Kaede sat across her sister, looking down at the pot of miso stew bubbling between them, then up as the ground shaking made the broth quiver.
"Sister...?" She said softly, watching Kikyo take a ladle and stir, then taste the broth and hum thoughtfully. She seemed utterly calm, as she normally did, as she took a pinch of herbs and sprinkled them into the broth, the steam curling up before her lovely, pale visage.
"Yes, Kaede?" Kikyo said sweetly, sitting back as she filled two wooden bowls for them both.
"Why...Why did you allow the soldiers to camp here...? Are they not bandits?" She asked timidly, taking the bowl. Kikyo smiled at Kaede and looked to the straw thatch door, where beneath they could see the camp fires burning, the shaking from men either sparring, or dancing and courting with the young village women that had come to greet the soldiers.
" 'Bandits, soldiers, fugitives'..." Kikyo mused, looking out the window with a wistful smirk, then back at Kaede.
"All I see are men, victims of war... There be much worse than simple men to fear, Kaede." She said, her smile fading.
"You mean... like InuYasha...?" Kaede asked, feeling nervous even at saying the name, as she gulped down the hot miso. Kikyo took a spoonful, looking oddly up at the ceiling. Kaede looked up as well, wondering what could be so interesting that her sister was distracted, the spoon stuck in her mouth before she looked down and removed it.
"Oh, InuYasha!" She scolded, with a shake of her head, then snickered. Kaede looked on, perplexed.
"Don't fear him just because he's half-yokai. He has managed to retain his humanity, unlike some." She said, then stood and peeked out the door, up at the roof.
"Get down from there!" She hissed, then she picked up a rock and pelted it, and soon after there was a garbled yelp, and Kaede's eyes widened as the hanyou rolled off the roof and onto the ground before Kikyo. The normally gentle priestess took grasp of his pointed ear and pinched it, tossing him indoors quickly.
"Demon! A demon in our house!" Kaede shrieked, and the red garbed boy flipped around, rubbing his ear with a growl of indignation.
"Whaddya gotta be so rough for, Kikyo?!" He groused, before sitting down besides the fire, crosslegged. Kaede backed up and hunched to the wall, shivering as Kikyo closed the door, laughing. She looked over to her sister, bewildered.
"Don't be scared, Kaede! Come, say hello." Kikyo said soothingly, sitting beside InuYasha, spooning out a bowl for him to eat. The silver-haired boy looked on curiously, his nose pricking as he sniffed the steam coming from the bowl.
"What's that?" He said, balking a small amount as she placed it into his hands. Kaede's eyes widened as she noticed how his fingers were tipped by deadly claws.
"This is a nourishing broth, with meat and vegetables. Here." Kikyo handed him a spoon and he took it in his fist and stabbed at it. Kaede sat up, looking at him curiously. Kikyo put her hand over his and showed him the proper way to hold it, and he nodded to thank her, his cheeks reddening as he popped the spoon in his mouth. Kaede crawled over slightly closer, watching with interest as the demon boy began to devour the stew with gusto, so fully focused on it that he didn't even notice her crawling over, then reaching up to clasp his ear.
"It's... soft!" She said, and rubbed it.
"Hey! Paws off!" InuYasha growled, showing her his pointed canines. Kikyo laughed at the exchange and batted him on his shoulder, and Kaede watched, baffled as this caused him to blush again, and set the bowl down, bowing gratefully.
"Thank you for the delicious meal." He said, and bowed again before standing. Kikyo looked up as he made his way out, then back to Kaede and smiled.
"I'll be back. Be a good girl and stay in the house, Kaede." Kikyo said, and Kaede nodded quickly, sitting up as she watched her sister follow the strange demon boy out the door.
The thatch door closed behind them, and InuYasha darted back up onto the roof, making himself comfortable there. He laid on his side, licking his claws clean where some flavor from the soup was left over.
"InuYasha, do you plan on sleeping there?" Kikyo said, her hands on her hips.
"Feh. I'm just relaxing a minute, then I'll be off. I can't stand the stench of those bandits, stinkin' up the whole village." He said, looking away from her and instead at the dark starry sky.
"Alright. Do you mind staying there until I return?" She said, and he made a barely discernible shrug. Kikyo thanked him and sighed, walking away from her home and down the hill towards the center of the village. The men camping out were clustered all about, shouting and drinking loudly. Kikyo diverted her eyes quickly, hurrying past, back to the temple.
The street darkened as she made her way, grass sprouted up in the walk way where there was a beaten path that only she used, up to the steps of the old temple, darkened until nearly indiscernible against the night sky.
Kikyo lifted the skirts of her hakama and made her way up the stairs, then fished the key out from her robes that hung on a red string. She unlocked the door, looking back a cautiously a moment before opening it. There, in the darkness was a glittering wisteria hued glow, where on the shrine the Shikon Jewel rested safely on it's cushion. Kikyo stepped up onto the altar and came closer to the shrine, picking up the jewel carefully then holding it in both hands. She knelt and said a prayer, holding it to her chest for a few long moments that seemed like a century as she drowned out all noise, and closed her eyes. Kikyo clapped her hands as she finished praying.
"How beautiful." A voice uttered from her silent reverie, and Kikyo opened her eyes, turning quickly to the source of the sound. It was him, the Bandit Chieftain- No, Onigumo. Kikyo took a sharp inhale of breath and stood, clutching the jewel to her chest.
"You're not supposed to be in here. This is a Sacred Temple!" She hissed, in a threatening whisper. Kikyo backed up to the altar and watched him warily as she stroked his hand down a rotted wood pillar, darkened black by age.
"This place, it's falling apart." He said, pulling his hand back and brushing it off on his hakama pants. Kikyo gulped, observing how he now wore a light lilac colored robe with embroidered feathers, a white hakama beneath that. Onigumo crossed his arms and smiled, looking all around at the old building.
"...Aye. It's ancient. My family has watched over this village for many years." Kikyo finally managed to whisper, seeing that he didn't intend to cause her any harm. His eyes returned to gaze on her, and Kikyo tucked the jewel into her pocket quickly before he could see.
"I'm afraid I don't understand, what exactly are you protecting it from, Lady Priestess?" He said curiously, stepping up onto the altar and looking around, squinting his eyes. Kikyo found a candle and lit it, leading him away from the empty shrine before he could question, and towards the back of the temple, where she lit many other candles, and washed the room in a soft light, before sitting down on her prayer mat, folding her legs beneath her primly.
"You may sit." She said, and gestured across from her. Onigumo looked down and saw the floor was clean, the wood scrubbed so diligently that it was glossy and smooth, and a small red mat was there to soften the floor as he swept his robes out around him and sat across from her. He looked her directly in the eye and smiled, before Kikyo pulled a large scroll out from beside her and opened it between them.
Kikyo trailed her finger across the paper, where there was lines of kanji, then paintings illustrating the text.
"Yokai. You are familiar with them?"
He nodded, and watched as Kikyo showed him what she was reading.
"Beings that take an unnatural form, with animalistic features at times. To seem unsuspecting they may wear a appealing guise to fool humans into thinking they are tame, then lash out and feast upon their blood and flesh. Others, are large and menacing, even resembling humans, people you may have known in order to gain your sympathy. Watch them closely, be always on guard for even the slightest changes in your loved ones. Yokai are deceptive, and cruel." She read, and he leaned in closer to inspect the picture of a priestess, firing an arrow at a dragon-like creature.
"Yes, I've heard tales of these creatures. I know them well. I have encountered many yokai in my journeys. They are not to be trusted." He said, then touched the paper, stroking the pale face painted onto it of the priestess.
"How long have you served this village, Lady...?"
"Kikyo. You may call me Kikyo. I have served since I became of age, once a child turns thirteen they may join the priesthood."
"So young...but you are.. so.." He said, pulling his finger back and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Kikyo rolled up the scroll and smiled sheepishly at him.
"So fair? It matters not. I will die a spinster. That is my duty." She said, and laughed bitterly, as he looked on and furrowed his brows.
"Lady Kikyo, I do not wish to offend you, but... you should not think of yourself so little. Haven't you ever wished to be free from your duties?" He said, urging her with those russet eyes aflame in the candlelight. Kikyo's heart skipped a beat as she looked away from his gaze and wrung her hands in her lap.
"But if I... Were so selfish, then all these kind people would suffer. So I must pray. And heal the sick, protect them from the demons that lurk, preying on the blood of small children..." She said, with a shuddering sigh.
"No. It shouldn't be such. My lady, while I am here, you shall have a reprieve from those duties. I promise. My men will slay any demon that comes near. They are highly skilled warriors." He said quickly, standing. He grasped Kikyo's hand and she gasped as he pulled her to her feet. Kikyo pulled back, resisting.
"I cannot let you do that! Onigumo, it is not your place! I could not ask a stranger, a man whom I've only known mere minutes to protect the village my family has cared for, for generations! You simply could not understand!" She cried out, and pulled her hand free. Kikyo winced, turning away as Onigumo stood, hovering behind her, attempting to find the words to say.
"I understand more than you know, Kikyo." He said, and she lowered her head, clutching her hand to her chest to calm her rapidly pounding heart.
"My wife, my child... What I thought, was my child... Was in fact, the spawn, of a demon." He said softly, and Kikyo turned quickly, her eyes widening with shock.
"Yes. She was smitten with a half-youkai man, while I was battling to protect our country from invaders, she had been bedded by a beast... Aye, he was comely to her. Like you said, he came to her; deceptively kind, with shining red eyes. Devilishly beautiful, every word a silken whisper...He defiled her. My wife." Onigumo said in a near whisper, staring down at the floor. He opened his mouth to continue and Kikyo gripped his hands with hers and shook her head vigorously.
"Don't say it! Not here. Not in this holy place... Onigumo, what a terrible fate you must have suffered." She said, and squeezed his cold hands in hers. A small smile formed on his face and he laughed softly.
"Not I. He. For when I came home, and she had bore the foul beast, it had already feasted on her innards. Half human, and yet in those crimson eyes all I saw was a beast. I slayed it with my blade, then, I tracked down the foul beasts predecessor, to where it had taken up residence in the nearby brothel, taking part in it's share of the town's rice liquor and women. There, I beheaded it. The only way to truly slay a beast like that. It was that, or remove it's beating heart..." He whispered, and dropped Kikyo's hands, turning away to leave the temple.
"Onigumo, I... I am so sorry to hear your story. How it must haunt ye to this day. Terrible... And yet you say, you're sure he was a hanyou...?" She said softly, hoping not to offend him as she placed one hand on his shoulder, tentatively. Onigumo turned his cheek and eyed her carefully.
"Yes. Half-Demon. Like that boy you were idly talking to in the field; as if he were nothing but a tamed pet. You'd be wise to keep your chastity secure in the presence of foul demons, my Lady."
Kikyo quivered at his words, appalled that he would think she could possibly do such a thing. She had tamed him though, at least partially, as Onigumo had said. But it was unclean to think such things, as a miko, to cross-breed with a hanyou...
She retracted her hand and gasped, covering her mouth.
"I apologize if I've offended you, but I cannot help but be wary of such a beast. You, a priestess who is sworn to protect this village from youkai, and yet you flirt with destruction." Onigumo snapped, facing her.
His eyes burned fiercely with his animosity towards all demonkind, and Kikyo lowered her head and stifled out a sob. "I-- I am but a fool. Forgive me. To think that such a beast could be tamed! But you must see for yourself, truly! InuYasha is not like those other yokai!" She said, and shook her head, a tear trickling down her cheek. Onigumo gave her a small smirk, as if pitying her as he reached to stroke her cheek, drying the tears as he clasped her gently by the chin and looked down at her, his eyes softening.
"It's already too late to save you. You've already been deceived. It's such a pity, to lose such a fair, pure beauty as yourself...But know this. Death. Destruction. That is what will come of your joining with an Inu-Yokai." He said huskily, then released her, and walked away, leaving Kikyo to stare at his back, tears making glistening trails down her cheeks, as the door closed and she fell to her knees, sobbing.
~o•O•o~
Onigumo returned to camp, a tight grimace on his face as he left the Priestess in the Temple. He'd hated the way her eyes filled with tears once he'd warned her of what would come of her playing with the demon, but what those tears told him is that she'd already had her heart won, to react in such a way.
Are all women so weak? Even a priestess is weak to the charms of a lowly inu-yokai?
He scoffed, returning to the inn where he resided, alone. He slid open the door and was greeted by emptiness, in the dark, candlelit room, a meal set out on a low table was still steaming in wait for him. Onigumo removed the outer layer of his robes and set it on his futon, before sitting to eat his meal. He folded his legs under him and picked up the meager bowl of rice with pickled vegetables before he ate the grilled pork, pinching his food between his chopsticks then pausing to taste it, as he stared down at the lines in the wood floor.
"Onigumo! You cannot enter, the lady is not well!" He shoved him aside, "Where is my wife? Where is she!?"
"Reika! Reika!" He heard her shrill scream, then a splash as the demon child tore it's way free from her womb.
"Bastard! The bastard's spawn!" He swore, pulling out his sword.
"O-Onigumo...I...I'm so sorry..." She whispered, before falling limp to the floor. Onigumo swung his blade, hard, and there was a growl as he slayed the demon incarnate.
He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, clenching his fists, thinking on previous memories.
"Lord Onigumo... there is a message for you. Would you like to speak with the courier?"
"What is it? Let him in."
"Yes my lord. Right away."
Onigumo rested his cheek in his hand, bored. He played with his quill and doodled, when the tent curtain opened. A man entered, with long black hair, and blue eyes. He seemed oddly fair, and made his breath hitch in his chest and still his heart as he walked into the room.
"Are you the courier? Well, what is it? More demands? We've already paid our fee for the damages caused."
The lithe man seemed to swish across the room, before coming before him.
"I bring you a message. The Lady Onigumo is to bear a child. Once the moon's visage turns black, and the sun rises red in the west, she will require your army as protection. Demons have come, pursuing royal blood in these times, their taste has become more refined..."
"Reika? She's with child? But I've been away for longer than a whole year now!" Onigumo snarled, and the man did not flinch, only smirked, just barely.
"Shh... Do not worry, you can come to love the child. Any child is a sweet blessing, no matter how they have come. She will be waiting for you."
"What?! So, you're telling me I'm to believe you? Who are you? Reika would never betray me!" Onigumo shouted now, standing up from his desk. The beautiful man did not flinch, yet his nose crinkled just slightly and primrose red bloomed in his irises.
"Bring your army, and I will bring mine. The victor has claim over the female, but If she dies, she dies. I will feel no loss. I am thousands of years old, many maidens have beared my children and yet none survived the night. See to it that she does, if you so value your wife, Onigumo."
He hissed, and bared his teeth to reveal his jagged fangs, the inside of his lips, black and slimy as he growled, his hair becoming blindingly white.
"I'll kill you! Hell spawn!" Onigumo cried out, and swung his blade, but it only met the wood desk and halved it in two.
The demon vanished into thin air, leaving only a red mist which sparkled before dissipating.
"Reika...Reika!" He cried out, but it was no use.
"Reika... Why...? Why would you fall to that foul beasts spell?" He whispered, setting down the empty bowl. Onigumo sighed, taking the round saucer of sake and sipping, his lavender painted eyelids lowering as he became somber.
No man is a match for demon magic... That's why. He enchanted her. He defiled her body.
Onigumo tilted his head back and allowed the sake to burn his throat, swallowing with a hiss.
But, Kikyo... would a priestess be powerful enough to hold off their magic? Or would she be just as traitorous?
He set the cup down and shook his head once, snorting, before standing up and removing his robes down to his black fundoshi, his broad back completely unblemished, the muscle moving beneath was hard and flexible as he walked, and blew out the candles lighting the room.
~o•O•o~
"Hn, Kikyo's been gone a long time..." InuYasha mused, getting up onto his haunches and sniffing the air.
Normally she prays at the temple every night before bed, but it usually doesn't take this long.
He tensed, thinking perhaps she'd gotten in trouble with the bandit men, or worse, that Onigumo guy, who he didn't trust as far as he could throw him. Which was probably pretty far.
InuYasha growled, and sat up from where he was resting. He looked around at the bandit camps, seeing most had let their fires die down by now, and had retired to their tents. All that could be heard was the susurration of peep toads, and the heavy sighing breaths of sleeping horses.
It's much too quiet. I'd better go check on her. He resolved, and sniffed the air, catching the familiar scent of Kikyo. Like pure lily blossoms and spring water. His Kikyo. InuYasha snorted, and hopped from roof to roof. Kikyo wasn't his, or any man's to claim. She'd told him once before that she was sworn to her duty, and could never wed, nor bear children. But why did she have to tell him all that yucky crap?
InuYasha hopped down from the roof, then tensed as he sniffed around the temple. He knew a protective barrier was there that would zap him if he tried to get in, so he'd never tried to walk in after Kikyo, after being zapped multiple times he decided to give up instead of suffering that embarrassment even one more time.
He sniffed sharply, then growled.
Onigumo. He was here. And... her tears!
InuYasha straightened, looking to the inn where he'd sensed Onigumo's presence. There was no light emanating from within, so he disregarded it. He could that sense Kikyo's scent was fresher, and the fact that it was tainted by tears made it more alluring than confronting the bandit. He figured Kikyo would scold him, with a snort. She was much too kind for his liking, to bandits at that!
There was a flash of silver beneath the moonlight as he ran down the dirt road, looking side to side for where she could have gone until he came to a valley that turned into the woods, and entered carefully.
Why would Kikyo go into the woods?
He questioned, then shook it off. Kikyo, alone in the woods at night crying was enough cause for worry. InuYasha slowed his break-neck pace as he skidded to a halt, where there was a sheer slope, then a wooden bridge. He lowered to his haunches and growled, prodding the bridge suspiciously. He didn't trust shoddy human craftsmanship. Foregoing the bridge, he instead jumped down the ledge, then back up the opposing cliffside, easily gripping the small exposed ledges before lifting himself up, panting.
"Whatever in the seven hell's she's doin out here, better be worth all this work!" He grumbled to himself, swinging his legs up over the cliff wall. InuYasha walked down the path, still following her scent until he heard the rushing of water.
"Water? That's odd. She goin' fer a swim?" He mused aloud, his ears turning in all directions, any surrounding sounds were muffled by the roar of the waterfall as he slowly approached the shore and crouched there.
Kikyo! She's! Naked...? He blinked, well, not quite. She still wore her nagajuban undergarments, as she filled a bucket of water and dumped it over her long black hair, the sheen of it under the moonlight like the midnight sky.
Wow, she's... beautiful. InuYasha gulped, blinking his large golden eyes, the pupils expanding as he stared at her in wonder. Kikyo turned her back to him and bent down, splashing water up between her legs, then rubbing with a cloth. He could see, as he gazed, just the faint outline of her...
"Yipe!" He yelped, now fully realizing what she was actually doing as Kikyo gasped and turned around quickly.
"InuYasha! How dare you!'" She gasped, covering herself quickly, then deciding that was useless, she ducked down into the water with a scream until all he could see was her angry face peeking out of the water.
"K-Kikyo! It's not what you think! I smelled your tears, and that bastard Onigumo! What did he do to you?!" He shouted back, and diverted his eyes as she rose back up, squeezing out her hair. He turned around to allow her some privacy as she dressed.
"If you must know, Onigumo told me the story of how his wife died. That is why I was crying. He did nothing amiss." She snapped coldly, and he heard the sound of her robes rustling as she dressed.
InuYasha tensed, at hearing another sound. The creak of a wooden bow. He whirled around, staring at her incredulously.
"You! You would shoot me?!" InuYasha gasped, taken aback. It had been some time since Kikyo aimed her arrow at him, and even when she did, she'd always missed instead of shooting directly at him.
"Tell me, InuYasha. What are your intentions with me...?" Kikyo said, her voice biting as she held her aim steady.
"M-My intentions!? I-I dunno!?" He said, feeling totally flabbergasted as she made another step towards him.
"You were spying on me as I bathed. What do you want, InuYasha...?" She said, her glare hardening icily. InuYasha gulped, the visions of her in the sheer robe still flashing through his mind. He licked his lips, subconsciously desiring the taste of her. His eyes widened. The taste?!
Do I want Kikyo...as a woman, or do I want her... to... eat...? He gulped, he'd never partaken in human flesh before, but he'd heard of demons that did such a horrible thing. He backed away, shaking his head in abhorrence.
"Well? I need to know. If you desire to be with me, InuYasha, I can only be with you as a human man. You would have to forsake your demon half. I would have to retire from my holy duties..." She said, and stepped forward this time again, lowering her bow. Her eyes were filled with a deep longing for the words she spoke, as she held one hand out to him in offering.
"N-No!" He shouted, backing away hastily from the hand that made him feel a heavy weight of responsibility. He couldn't just answer a question like that! Kikyo's eyes softened, saddened as she watched him run away from her. She placed one hand on her chest and rested it there, blinking away the tears of rejection.
He does not want me as a human. Would he put a spell on me...? Could he?
She asked herself, then quivered, shivering as the cold of the cool forest at night chilled her to the bone, as she looked around warily at the darkness, dreading to see the crimson... or golden gaze of a demon.
I've been a fool. Truly... Onigumo was correct, then. If InuYasha will not give me an answer, then am I to assume the latter? That he would prefer to be a demon...?
The young miko shuddered, pulling her robes closely around her, before picking her bow up off the shore and jumping up onto her horse, to return home. Where it was safe from the yokai, whether half, or full demon.
~o•O•o~
A/N: Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed or commented. I really appreciate your support!