Chapter 24: A Wicked Smile - Kikyō's Wandering Soul
"This mansion is enormous!"
Come a new day in Sengoku Edo, and we find our four travelers in front of a grand estate, starting out again in their search of the Shikon-no-Tama shards, as well as leads to Naraku's whereabouts.
Today, Coraline was wearing a camouflage-print unbuttoned flannel shirt, a white t-shirt, light-green cargo pants, and her brown hiker shoes. She also dawned a braid for her hair.
After Shippo's exclaim over the size of the place, Coraline asks,
"So, what's the verdict, Miroku? Are we gonna try to see about staying here for tonight?"
Inuyasha sarcastically retorts,
"I'll wager that Miroku tells the owners that an 'ominous cloud' hangs over the mansion."
"You're mistaken. I have a legitimate reason for coming here."
Soon enough, the group is sitting down with the lord of the estate, and after learning what has been plaguing the region for a while now, Inuyasha was quite surprised:
"So these demons carry off the souls of dead girls?"
"Yes. As if losing the princess wasn't upsetting enough, I cannot have her soul taken before it reaches its final resting place..."
Miroku speaks up to reassure the troubled lord:
"No such thing shall occur. I assure you that my associates and I shall protect the princess's soul from these demons."
Coraline and Shippo look to Miroku with mild surprise at his seriousness...
But, come a bit later, it would be revealed that Miroku had a hidden motive to coming here, namely, the extravagant meal that was brought to the four as a token of appreciation and thanks.
"What'd I tell ya? Same old lines, same old unwarranted feast." Miroku responds calmly to Inuyasha,
"Perhaps, but one must have a full stomach before running into combat."
As Miroku picks up a bowl to drink from, he narrows his eyes in suspicion to the atmosphere of the area:
This place is too quiet. The air is thick with evil...
Meanwhile, down at a riverside village...
A group of small children were playing, with one girl stopping to scan some plants, before finding what she was searching for:
"(Gasp) Look, I found some! Kikyō! Kikyō, I found some!"
And low and behold, standing by the water, was the priestess Kikyō, who somehow survived the fall from the cliff a few weeks back!
The little girl in the orange kimono rushes over the Kikyō with a smile to show her the plants she found:
"Look! Is this a medicinal herb?"
"Yes, well done, Sayo. It is called the Lantern Plant, and it's used to reduce swelling."
Another child, a little boy, comes to show the priestess his find:
"Kikyō, Kikyō! What are these?" Followed by another little girl:
"Do these grasses cure anything?"
Kikyō smiles at their curiousity and eagerness to learn, and goes to examine each of their plants:
"Let's see..."
As this went on, two men, dressed in the worn robes of monks, were skulking in the treeline of the forest:
"Master Seikai, are you certain that the young priestess is a demon? She looks nothing more than a human to my eyes."
"Then you lack in training. Can you not sense it? This area resonates with a sinister evil."
As they continue to observe, Kikyō then calls from her seat on the grass:
"...Excuse me, monk."
"Uh!"
The monks are surprised at being found out by Kikyō, and she turns to where they stand with a gentle smile:
"I see that you have been watching me for sometime now."
The monks come out from hiding, and the older of the two, Seikai, replies,
"Heh, how very awkward. You perceived us, did you? Your beauty is so remarkable, I could not help but stare at you."
"Spare me your flattery."
"Apparently my etiquette is in sore need of refinement."
(Trip)
"Auh!"
The monk Seikai then trips a bit, and a scroll falls out of his robes in front of Kikyō...She stares at the writing for a moment, before looking back up at Seikai with an expressionless face, though her eyes suggest suspicion...
"Gather the scroll up for me, will you? It contains a sutra warding off evil. Should a demon touch it, their true nature will be revealed."
...Kikyō does what Seikai asks with no problems, much to the latter's shock, and she replies with a calm smile,
"How fortunate that we have such sutras to protect us. Here, your scroll."
Seikai reaches to take back the scroll, his mind dumbfounded:
She touched the sutra, yet there was no transformation...!
Then just as he grabbed hold of the scroll:
(Bzzt)
"Ah!"
He was blasted with several shots of an unknown power, his mind flinching from the darkness hidden within it!
Kikyō then goes back to the children:
"Now then, let us go, shall we?"
(...Drop...)
Seikai releases the scroll, it opening back up on the ground, while he places a hand on his chest, trying to make sense on what just occurred:
"...I, I am not certain what transpired. A tremendous force deep past through my body...Ah, no, it's gone!"
His apprentice comes to him:
"What is it? What upsets you, Master Seikai?"
"...Look at the scroll."
"Huh?"
The young monk in training does so, and is shocked to find,
"The sutra has disappeared!"
"It is as if it has been erased...Priestess!"
Kikyō stops, and the children turn look to the monks confused...
"I do not know what binds you to this world, but it is certainly not a place for you to linger...Go, and return to where you belong!"
The children frown at the monk's claim:
"What's he going on about?"
"He's a strange monk!"
Sayo looks up with worry at Kikyō...They then all continue on their way from the river, as Seikai makes this mental conclusion:
That woman is no ordinary demon...She is much stronger, and much more sinister...
Kikyō and the children all return to the village, and are seen coming by some farmers:
"Look, it's Lady Kikyō."
"Luckily, we have such a talented and kind priestess in our midst."
"Aye, she heals our ails and cheers the children."
"It is so; we are blessed indeed."
As Kikyō walked on, her mind wanders back to when she was reborn again, and the consequences that came:
The witch, Urasue, desired the spiritual power of a priestess, so she robbed the bones and dirt of my grave and fired my body in her kiln.
The Soul that is transmigrated into my body suits me well...
"Why did you betray me, Inuyasha?!"
For the second time, you asked me to die, Inuyasha. So why is it that you looked sad?
Is it because you feel the heat from my hand? The heat of anger that flames of vengeance?
"Kikyōōōōōōōō!"
"Kikyō? Did you hear me?"
Kikyō snaps out of her thoughts, and looks down at Sayo:
"Sayo..."
"Kikyō, you will always stay here with us, will you?"
She was momentarily taken aback by the question, before smiling softly and bending down to the little girl's level:
"Tell me, Sayo, are you fond of me?"
"Mhm."
"That makes me happy. You are as dear to me as though you are my younger sister."
"Aw, truly?"
"Yes."
That make Sayo beam with happiness, and as she rushed back home, she stops briefly to wave at Kikyō with a big smile...
As she watched Sayo go, Kikyō then looked around the village:
I can live here. I can reside in this village.
I know I can do it...but the question remains: Will I be permitted to do it?
Time Skip, Back at the Mansion
As night falls over the grounds, Inuyasha comes back into the room where he and Coraline were, also where the dead princess was:
"Well, everything looks clear outside. Anything unusual in here?"
"Nope. So far, everything's just quiet like it should be."
"Good."
As Inuyasha sits beside Coraline, he asks,
"Where'd Miroku get to?"
"Apparently, there's a second princess who lives here, and Miroku left to make sure she was content."
"Oh, suuure..."
Speaking of said monk, Miroku, accompanied by Shippo, was being lead by a vassal to the other princess at this very minute:
"The younger princess is petrified."
"Leave her-er, I mean, things to me. If she is like her sister, the younger princess is sure to be a beauty beyond compare. (Happy sigh) I love my job..."
Shippo then asks,
"Miroku, am I suppose to help you protect this younger sister?"
"Hm, first we must do what we can to lay her fears to rest. Perhaps you can transform into something cute and fuzzy."
"What for?"
"(Feminine pitch) 'Oh, a bunny, I always wanted to see one up close!' You see?"
"Um, no, not really..."
Miroku bends down to Shippo and says with a smile,
"I'll explain it one day when you're old enough to talk man-to-man, (nod)."
Ahem...anyway, we go back to where Inuyasha and Coraline were, as the former scoffs and mutters,
"He's some player. Too bad he has everyone convinced that he's a saint, otherwise I'd give him a good stomping...Huh?"
Inuyasha then feels Coraline's head lay between his chest and shoulder, and he blushes a bit while asking awkwardly,
"Uuhh, isn't this a little close, Coraline?"
"S-Sorry, it's the princess. She's got me on edge...I'm not comfortable with being in the same room as a dead body that looks like it could stand up any second..."
Inuyasha looks at her with a deadpan:
"That was your motivation?" Coraline lightly blushes and responds,
"Well, yeah, I guess. You, make me feel safe..."
"...I do?"
"Yes..."
Inuyasha didn't expect that answer, and went quiet while looking away from her, his own blush growing a tad:
...I make her feel safe?
Coraline raises a brow at noticing his red cheeks:
"Hm? Inuyasha...are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
Coraline shrugs her shoulders, while her mind wanders:
...What's got him so quiet? And that blush...
Is he, not used to this kind of shared friendly affection?
Hm...I guess that makes sense, considering how Inuyasha lived life before he met me and the others...
...Coraline then smiles lightly, before turning to look at one of Inuyasha's hands, and gently grabbing it.
"Huh?"
Inuyasha turns back, and sees the gentle smile on Coraline's face...
Not sure how to react, he just turns to face frontwards again...but not without squeezing her hand back...
Miroku's POV
"I must take leave. Your sister's soul requires my unwavering attention."
Try as I did to explain my seriousness, the young princess - who by the way, looks nothing like her elder sister - begs in protest while latching onto me:
"Please don't leave me, Master Miroku!"
"Gah!"
We then fall over, as the princess adds,
"I fear for my safety!"
"No one will come after you, I guarantee it."
"You are too cruel!"
Back to Inuyasha and Coraline, No POV
(Fwip)
The torch light goes out suddenly, and with wide eyes, Inuyasha and Coraline watch as the body of the dead princess...begins to float into the air!
"Ah!"
Coraline grasps onto Inuyasha, he putting a protective arm around her, as the princess's body is suspended in the air...
Next thing they knew, a strange glow appears outside the door, blasting it open, and revealing an eel-like demon...!
Inuyasha grasps the hilt of his sword:
"Time to work!"
The mouth of the dead princess then emits a strange mist, revealed as her Soul, and it floats to gather into the small tendrils of the demon!
But before the demon could succeed:
"Hrrraaaah!"
(Slash)
Inuyasha kills the demon, and the Soul is released, floating back into the dead princess, before the body floats gently back onto the futon...
"Thank goodness, her spirit is safe."
"You think it's over? Not likely."
"Wait...(Glow) I sense others outside..."
Inuyasha and Coraline rush out the room, only to come across the sight of several more of the soul-snatching demons!
"Aw man, there's more of them!"
"Look: They're carrying Souls of the Dead!" Coraline narrows her eyes:
"So many...Where could those demons be taking the Souls?"
Suddenly, Miroku comes rushing to the two, shouting a tad frantically,
"After them, quickly!"
He then jumps over the fence, much to the pursuing princess's protest:
"Please, stay with me!"
Inuyasha asks Shippo lightly,
"Miroku having woman troubles again?"
"I think she might be a demon and not a woman at all...Aaah!"
Shippo is then surprise-attacked with a hug from the distraught princess:
"Little fox, how can you treat me so-o-o-o-o?!"
And the demons fly away, the fate of the Souls unknown...
Meanwhile, back at the Riverside Village...
At the same time Inuyasha and company discover the soul-snatching demons, Sayo lays in her shared bed with her family, wide-awake, as she thought about Kikyō:
Kikyō is troubled by something...It must be what that monk said to her this afternoon...
(Flash)
"I do not know what binds you to this world, but it is certainly not a place for you to linger...Go, and return to where you belong!"
(Flash)
Sayo covers her ears as she tries to block the negativity out:
"(...Sigh) I cannot sleep...Huh?"
She then turns to look outside, hearing footsteps...Looking through her window, it's revealed that the steps, belong to Kikyō...
"Kikyō's outside...? Hm..."
Sayo moves to look out her door, and watches the priestess walk outside of the village...
"Where could she be going at this time of night?"
Curiousity getting the better of her, Sayo follows Kikyō...she is now watching from behind a tree near the riverside:
"She's been acting rather peculiar today...I hope she will not leave our village for elsewhere..."
Suddenly, Kikyō removes the ribbon in her hair, letting it flow freely from her head...Then, coming through the night sky, was the same demons from earlier, carrying the stolen Souls!
Sayo utters a frightful sound, as she watches Kikyō reach out to collect the Souls:
"Come, and allow me to lead you. The tragic Souls of maidens..."
...Kikyō's controlling the lost Souls...!
Just then, the two monks from before come up from the trees, the elder of the two addressing Kikyō:
"Are you unable to cross over? You are dead, young priestess?...You must now pass on to the Netherworld."
"Can you not overlook my presence here? I am merely wishing to live in peace in this small village."
As the demons float away, Seikai asks,
"If you wish to live in peace, then why must you gather Souls of the Dead?"
"...I have reasons."
"You require Souls in order to sustain that body of yours."
Seikai then holds out a strange stone orb, with the body of a dragon on it...
(...Sheen...)
Kikyō turns to face the monk:
"What action will you take? I take it you won't leave..."
"I shall send you to where you belong! I shall do it for your sake!"
(Pow)
"Uh!"
Kikyō is then surrounded by a swirl of golden light, before it materializes into a dragon, coiling around her body and preventing her from moving!
As the dragon grasps her neck, Seikai calls out,
"You cannot escape this demon-binding spell of mine!"
"Rrgh..."
"I shall extinguish this light, and save your Soul from eternal misery!"
...Kikyō then glares hard at the monk:
"Save me?...A retch such as you presumes to save my Soul?!"
(Sheen, pow)
Kikyō then uses her spiritual strength to break the monk's spell, and one of the dragon's claws is shot into Seikai's neck!
...Seikai falls to the ground, and the orb falls out of his hand...before cracking into pieces!
The apprentice flees for his life, as Kikyō comes up to the fallen monk, glaring down at him with a look of disdain:
"You would have been better to leave me be than end your life..."
(...Grasp)
With the last of his strength, the dying Seikai grabs onto Kikyō's ankle, before saying hoarsely,
"Priestess...to only watch your purpose is...Time continues for the living. They carve their futures in each passing moment. However, for the dead, such as yourself, time stands still. Thus, the dead and the living cannot reside with one another. And yet, you insist on trying...How, tragic..."
With that, Seikai dies, leaving Kikyō to ponder his words:
...Tragic, you say? I am tragic?
"Uh!"
She then turns to the treeline, sensing another presence:
"Who goes?"
Her expression then softens, when she sees it to be Sayo, looking fearfully at the scene:
"Sayo...Were you...did you witness that?"
The little girl could say nothing, too scared by what she saw...Kikyō then comes up to her, and tries to speak with her again:
"...Sayo?"
But when she reached her hand out, Sayo cringed away, tears in the corners of her eyes...Kikyō retracts her hand, and looks down at herself in sadness:
"...Forgive me. I did not mean for you to see such a sight."
She then rises from the ground, realizing her question about residing in the village peacefully had received its negative answer...Sayo then looks back up, and watches the priestess walk away. Though still a bit scared, Sayo's dominant emotion was also sadness, and she calls to the other:
"Wait, Kikyō!"
...The priestess stops briefly, and turns to send her goodbyes to the little girl:
"Farewell, Sayo...Please forgive me."
And with that, Kikyō was gone...
Next Day
Come the morning, Inuyasha and the others have since left the mansion after protecting the dead princess's Soul from the demons that came last night.
But, Coraline was concerned for the other Souls that she had seen being carried off in the night sky...
Now, as they sit on the rocky riverbank, Coraline was trying to convince Inuyasha to seek the demons out:
"Come on! We need to find those demons and save those Souls!"
"Where do you want us to go?"
"Oh, right...That's a good question..."
As the younger of the two licked a lollipop, the older sipping from a juice can, Shippo and Miroku add respectively,
"The demons disappeared without a trace. We wouldn't know where to start searching."
"And there's certainly no point in returning to the mansion, is there?"
"I believe you have other reasons for that opinion. As in a certain princess who's fondness of you is a bit too obvious..."
Miroku coughs irritably in response to Shippo's claim, choosing to say nothing...
Coraline then bends down to Inuyasha and asks,
"What's up with you now? Don't tell me you're getting lazy in your many demon years?"
"I'm just not as interested. I mean, what's in it for us? It's not like we'll find a jewel fragment..."
Coraline sighs irritably and mutters,
"Of course, the bloody jewel's become your motivation...Come on, why not overlook the jewel for a second and show some good will towards humans?"
"That's what I'm tired of, helping people all the time! Look, I'm gonna be a great demon someday, so why should I waste my time going around to help humans?"
"...Nice. You know, not all demons are known for being ruthless to humankind. Besides, you're more of a saint compared to most demons I've seen here so far, and you know it."
"Saint?! Okay, where are you going with this one, Coraline?"
Coraline looks at Inuyasha and replies simply,
"There's no real concept I'm trying to teach you, I'm just complimenting you, that's all."
Inuyasha hmphs, before saying,
"Look, I'm still not interested in helping them, so you can count me out. Heh, you gotta problem with that-Hey! I'm still talkin' here!"
But Coraline wasn't listening; instead, her attention was focused on something, or someone, floating in the water:
"Look!"
"An octopus!" Miroku corrects Shippo:
"More like a human."
Coraline slips off her shirt, then her hikers and socks, before diving into the river, much to everyone else's surprise:
(Splash)
"Coraline!" "What are-"
"I'm getting him outta there!"
...Come about ten minutes later, Coraline had successfully brought the man to shore, and was shivering a bit while Miroku examined the new face:
"Luckily, the monk is only unconscious and had not drowned..."
"...R-rgh..."
"Sounds like he's (shiver) coming to..."
As the monk arose from his unconscious state, the first face he sees, is Coraline's...
"Aaaah!"
"Whoa!"
The monk jumps back a bit, suddenly frightened by Coraline, she flinching a bit from being startled:
"What's the deal, sir?! You scared the crap outta me!" Miroku then asks,
"What is it that causes you such fright?"
The monk apologizes then explains what happened to him, and once his tale was done, Inuyasha asks a bit skeptically,
"A demon?"
"Correct." Miroku then asks his own question:
"You're saying that Coraline's expression resembled the face of a demon you saw?"
"At first glance, she appeared to be human, but, clearly, she was a possessed demon...and a priestess."
Coraline felt a chill run down her spine, making her body colder than it already was:
A priestess? And, she carried a similar manner to me?
"She was able to ward off my master's spiritual powers...Wait, I-I believe I heard her name spoken. It was, Kikyō."
Inuyasha's eyes snapped into an intense glare, and he yanks the monk by his robes while saying in a low tone,
"If I find out you're making this up, you'll wish you were still in the river."
"I speak only the truth! The woman lured away the Souls of dead woman!"
"I don't care about that! It's her name; what made you think her name was Kikyō?!"
"The children of the village called her so. I am certain; the youngsters called her by the name Kikyō."
Coraline frowns with worry and asks aloud,
"So then, Kikyō is still among the world, and is luring away the Souls of the Dead?"
Inuyasha drops the monk, and looks out into the distance, wondering the same thing:
Kikyō...are you still in the land of the living?
How did she survive the fall from the cliff?
...If she is still alive...If she still wanders the earth...
And before anyone could react, Inuyasha began leaping off, with one thought on his mind:
Kikyō...I'll save you!
Coraline's POV
I watched Inuyasha go, likely to try and scout out Kikyō's whereabouts...The rest of us then move away from the riverbank, and I'm sitting on a log beside Shippo, Miroku standing near us. Miroku then asks,
"Do you think we are mistaken in allowing Inuyasha to go on his own?"
"He sure took off in a hurry when he heard the monk's story..." I respond to Shippo's comment:
"I'm not surprised, given that Inuyasha's heart still harbours feelings for Kikyō."
"W-What?!"
"...Which is why it's probably best to leave them be for the time being."
"Why? What do they need to be alone for?"
I smile a bit at Shippo's innocent question, and Miroku comes to answer before I do:
"I believe I understand her meaning."
"Huh?"
"...The woman he once loved so completely may have changed. And if that were the case, he cannot allow others to witness the change in her or himself."
Yes, that is a possibility...
Shippo then asks Miroku,
"But why would that be? Who's to say that she didn't change for the better? Then what would happen?"
"I dunno, I suppose if it were me, I would get back together with her."
I felt something in my heart twitch at those words:
...Get back together?
Would Inuyasha really do that? Is it even possible for he and her anymore?
I sigh, suddenly feeling a bit depressed, and pick up my satchel, before walking off...
"...Coraline?"
"Coraline, what's wrong?"
I ignore the other two, as my mind began wallowing in sadness, and for some reason, irritation:
Inuyasha...(Irritable sigh) Is chasing after Kikyō again really the best thing for you?
It seems more like you're both going to get heartbroken again...so why chase something that was already lost?
I then hear Miroku call to me from behind:
"Just a moment, Coraline." I sigh and turn to face him and Shippo:
"What now, Miroku?"
"I suppose, we could always follow after Inuyasha."
I shake my head at him, replying,
"No, Miroku. The last thing I need to do is chase after Inuyasha..."
...Suddenly, the atmosphere around the area grows dim...
"Huh? What's going-Uh, there!" We turn to see those soul-suckers from before:
"The same type of demon!"
"After it!"
"Good plan!"
As we chase after the demons, I pass through an area that seemed, off:
(Pulse)
"Huh?"
I stop, and turn around, only to see Miroku and Shippo get knocked to the ground by some kind of barrier!
"Guys!"
I try to rush back, but when I get back to the passing point:
(Bzzt)
"Gh!"
The barrier blocked me from coming back through...I watch Miroku and Shippo get up, the latter asking,
"What was that?!"
Miroku touches the barrier, and replies,
"Looks like someone sealed this area off."
"So we can't pass?"
"Right."
"Wait, Coraline...Where's Coraline?!"
I shout right in front of them:
"I'm right here, Shippo! Miroku!"
But they kept looking around for me, and I suddenly realize,
"They can't see me...This barrier must be causing some sort of sound cancellation for the outside, as well as casting an illusion that's making me invisible..."
I narrow my eyes in frustration:
"...Shoot...Alright, I need to find the source of this barrier."
With that, I turn around and begin rushing off, using my Aura Sight to try and find the source:
"(Pant, pant) Looks like, the projector is somewhere this way..."
I then feel my feet slip, and I yelp, grabbing onto a tree growing on the side of the hill:
"...Slippery grass, huh?"
I look down below, and scan for an open area that didn't have trees...
"Got it, okay..."
I then proceeded to slide across the grass down the hill, aiming for the safe spot...I reach the bottom, fumbling a bit before straightening back up again:
"Whew...What a rush..."
I then notice this particular area had more light, and I look back up, only to gasp, at seeing a certain priestess, laying in a tree, with orbs of light - likely more Souls - floating around her...
"...Kikyō..."