Disclaimer: Nothing in this story belongs to me. I'm merely acting as the translator of a beautifully written SessKik fanfiction 犹如故人归 by 风落潇湘 as I wish to share it with readers who cannot read or understand Chinese. If there are any issues relating to copyright from the author, then I'll remove this story without hassle at once.
Translator's Notes: Despite my best effort, the story is still not perfectly translated by any means. There will also be occasional rephrasing for added cohesiveness and merged chapters to reinforce length. However, I will try to keep everything as consistent with the original work as possible.
Thank you to Xyche101, fabelliot, yami2703, bubu-chibi-chan, naruto, and 8579 for the reviews. Your feedback are very welcomed and appreciated.
Xyche101: Thank you for your support and lovely comments. You flatter me. I'm just glad that you found the chapter to be entertaining and well-written. Well, saying "I love you" to each other would be OOC in their case so they allow their actions to speak for them. Kikyo was lost in a mental conflict between acceptance and denial. Hence, in that situation, where Sesshomaru was advancing towards her, she just resorted to the first thing that came into mind… which turned out to be the same method she used to get Inuyasha to back off. I guess she briefly forgot that Sesshomaru isn't someone who would be deterred by arrows like Inuyasha is. And yeah, Sesshomaru had no problem dealing with Kagome's arrow... and with two fingers no less. -_-; Although to be fair, that was back when Kagome was a novice in the technique and let's just say that Kikyo is a much more experienced archer and qualified miko.
fabelliot: LOL, you're so speechless that you left so many :) at the end of your review. And I'm happy that you enjoyed the last chapter and that the beauty of that moment was captured even after the translation. :) :) :)
yami2703: Your words tell me your A MA ZING excitement. Yep, I agree. I also loved that kiss they shared.
bubu-chibi-chan: It's nice to meet you and thanks for dropping a review. I'm glad that you find this story to be of your interest and that you binge-read it. The original author had a very good way of incorporating character development to most of the casts, and especially SessKik. I personally enjoyed the writing style and description a lot too, which prompted me to ultimately translate this tale. :D
naruto: Love your insightful comments. As usual, Sesshomaru is acting purely on his instincts and his action seems to be rubbing on Kikyo. We all know that she'll fight her desires if it meant it's for the greater good. Although for once, she has decided to indulge herself and find comfort in Sesshomaru's embrace.
8579: Thanks for the review. I'm happy that the last chapter was satisfactory.
…
…
…
Chapter 26-Reaching Out
'Kikyo… so Naraku really was right. You love Sesshomaru…' Standing behind the coverage of the green foliage, Inuyasha's nails pierced into the bark of the nearest tree. All kinds of emotions—anger, jealousy, and disappointment—distracted him from the pain from where the rough splinters drew blood.
He couldn't let go of the fact that it had been Sesshomaru who carried Kikyo away so he tracked them down via their scents. And it was then he saw the scene before him unfold.
Envy and jealousy were guaranteed to be stirred up. But more than those, he also felt helpless.
He could clearly remember being in a similar position to how Sesshomaru was prior. He and Kikyo—his Kikyo—had also confronted each other like that. At that time, he longed to be with her and promised her that he would protect her. He told her that she would no longer need to fight alone, for he would be the one to defeat Naraku. Her response had been an aggressive one, filled with rejection and resistance. It was her means of driving him away and he allowed her to go.
For the longest of time, Inuyasha couldn't fathom why she was so insisted on going alone. He landed the blame on her lack of trust in him. Certainly, she did not trust him as her protector, not since her resurrection. But then again, was he blameless? After all, he demonstrated no redeeming qualities for her to reinvest her faith in.
Now that he mulled over it, it was actually quite hopeless. He said he would protect her but his promise had turned out to be empty words on the rare occasions when she needed his help. He was utterly powerless.
Powerless. What could be more frustrating that the word? He knew how certain things must be done, though he was hindered by his inability to complete the task.
For the first time, Inuyasha learned to work his mind to consider their circumstances from Kikyo's standpoint. How deep must her disappointment run for her to feel the need to completely sever the bond they shared? What did he do that made her lose total faith?
He wondered if he had shared Sesshomaru's confident fortitude, then would he have also marched up to her despite the arrow pointing in his direction. Could he have been gallant enough to dismiss her threats instead of hesitating?
The realization came far too late. No woman would willingly hurt her lover if her heart hadn't been shattered into fragments first.
The other realization also came far too late. No woman would reject her lover's offered protection if she wasn't so disappointed that she had fallen into despair.
He discovered the answers far too late, both fifty years ago and fifty years later.
He was under the belief that she didn't trust him. Yet, he never bothered considering that he was the one who couldn't fulfill the basic requirements necessary for her to develop her guarded faith.
He couldn't help but question the possibility of how things would've played out if he had been as firm and steadfast as Sesshomaru. If only, if only he also possessed the same level of self-assurance and was as determined to stay by her side, then surely she would've yielded.
Only there weren't any ifs. There were so many different paths he could've taken but his decisions ultimately led him to where he was at present.
Confronted by the hoard of conclusions that he processed, he found himself unable to continue watching the scene before him. Withdrawing his hand, he spun on his bare feet and was about to leave when he found himself coming face to face with Kagome.
"Kagome…" His voice was heavy.
—Why was she…?
"Inuyasha." His ears involuntarily twitched at her calm tone, which held a kind of firmness that left no room for dismissal. It actually reminded him of how Kikyo would speak. Was Kagome imitating her predecessor for some kind of effect over him? At that, he was unable to resist the urge to clench and unclench his fists. His body stiffened with nervousness and guilt weighed him down.
Kagome didn't reveal any recognizable emotions on her countenance. Since when did she become so professional at wearing a blank face? Or was he simply too dense to read anything?
The schoolgirl whirled around and walked away but not before beckoning him to follow. "Inuyasha, come here for a minute. I have something I want to tell you."
Her lack of typical outburst terrified Inuyasha more than anything else. He caught up with her, frantic for a chance to explain himself. "Kagome, I—"
Deeming that there was sufficient distance, Kagome faced Inuyasha once more and timely halted the sentence that he was trying to utter. A faint smile, one that was mirthless and meant for reassurance, danced across her features. "Inuyasha, it's alright. I know already."
"Huh? What… What do you know?" Fretting over the possibility that she would also leave him, Inuyasha was like a lost puppy as he rushed forward to grab her by the shoulders. "No, Kagome. I—"
"Inuyasha," she called out. His worry was as clear as daylight to her so she cut him off before he could go off on a tangent. Defying what he expected, she broadened her smile and directed their conversation towards an unknown direction. "Kikyo, she's brave, isn't she?"
"Ah? Yeah… No…! I mean… Kagome, are you—"
"Shh." Kagome silenced him by tapping a finger on his lips. "Inuyasha, let me finish what I have to say first. Then you can interrupt, okay?"
He nodded, stunned.
"I had always thought that you'll never be able to forget about Kikyo and she'll never give you up. You two have a bond that I can never break. I was always saddened by that thought. Kikyo died, she died for you. So there's no way you'll ever forget about her. And I'm alive so I'll never be able to take her spot in your heart. But it was stupid of me to think like that," she paused, taking a moment to look at Inuyasha with doll-like eyes that shimmered with clarity. "Actually, Kikyo is the one who is inferior compared to me. Because she is dead, there can't be a future between the two of you. Since I'm alive, I can look forward to approaching the future with you. The one who is saddened shouldn't be me. It should've been Kikyo. It must've hurt a lot… whenever she sees us together."
Kagome's eyes darted towards the direction where they came from. "She's afraid of robbing you of your future. That's why she chose to push you away, like what she is doing to Sesshomaru. She really is brave… she could actually choose to give him up. It really is hard. I know… because I also tried to separate myself from you once. That was very painful."
"Kagome…" Guilt surged forth but Inuyasha held back the urge to say something.
"I'm also brave, right?" Her gaze returned to meet his worried look. "It took a lot of courage for Kikyo to leave. But it takes the same amount of courage for me to stay. We're both brave, aren't we?"
"Kagome… I—"
"Not yet. Let me finish. Inuyasha, you don't have to say anything. Like I said, I know already. There's no way you'll ever forget about Kikyo. But you need me by your side, don't you? That's why I'm choosing to stay. I won't leave. I don't know what I'll be able to do for you… but I'll always stay by your side."
It was practically a confession of the heart and Inuyasha didn't know how to respond. So he opted to remain silent and instead embraced her.
The schoolgirl smiled in the protection of his arms. "I'm really glad, Inuyasha… I'm really glad to be alive. And I'm really glad to be with you."
"Kagome… thank you." What he finally managed to utter was short but maybe that was more than sufficient.
A crackle of spiritual power jolted the couple, eradicating the romantic atmosphere that they had created. That served as enough warning as the two shared a glance before sprinting over to the source.
Something urgent was happening between Sesshomaru and Kikyo!
…
For all his vigilance, danger just had to arrive at the one time he decided to lower his guard. Unaware of what was to come, Sesshomaru merely felt the woman in his arm becoming rigid before struggling against him. Her hands moved around, trying to shove him away. She made another pressing attempt to say something to him but couldn't because her mouth was preoccupied.
He didn't think too much about her sudden change, attributing it to yet another means of trying to detach herself away from him. To counter her stubborn and meaningless behavior, he made a move to hold onto her tighter, suppressing her resistance.
At first, he didn't feel the sharp tip of a dagger sinking deep into his back. His eyes widened when the pain came to enlighten him. On impulse, he released her and only realized a second later that this was the opening she sought. With agility that came with desperation, she snatched up the bow and arrows on the ground and hoisted her weapon to confront him.
His initial thought was that he was getting annoyed with the repetition, though that was immediately replaced with caution when she let the arrow fly, without any hesitation!
The close proximity meant that there was little time to ponder so he reacted. The miko was serious. With a sliding motion that he couldn't quite understand, she then loaded her bow once again. Two more projectiles closely followed the first. He swung his claw, snapping the first in half. The second one was caught between his fingers. Time didn't permit him to deal with the last one, as it found its way into his flesh, breaking some of his armor and forcing the crimson liquid to spill.
Shock clung to his pupils, making his eyes widened by margins as he stared at the woman. Straight away, he noted that her mahogany orbs were bleak, devoid of their usual light. She wasn't wearing any expression, not even the mask that reflected aloofness. It was fitting to describe her as a marionette on strings.
Inuyasha and Kagome arrived in time to witness the large patches of blood that blemished the daiyoukai's white clothing. The causes of the vividly agonizing sight took the forms of a dagger sticking out from the back and an arrow protruding from the chest.
They instantly came to terms with who was responsible but found it difficult to accept it as a fact. Their eyes shot over to Kikyo, who was turning around to leave.
"What the hell is this? What are you doing, Kikyo?" Inuyasha was about to rush towards miko when she let loose an arrow towards Kagome. Shocked, he altered his route and intercepted the projectile halfway with his blade. In those brief seconds, Kikyo's form was able to disappear from their view.
"Sesshomaru, what the hell was that?" Seeing that one of his sources of information had teleported away, Inuyasha went to his brother for details. Kagome was already by the daiyoukai's side, inspecting the damage that he had sustained.
Sesshomaru didn't reply to Inuyasha's question, nor did he pay Kagome's examination any attention. His sole focus was in the direction where Kikyo took off. An arcane glint appeared within his golden orbs, as if a burning dragon that had been slumbering was abruptly awakened.
It might've been almost invisible but the daiyoukai was able to see them. When Kikyo left, he could discern the fine spider webs that were latching onto her, trying to wrap her up in a cocoon.