Chapter 14: Kikyo's Stolen Ashes
…..Kaede's Village…..
A full moon over the village. Starry sky, a perfect night.
Does that ever really happen in the InuYasha world? Pfft! Yeah right!
A woman jumps over parts of the village until she reaches Priestess Kikyo's resting place. She circles the small shrine before nodding and saying, "I'm certain this is it. At last I have found her resting place!" She crouched on the ground and scooped some soil from around the shrine in her hand.
"Just enough moisture. And this soil is perfect."
"Stop right there!" One of the villagers cried. Kaede readied her bow and arrow and aimed for the woman.
"Intruder! What business have ye here? Identify thyself!" She ignored Kaede.
"Answer me!" Kaede told the woman.
"Silence you fools! My only business is with the urn buried here. Once I have the ashes I will leave this miserable village!"
She must be after Kikyo's remains, Kaede thought.
"Yah!" The villagers called out and thrust out their weapons in front of them.
"Leave this village at once or we shall have no cause but to strike!" Kaede said. The woman turned to Kaede and the villagers.
"Persistant wretch! You will do well not to cross my path!" She drug her long nails against her scythe, the sound so horrible all the villlagers cried out in pain. Kaede shot an arrow at the old woman. She simply cut the arrow in half and shrieked at Kaede, "You fool! You shall pay for your meddling!" She then swung her scythe multiple times at Kikyo's grave. The force from the blows so powerful it blew most of the village men away.
In the midst of confusion and smoke the old woman grabbed Kikyo's urn. Kaede quickly stood up despite her arm injury.
"No! Take not my sister's ashes! I am the Priestess Kaede and will not allow ye to take those remains!" She couldn't let some witch take her sister away from her. But she just laughed and told Kaede in a grave voice, "You're threats fall on deaf ears. These remains now belong to me! The demoness, Urasue! AHahahaha!" Urasue flew away in a large cloud of fire.
….Forest, InuYasha's Point of View….
InuYasha was running through the forest quickly when he heard an all too familiar voice.
"InuYasha!" InuYasha turned to the voice and met with an arrow in his chest.
I'm struck! InuYasha looked up to see who it was who shot him. Who would do this to me? He saw long black hair and a Priestess outfit.
Hiroko! No wait she wouldn't hurt me. It's Kikyo! The woman who's spell pinned me to a tree!
"Ahh!" InuYasha woke with a start at his nightmare. "Just a dream..I could've done without those nasty memories." He looked down from his tree branch to Hiroko, Aneko, and Kagome and Shippo all in their sleeping bags. Shippo was curled up against his "mom" in her sleeping bag. InuYasha jumped down from his branch to look at Hiroko. It was strange how much she looked like Kikyo.
Hiroko is identical to Kikyo. No wonder I had them mixed up in my dream. InuYahsa's ears twichted as he heard footsteps to his left. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground after being slapped by Kagome.
"Gaaah!" he cried.
…..Hiroko's Point of View….
"Gaaah!" I heard. I shot up from my sleeping bag and looked at what was going on. InuYasha was sitting up, rubbing his cheek. Kagome was standing over him, glaring.
"What the hek is going on?"I asked. InuYasha pointed to his cheek.
"Kagome…"
"Well I thought he was gonna hurt you or something!" I glared at her and said, "I do not like being woken up Kagome. Now go back to bed or I'll get Aneko." She trudged to her sleeping bag.
"I was wrong you don't look like her!" InuYasha yelled.
"Like who?"
"Not even remotely similar!"
"Similar to who?"
"Yo-"InuYasha looked away and sighed.
"So what's wrong?" InuYasha looked away.
"It's nothing just forget abou it," he said. InuYasha sudenly bolted up and said there was a demon.
Urasue probably. It's the fourteenth chapter,I thought.
"Ya smell anything on 'em?" I asked.
"Fresh blood. I recognize the scent of that blood.."
"Well then let's go."
"No! Lets just stay here." I reluctantly agreed and went back to my sleeping bag with Shippo.
….Next Morning…..
"Come on InuYasha, how about a hint at least!" Kagome pleaded with InuYasha. He was jumping acorss the river with me on his back.
"Yeah. Why the sudden urge to go back to the village?" Aneko asked.
"What's the rush?" Shippo yawned and went back to sleep in Kagome's bike's basket.
…..Kaede's Village….
A woman was helping Kaede out of her hut yet telling her she shouldn't move yet.
"Pay no mind, these are but flesh wounds," Kaede said.
That's our Kaede, I thought proudly.
"Kaede!" Aneko shouted. Said woman looked towards us.
"Your back." Kagome slowed her bike to a stop and Aneko got off of the back of it. "What happened to you?" Aneko asked.
"She got injured of course," I told Aneko getting off of InuYasha's back.
"Smartass," she said.
"Yeah but you're related to this smartass," I countered.
….Steps To Shrine…..
"Figures you'd be to damn stubborn and let wounds have time to heal," Aneko said to Kaede.
"Well now we know why InuYasha wanted to go back to the village so badly. He smelt your blood on the demon and was worried about Kaede," Kagome said. I still don't like listening to her.
…..At Kikyo's Gravesite…
"That's one big hole," Shippo said.
"Yep." I looked to Kaede.
"So what happened here?' I asked.
"The demoness, Urasue, desacrated my sister's gravesite."
"This was her…tomb?" Kagome asked, her voice shaking.
"Yes. And I was virtually powerless to stop the assault." Kaede looked down to the ground in front of her.
"My sister had unually strong powers, even for a priestess. She was…if her remains get into the hands of evil, who knows to what end Kikyo's powers will be exploited."
"InuYasha!" I yelled. I knew he was at the top of the steps.
"Tell the hag that she's on her own! Apparently she's forgotten that Kikyo and I are enemies! I am not so lucky. I can still feel the pain of that arrow going through my chest."
"Forgive me,"Kaede murmured. Aneko went back to the villaged with InuYasha, not to mention she dragged Kagome along with her.
That "incident" (Actualy set up by Naraku A.K.A Onigumo) fifty years ago. But to InuYasha, the memory is still like yesterday. Being the Half-demon that he was, InuYasha wanted the Jewel to become all demon. When he stole the Jewel, Kikyo shot and bound him to a tree. Losing her life shortly after. I looked out towards the village.
"InuYasha."
…..Mid Day….
I went to see InuYasha sitting under his usual spot in the village under the tree. No doubt thinking about Kikyo with the situation which will turn worse(Too bad he doesn't know that).
"Guess ya don't wanna talk, huh?" I said. He "Hmp"ed and turned away. I inwardly sighed. I walked over and sat on the fallen branch (Or is it a log?) beside him.
"Sometimes people need other peole," I said.
"Huh?" he said. I smiled at him. I'm not all that good at lying so I couldn't hide the sad smile on my face.
"When someone has had a bad day, or..or.."I stopped and sighed at my innability to explain things. "Ah frig I'll just show you!" I sat right in front of InuYasha on my knees, leaned over and gave him a big hug. After a few seconds he actually hugged me back. We were like that for who knows how long. InuYasha put his hands on my shoulders and put me to where our faces were only inches apart.
Ohmygogohmygodohmygod! My mind was racing and so was my heart and the heat to my face. I had to look like a cherry. And he did it. He kissed me.
On the cheek.
Right after he just backed away and said he was sorry.
"No no no! Hold on." I patted the ground next to me. He sat.
"You loved Kikyo a lot I can tell. By the way you kissed my cheek I could tell."
"Again we were enemies! Not lovers!"
"When I got kidnapped by Monten and Hiten, you acted like you really were my lover. It's all because I look like Kikyo. But listen InuYasha. Just because Kikyo and I look or sound or act alike, we are not the same person. Even if we share parts of the same soul. I'm still different." He stood up and walked a few feet away but stopped and said, "The kiss helped me get it out." I couldn't help keeping the smile from my face.
"Kaede?" InuYasha said. She had a serious look on her face.
"Kikyo." That was all that was said, for right after I said that, we were on our way to Urasue's place. Except Kagome. She stayed behind at the village to catch up on math homework. Don't most of us not like math?
…..Road to Urasue's….
I was riding on InuYasha's back with Shippo on my shoulder. Aneko was riding Kagome's bike. I could hear her mumbling.
"Disgrace. Pink is so not right for a bike…Can't I just burn it?" I smiled a little.
…..Night….
"Well Kaede's asleep," Aneko said. I sighed.
"Mama?" Shippo tugged on the shirt of my Priestess uniform. I pulled him onto my lap.
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"I want a story." I laughed. "Okay, you'll get one." I decided to tell about Puss in Boots. By the end he was sleeping like a baby.
"So how far?" Aneko asked.
"I can smell the remains, they're not far. We're gonna have a big battle tomorrow. We should get some sleep ourselves." He leaned over and (I don't really know if he did or not) fell asleep.
I'm gonna listen to my MP3 player 'till I go to sleep." Aneko got it out of her pocket and put in a headphone.
"Hey can I listen too?" I asked.
"Sure." She handed me the headphone and I put it in my ear.
"Leather Pants?" I asked.
"You got it. On loop?"
"Heck yeah!" I whispered. Then after about two rounds of Leather Pants in my head I fell asleep.
….Next Morning…
"'Cause we are hot. Hot! Hot! Hot! Yes we are sexy," Aneko sang, mimicking Marik.
"Marik that doesn't rhyme," me mimcking Bakura.
"Shut up I am Lady Gaga!" We looked at each other and busted out laughing.
"I won't even ask," InuYasha said. We laughed at InuYasha. I rubbed his head from my spot on his back.
….The Bridge…
"Aaahh! Let me go you old witch!" I tried using my new powers but her scythe pressed against my neck kinda stopped me.
"I have plans for you girl. Plans to bring back Kikyo!"
Damn it. I thought.
Author's Note: Review Please! Sorry for not updating in so long. Anyway I want to say I don't own InuYasha (Wish I did), I don't own Leather Pants (That belongs to CardgamesFTW on youtube.) Link to the channel will be on my profile. They or he or she is friggin' hilarious! Anyway review, love it and tell your friends. Also, anyone with ideas to the meeting Miroku chapter coming up after Ch.15, give ANY ideas you like. And also there's a spoiler for the very end of the fic for the first person who can answer this question: Who wrote the first full-length novel?