorry :P please review as always and I'll keep writing. Also don't hate me if the decision she makes isn't the one you wanted...I'm just a amateur writer...have mercy!! ;)
Inuyasha groaned as he slowly sat up from the wet grass. He shook his head and looked around as his eyesight slowly came back. He squinted as he noticed he was somewhere in the forest where that lady kaname had told him about.
'Damn, I feel like I've been sat a thousand times by kagome and that stupid command of hers.'
The hanyou's ears flicked back and forth trying to catch the sound of any of his companion's. He stood up and walked towards the direction of a large set of bushes.
He pushed back through the set of bushes finding himself in a small clearing. A large tree stood above the other smaller sized bushes and tall grasses. Inuyasha span around slowly studying the clearing, but also noticing the strange aura surrounding this whole area of forest.
'This ain't normal...why can't I pick up any of the scents of that monk, or sango, shippo, not even kagome's...Wait?! That's right I remember now. That kaname woman transported me and the others to some illusions test. Well it must have not worked with me or somethin' cause I'm still in the freaking forest.'
The hanyou continued to explore the forest, looking for any signs of his friends or of that so-called miko kaname. He squinted up towards the sky noticing for the first time the strange color it possessed. He raised and eyebrow, and continued to look at the almost mist-like sky. His eyes suddenly widened when he caught two soul collectors holding blue tinted orbs towards a larger clearing than the first one he had found. Inuyasha's feet stayed frozen to the ground as he watched the two soul collectors disappear. He blinked a couple of times and then looked down at his feet, unable to comprehend or better yet accept the fact he had just seen them.
'What's goin' on?! Is it just my damn mind playin' tricks on me..or did I just really see kikyo's soul collectors fly pass me just now?That lady kaname did say it was gonna be an illusion test...maybe this is MY test...but I don't understand, is it a blissful illusion or a horrible one? I...I...just don't know what to do'
The hanyou ruffled back his hair in frustration trying to figure out exactly what was going on and what he was supposed to do about it. His gaze went up to the sky again where a lone soul collector flew by. Inuyasha let out a sigh and slowly followed the soul collector.
He pushed past another larger set of bushes and entered the clearing. It looked relatively the same as the other he had found but it now contained two large trees and the tall grass was the dominant plant. The hanyou let out a sudden gasp as his eyes shook seeing the sight before him.
Kikyo was just a couple of feet away. Her eyes remained closed and the soul collectors surrounded her body. For some reason though they didn't allow the spirits to enter the dead miko's body. Her appearance seemed more heavenly almost like she was a spirit herself
The wind seemed to pick it's pace around the couple as both their hairs blew gently back and forth following the flow of the wind.
Inuyasha's expression turned from that of surprise to that of sadness. He had managed to let go of his former love when she passed away after the battle with naraku, but now he knew he never had given her a proper farewell. For if that were the case this illusion wouldn't had been used on him in the first place. He took a step and stepped on a twig awakening the dead miko. Amber met brown as their eyes held unreadable emotions to each other.
Kikyo gave the hanyou a small smile before she carefully held her arms against the bark of the tree and sat up to better face inuyasha. He stared at her noticing she had not changed at all since her passing. She pointed to the spot in front of her and invited the hanyou to sit.
He let out a smaller sigh but did as he was told and sat cross legged. He looked up and gave the dead miko a questioning look, trying to see if this illusion was doing it's job or if she was just in his mind.
Kikyo let out a small laugh before she looked up at the sky.
"well it appears that this wasn't the illusion you were expecting was it inuyasha?"
"well...not exactly...no."
"I hope you realize of course that if you want to pass this test you must find a way to make all of this disappear."
"kikyo...how do you know all of this...and ...why are you here?"
"This is your illusion inuyasha, so I assume you must have unfinished business with me therefore I am here. What you must figure out is what that business is and then finish it so that you may make the illusion disappear."
"easier said then done kikyo...'cause I have no idea what it is you and I have unfinished...I thought your final death was our farewells."
The dead miko gave inuyasha a sympathetic look before she sighed and directed her gaze back up to the sky. The hanyou continued to ponder over what exactly he and kikyo had unfinished, but couldn't seem to think of any reason. His thoughts always came back to the day she had passed away, and every time he always came to the same conclusion, he had said all he needed to say to kikyo. The hanyou's patience was beginning to thin on himself as his growls became more and more louder. The dean miko had by that point closed her eyes again so as to give the hanyou time to clear his head and remember what he had to do. She herself was curious to know what exactly he had to tell her.
The hanyou was practically tearing his hair off when he looked up at the dead miko, and suddenly he realized what it was he had to do. Kikyo had reminded him of another certain miko who now held his heart, kagome. His promise to the young miko and the conversation they had two days ago had come flooding back into his mind.
'That must be it! Maybe I feel regretful that kikyo doesn't know of the promise I made to kagome...or maybe I feel guilty that I'm moving on from kikyo so quickly even though she had already given me permission to seek another love.'
Kikyo opened her eyes to find the hanyou giving her a very hard and stern look. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise but quickly returned to her calm stare as she proceeded to ask what was wrong.
"something seems to be troubling you inuyasha...what is it?"
"I...I think I know why I'm having this illusion with you kikyo...and what I have to do so I can pass the test."
"Is that so? I'm glad that you found out so please continue and tell me what it is that you and I have undone."
"Kikyo...awhile back kagome had gone through a real tough ordeal... she turned demon because of some curse a damn demon named Toruko placed on her. Which is why we're all doing this illusion test thing. You should have seen her though kikyo, she looked...so helpless and confused I...I just wanted to hold onto her and never let go...but.."
"you let your nerves and pride get in the way again...right?"
"uh...yea...how did..."
"heh it doesn't matter as you were saying."
"right well I promised her...I promised her that I would always be there for her whether she wanted me there or not...and that I had let go of you ...you would always have a place in my heart but that you were in my past."
The hanyou looked up at the dead miko remorsefully hoping he hadn't shocked her or hurt her feelings with what had just said. Kikyo blinked at him curious as to why he was giving her such a sympathetic look, upon realizing his reasons she giggled. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow to the dead miko's unexpected reaction.
"Please do not tell me Inuyasha that you feel guilty that you have moved on from me as quickly as you did?"
"um...of course not!!! ...why is...is that wrong or somethin'?"
"of course it is inuyasha...you must realize that you had let go of our past long before I "allowed" you to."
"what...you mean...you knew I was in love with kagome?"
"yes, probably even before you yourself realized. But if that's all that's been troubling you my dear inuyasha then trust me don't. If not be glad for what I asked you to do before I passed on and found peace you have now accomplished."
"I did? But...but you asked me to give my heart to the person that I truly love..."
"heh...I believe kagome was correct when she called you dense...inuyasha when you told that promise to kagome you gave your heart to her...even if you haven't confessed your said feelings for her yet."
Inuyasha stared at the miko wide eyed. Kikyo had known all along what took him nearly to the point of her final death to figure out. A vein popped out on the side of his face a little agitated of his own stupidity. The dead miko stood up from her perch in the tree and walked to the hanyou who was still fighting his annoyance at the fact of her knowledge. She bend down and placed her pale hand on inuyasha's shoulders and gave him another small smile when he looked up at her.
"look don't think so hard on the fact that I knew your feelings for kagome. Just know that it doesn't affect me at all. I have found my peace and it will not end because you love kagome."
"K...Kikyo."
"Now is that it inuyasha? Is your mind cleared of everything you thought would hurt me even in death?"
"ye...yes I think I feel a lot better now kikyo...like you took a huge burden off my shoulders. Thanks kikyo."
The hanyou embraces the dead miko gently. She smiles and fold her arms around the hanyou's back returning the embrace.
Of course Inuyasha was not the only one to see his illusion, another set of icy blue eyes watched the scene below with a sad but determined smile. A voice of an older woman is heard near the pair of eyes.
"The stage has been set kaname...make sure the young miko kagome finds the illusion barrier that belongs to the hanyou...and let her see her true illusion."
The shadows that once hid the body of the icy blue eyes disappeared as the older miko moved to reveal herself sitting in a branch on the far side corner of the forest. Kaname let out a trembling sigh as she cleared the barrier slightly revealing what was held inside. She turned to her opposite side to see two other dome shaped barriers. The monk and demon slayer were still in their tests. She then looked off towards the far end of the forest past the hanyou's illusion barrier to see kagome going through some bushes.
"yes lady elder...everything is ready and will be done quickly and swiftly. The young miko is near that hanyou's illusion barrier and once she sees what he is doing there, the decision she has to make will favor us."
"very well then kaname we will see you and the young kagome soon then?"
"...yes lady elder."
The miko's eyes saddened once the voice of the older woman seized. She looked out towards the young miko who was getting closer to the hanyou's barrier. She lowered her head and landed softly on the ground before she began to walk in the opposite direction kagome was taking. She looked back once again.
'Please kagome forgive me for having to do this to you. If it were up to me I would never use such a deceitful way to get you to train with us. Sadly I don't have that kind of power. Forgive me for causing such a wound in your heart.'
another trembling sigh is heard from the miko before she turns and continues walking away. She soon disappears within the shadows of the forest.
Kagome had been walking through the forest for about twenty minutes now. Her face had small sweat drops falling from the exhaustion of walking through the many bushes found in the forest. When she had first awoken after passing her illusionary test, kagome thought she would be back in the field and instead found herself in the middle of the forest. So now she was looking for her way out to the field in hopes to find kaname. She knew her decision was to be told after everyone was done with the test. But she had already decided she would stay with her friends and hope for the best with her demon.
Now kagome had bigger problems, like how the heck she was going to get out of this forest.
She knew that her friends might be finished with their tests soon as well and wanted
to get there before them so she could tell kaname her decision in front of her friends.
Kagome continued to walk through the forest, cursing under her breath every time she nearly tripped over another set of bushes.
Kagome didn't mind as much as she thought though, for something or more like someone else was on her mind. Inuyasha was where her mind wandered at. She wanted so desperately to find him and
admit her feelings to him in hopes he felt the same. She had a wide smile on her face as she thought of what his reaction would be.
Her mind was brought back to her current situation when she spotted a glowing transparent barrier to the left of her. She stopped and stared at the barrier strangely, wondering what it could be and what exactly held inside. As she tried to enter though a shock went through her finger and she stepped back. She placed her injured finger in her mouth and sucked on it to take away the burning pain.
'What the heck is this thing?! I know it's a barrier but why won't it let me in? How strange...wait ...I hear voices.'
The young miko walked towards the direction the voices seemed to be coming from. She wondered
if perhaps she had accidentally found one of her friend's illusion barrier. The closer
she got to the voices the more recognizable they seemed. She was paying such close attention to the voices she missed the clump of bushes near her and tripped over them, landing her quite roughly on her stomach.
The young miko let out a heavy moan as she sat back up and rubbed her back. She stood back up carefully trying not to re injure her already hurt back and kept following the voices. She cursed under her breath again and her brows furred into a scowl. She stopped in front of a semi large clearing and quickly fell to her knees when she heard the voices in front of her.
She crawled through some more bushes to get a better look of the people that were talking.
Her eyes shot open in shock and her mouth opened slightly trying to mouth out words that didn't come.
Sitting before and holding each other in an embrace was none other than Kikyo and Inuyasha.
A shimmer of tears formed around her eyes but refused to fall. She stared at the two with a hurtful expression. They seemed to be talking but she couldn't hear a word most likely from the barrier surrounding it. By that point though she didn't care she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Inuyasha the same hanyou who had promised her to always be with her and that he had let kikyo go was embracing the dead miko. And apparently he didn't seem to be hating it either.
unbeknown to the hanyou and the dead miko of kagome's presence past the barrier they held the embrace a bit longer and than separated giving each other a friendly smile.
"well then the barrier around this area seems to be losing its power that must mean you passed."
"yea...thanks for this kikyo I'm glad that you're in peace and that I can be free to well...you know."
"you should go inuyasha."
He stood up as did kikyo and the hanyou did something not even the dead miko expected.
He gave her a small peck on the cheek. She gave him a heart warming smile and bowed before she turned back and walked towards the tree she rested on before.
The soul collectors surrounded the dead miko and began to one by one disappear. Kikyo's body also began to vanish as she neared the tree. The dead miko gave one last look to her former hanyou lover than turned and disappeared.
Kagome had stood up and wobbled away from the barrier illusion after seeing inuyasha plant a kiss on kikyo's cheek. Her eyes had once again dulled over. Tears ran down her cheeks freely and she didn't try to wipe them away.
She felt numb completely and totally numb. Her emotions had been shutdown with the scene that seemed to play over and over again in her head. She didn't know if she should be angry, or sad, afraid, or betrayed. Her feet seemed to be the only thing moving her, but the young miko felt that her true self was left behind in those bushes where her whole world collapsed.
The hanyou's so called promise that he made to her repeated itself in her mind causing her tears to increase and fall down her cheeks faster.
'Was it all a lie?? when he held me in his arms and told me he would protect me and that he had let go of kikyo...was it all out of sympathy for me?? ughhh I can't believe I fell so easily to his words! I..I thought I could trust him...I..I..I thought that he could have loved me...now I know it was all a lie a lie he thought he could hide. If that's the way it has to be ...then... I won't be here to hear his continuous fibs...sango...miroku...shippo...forgive me but if I stay here any longer I won't be able to heal my already wounded heart. If this training will keep me in control and away from Inu...that hanyou then I'll gladly do it.'
By that time kagome had found herself in the field again her eyes showed sadness, loneliness, abandonment, and hate.
Dark circles had formed around the young miko's eyes and her whole body had slumped over in utter defeat. A cough was heard from behind her and she turned to see lady kaname giving her a rather strange look.
Kagome turned and walked up to the miko.
"I see you have finished your illusionary test kagome how was it?"
"It was fine...kaname I've made a decision."
"oh...is that so...well let us wait for your comrades and th..."
"NO!!"
The older miko gasped in surprise to the strong and angry reaction of the young and usual calm headed miko.
"I...I want to take the training...I'll go with you for the whole year and stop myself from turning demon."
kaname looked down sadly knowing very well what the young miko must have seen in order for her to come to her decision to go to this training. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again knowing there was nothing she could say to comfort the hurt miko. She nodded and walked past her. The large flat rock that was near the shrine was now on top of the hill the words written on the large stone glowed. Kaname placed both her hands on the flat rock causing the glow from the words to increase. The wind picked up and began to swirl around the flat rock. Kagome's hair blew in her face but she paid no attention her heart was aching and she wanted to get out of this place as fast as she could.
A large vortex formed from the flat rock and grew in size as kaname took her hands off the rock. She turned to look at the young miko.
"very well if this is your decision kagome."
"yes...it is I...I finally realized how blind I was to believe in people who have lied to me since I met them."
"well would you like to at least say good bye to your friends?"
"no...it's best if I leave without a word...I might say something I'll regret later."
kaname gave her another nod and directed the young miko to the swirling portal.
"this will transport us to the hidden village of mikos, so prepare for a rough landing."
Kagome nodded and began to push against the wind to walk up to the swirling portal
two voices shouting out her name was heard piercing through the wind. Kagome
turned around her hair still whipping around her face but she could see her friend Miroku and Sango walking up to her.
"miroku...sango."
"Lady kagome!! what are you doing?! Were you truly leaving without even telling us why you choose this?"
"kagome...were you not even going to say goodbye?"
The young miko's tears were dangerously close to falling as she looked at her companions and their worried looks. She was about to speak when her eyes glared past them and directed itself to a certain hanyou who had finally managed to exit the forest.
Inuyasha looked up the hill to find sango miroku and kagome already up there. He gave a smile and began to jump up to the top when he froze just a few feet behind sango and miroku. A swriling vortex that appeared to be some sort of portal stood behind kagome and kaname. But that wasn't what had caught the hanyou's attention it was his miko. Her eyes scared him. They looked cold and distant almost the same way kikyo looked when she was first brought back to life. His eyes shook as he took a couple of steps to stand next to his other two friends.
"wh...what the hell is goin' on?!"
"well that's what we're trying to figure out inuyasha."
inuyasha looked at miroku then back at kagome who still held the same cold eyes.
Kagome wanted so badly to run up to the hanyou and slap him once or twice just to torture him for all he's done to her. She restraint herself of course and slowly turned to look at kaname.
"go on ahead of me lady kaname I still have a bit of unfinished business here with my..."friends"."
The older miko looked at the miko the same saddened expression on her face. She slowly shook her head and walked into the portal.
Kagome now faced her friends and walked closer to them. She grabbed the necklace that held the jewel shards and yanked it off her neck.
"I'm going to go and train with kaname in her miko village."
sango stared at her miko friend in shock while both males gave an angry scowl.
"kagome...but...why? I know we said it was your decision even miroku and I tried to stay out of it but...can you really trust her?"
"sango's got a point lady kagome we can't completely trust that kaname will lead you to this village she speaks of...what if she tries to harm you?"
kagome let out a bitter laugh before she spoke again.
"I trust her far more than a certain person in our quaint group. So I will leave with her and train I'm sure all of you can handle me not being here for a year. Besides I didn't want to say good bye simply because I thought it was unnecessary."
Inuyasha gave his miko an angry glare how could she talk like that to them? What the hell was wrong with her? It was like she had changed into a completely different person.
"kagome?! How can you even say that to us?! What the hell did that kaname woman say to you so that you can start treatin' us like we're nothin?!"
another bitter laugh was heard from the young miko as she walked over to the hanyou
she stood not a foot away before she threw the large jewel fragment right on the hanyou's face.
Her other two friends gasped to see such a violent behavior coming from their miko friend. Both simply stood frozen as the miko proceeded to tell the hanyou her icy words.
"you...you have absolutely no right to tell me that I treat you or anyone else like they're nothing you conceited bastard!!"
"K...Kagome..."
"I'm leaving for this training for myself because I've realized how much I've sacrificed for you for all of you...it's about time I did something for me and just for me. and neither you or sango or miroku or anybody else is going to tell me otherwise."
The hanyou stared at his miko he blinked his eyes trying to stop the tears that were threatning to fall from his eyes. He tried to reach and touch kagome but was met by a hard slap in the face. He placed his hand on the burning cheek and rubbed it gently.
"ka...kagome...why are you doin' this? What the hell happened to you? Was it the illusion?"
"none of that matters anymore. And that slap on the face...you deserved it and probably more... I'm leaving."
"dammit kagome!! do you seriously think I'm going to let you go after all we've been through the past three days?! Well then you're fuckin' wrong!"
the hanyou grabbed the miko's left arm and held on tight. The miko simply turned around and yanked her arm back.
"don't you dare try to touch me like that again you worthless half demon!!"
Inuyasha's arms dragged down and his eyes dulled a bit. He shook his head back and forth trying to convince himself that kagome...his kagome didn't call him what he thought she did. He looked over at sango and miroku and both held the same look of pure hurt and shock the hanyou had as well. He now knew he didn't imagine it. Now the words echoed in his mind.
'don't you dare try to touch me like that again you worthless half demon!'
'don't you dare try to touch me like that again you worthless half demon!'
'worthless half demon!'
worthless half demon!'
kagome turned back around and walked past her friends and up to the portal. She looked down at her feet fresh tears now falling from her eyes. She smiled bitterly before turning back around to look at the hanyou who looked at her as well. His eyes held hurt and still shock at what she had called him.
'well...maybe now you'll understand what I felt when you broke your promise and shattered all my hope of you and me ever being together..."
she turned back and entered the portal but not before whispering out to her friends hoping they would hear "goodbye"
the wind increased and was soon swallowed by the shrinking vortex. The tall grasses soon stopped their swaying and the birds could be heard chirping in the distance. Morning was just around the corner.
But for three comrades that now stood on the empty field, everything felt like it had fallen into a perpetual darkness that none could escape.
That last line was so corny wasn't it? Lol I was reading a romance novel okay?! What did you expect. oh yea what did you think of kikyo here? I hope I didn't make her too ooc but hey I like her. Well I just wanted to give you a ..."hint" for next chapter? Yea so kagome made her decision and now she's at the village of mikos where she has to attend an important meeting...with who?? and why??? stay tuned ;)