Kagome's eyes opened, looking glazed over, the chocolate toned orbs darker. Miroku looked down at her in shock. "Lady Kagome?" he questioned, but her eyes didn't even seem to see him, her arms shaking as she pushed off of him, her body landing on the rocky ground face first. Kikyo's body froze as at first one little wisp of her soul escaped, striking back into Kagome's back. She gasped at the sudden blast of heat, her body feeling the energy, but it still refused to reflect in her eyes. Kaeded stood there in shock, her eyes following another soul wisp as it escaped to Kagome. Her soul was being called back.
Was it the fear of what her sister would do to Inuyasha? Was that it? Kagome was trying to protect the half breed by calling her soul back, effectively ending her sister's attempt to take down the Hanyou. "She needs to return the soul!" she cried out to the silver haired male. "She can't leave!" Inuyasha looked at Kikyo, Kagome's scent of Angelica and lavender calling to him, his golden gaze looking at the girl who was struggling to stand up. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to step toward her tho. He turned his attention back to Kikyo, debating between stopping Kikyo or letting her go free.
"Stop her!" Kikyo cried out, again trying to reach the Hanyou, tho her eyes were still cold as she gazed at him, pleading with him to save her. Kagome lurched forward, her shoes managing to give her enough purchase to throw herself onto the other raven haired woman. Her hands grasped at the dead Miko's arms, her dazed eyes staring blankly ahead as she mouthed words unheard by anyone else to the woman. At those words, those quiet words, Kikyo's eyes grew wider, the chill from them gone, if only for a few seconds before she screamed out in pain. Her soul was leaving her, Kagome still calling it, but before it was complete Kikyo's aura darkened further and she threw the other female off of her.
Kagome dropped to the ground, her body crumpling as her energy left her. Kikyo stumbled back from her, her body shaking from the impact of the girl's power against her. She was more powerful than she had given her credit for and now she was paying for it. She had to get away from her and with a jerky turn she stumbled off as Miroku and Kaede fly back to Kagome, lifting her up again as she groaned in her unconscious state. "I can't believe she did that," the older Miko stated in awe. "The whole soul must not have left her, holding on and making Kikyo's new body take on her death wound." Inuyasha took one look at Kagome and rushed after Kikyo. The trio sat there watching him, Shippo looking down at Kagome in worry.
"Will she be okay?" Kaede shook her head, not a negative response, but her way of being unsure of what would happen to the girl. She voiced it moments later, pushing back the wet bangs from Kagome's forehead. She just wasn't sure how strong the young girl was, but she was sure now that if she was strong enough to hold on to a bit of her soul maybe she was strong enough to come back from this, but she still needed her soul.
Inuyasha rushed after his former flame, which was not too hard considering that she was weakened. He now knew that they had been tricked and while she didn't know it, he wasn't out to kill her. He wanted to her to be free from the pain she was in. She turned toward him, her brows down over narrowed eyes. The blood was still trickling down her arm and fingers, the exertion making her blood pump harder. "Leave me be, half breed," she spat out. "I refuse to go back to her!" He shook his head, torn between seeing her again after all this time, now with the knowledge that she had not killed him because she had betrayed him. She had been tricked and she deserved to know that so she could find peace.
"Kikyo, there is no need for this," he whispered, taking a small step toward her, her taking one back. "We were tricked..tricked into believing that we hurt each other." That was saying a lot that he would admit that and she seemed to consider it. "I was shot by someone who looked like you, knew you and me somehow." Something akin to recognition fluttered thru her brown orbs, but as it disappeared she took another step back.
"I don't believe you!" she hissed, the ground breaking under her. His golden eyes grew wide as he dived over to catch her. He managed to grasp her wrist, the cold feeling of her body reminding him that she was indeed fake. She was just a clay doll, but when he looked into her brown eyes, the ones glaring at him, he felt like he was looking back at his first love. The first person besides his mother that had cared about him. He truly wished that she was back, that he could right the wrong that had been done to them. To her. "Let me go, Inuyasha!" she commanded.
"No," he stated flatly, trying to force his emotions to the side, like he had grown up doing. "You have to go back to her." He closed his eyes for a second, knowing what he was telling her to do, knowing that she knew as well, her eyes turning colder as she glared harder at him, but there was disbelief there too. She couldn't seem to believe him and what he was telling her to do, but she wouldn't ask him the question that was on the tip of her tongue. She did ask him a question tho, knowing it would hurt.
"You want me to die?" He didn't react. "You want me to die again?" He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't want to repeat those words, didn't want to acknowledge them. "I won't die until you dooooo!" Inuyasha felt it before she did it, the crackling of energy making his hair stand up a bit. As she released energy from her hand he struggled to continue holding on. He couldn't tho and with a gasp of pain she fell from his grasp and watched him as she fell down toward the river that flowed several miles down below them. He held onto the side of the mountain, his golden eyes watching her until she disappeared from sight. Her name slipping from his mouth in an anguished cry that echoed around them.
"Kiiiiikyo!" As it echoed around them Miroku looked to Kaede and she nodded. Her sister had obviously died or maybe she had just fallen. Either way she was gone, his cry one of pain and frustration. His blue eyes turned back to the girl in his lap, her body moving slightly as she forced her eyes open, sweat pouring down her face. She sat up suddenly, her eyes becoming more focused as she clutched her chest, the aura that had once surrounded her body. She looked at who was holding her, shock and recognition on her face as she then noticed that Kaede and Shippo were there. The kitsune looked at her, worry in his green eyes before he jumped into her arms. She tensed at first, a shock of pain arching thru her body, but she relaxed and hugged the small demon.
"Shippo?" she asked as she again looked around in confusion. "Where...where are we?" Her chocolate eyes turned to Kaede. "Where is he?" Glancing around her she noted that not only was Inuyasha missing, but Kikyo was too.
"She is nothing but malice," came a hoarse voice, all eyes turning to see Urasue's head turning toward where the pair had gone. She cackled softly, her laughter disjointed as she continued. "She is full of nothing but anger and other dark thoughts. She is no longer the pure Miko she was before and can never be again." As she chuckled again, her body began to crumbled, the blood from her stomach wound the only thing left as the rest of her disappeared, her final words echoing in the air around them. "She will be alive, unable to rest, until she fulfills her revenge. That is all that is binding her here." She didn't tell them of the shard, knowing that in some part it was keeping her alive. Somehow that shard was pulsing with darkness now, not the original light that had been bright enough in the beginning. Was that because of her? Or the demon who had given it to her.
Kagome slipped off Miroku again, attempting to push her body up on her own. Seeing what she was doing he stood, his hand held out to assist her. She smiled weakly and took his hand. It was then she realized that he still had the shards and she looked up at him, finally standing rather wobbly on her two feet. The wind brought a chill to her wet body. "The shards?" she asked. He turned to Kaede who held them out to her. Shaking her head she turned to Miroku. "You guys watch them for me. I want to go home." This seemed to confuse the monk as he had thought she was different with her clothing, but had assumed she had come from Kaede's village.
"Kagome," the older Miko said, "Are you sure?" She nodded. Giving Miroku a look she explained to where he needed to go, tho she was sure that there was a good reason the girl wanted to go home, she was concerned as to why she wanted to go without Inuyasha. "You don't want to wait?" she asked as Miroku lent his support to Kagome, allowing her to walk with his aid. At the shake of her head the old Miko pointed to the old bridge. "My horse is on the other side, but with n-"
"We'll be fine," she said softly and pointing to what appeared to be a path down the mountain she began to walk, Miroku shooting the older woman a look before walking with the younger female. She was moving quicker than he expected and while he wanted to know what was going on he felt sure she would not tell him and even the threat of letting her go on her own would not be heeded by her. She would have struggled on her own to get to where she wanted. Nobody could stop her.
As they disappeared out of sight Inuyasha appeared around the corner, his eyes dazed and his steps slow as he moved closer to where Kaede and Shippo still waited. It took him mere seconds to realize that the pair had gone, his nose twitching at her fresh scent. "Where is she?" he whispered. Kaede hesitated, Shippo looking down, still rather pissed off on behalf of Kagome. "She went home, didn't she?" He knew her well enough to know that when she was upset she would leave but he couldn't fathom why she would be upset at him this time. He hadn't done this to her so why not wait for him? When they still didn't answer him he turned his back to them and hunched down, a look to the older woman showed that she was shocked at his intention. Finally getting on his back, Shippo climbing on as well, the trio took off across the chasm where the bridge had been, jumping over it to get her to her horse and once sure she was on it he took off to catch up with the pair that had already left. He wasn't sure what he would say to her, if he could even look at her. Maybe it was for the best that she left.
He stopped midway to the well, seeing that they weren't there, the smell wasn't here yet. Taking off, he sped off into his forest, but away from the well. He couldn't see her right now. He would need time, and she needed space if she were going to be this way. She would come back. He knew her. She felt an obligation to this time. She was a strong female and wouldn't let her feelings get in the way of what she felt so strongly about. Huffing he disappeared into the trees.
Miroku walked steadily beside her, the girl huffing every once in a while, her pace staggering every few minutes as her energy slowly built back up and dropped. It was like someone starting up a generator and she knew that once it was gone she would collapse. She refused to do that, the stop before she got home. She wanted to be away from here, to be free of the powerful feelings she was shaking from. "Lady Kagome," he began, hoping that she would tell him where they were going. They were heading thru the village now, the villagers looking at her with recognition and respect. She turned her head from them, refusing to acknowledge the people that looked to her as the reincarnated priestess that was now reborn and yet dead. "Where am I taking you?"
Why are we so blind to see
"To my time," was her response, her tone ragged and distant. "Thank you." He seemed surprised at her thanks. She seemed to understand his surprise tho, giving a soft smile to the ground. "You gave the shards back and even aided my companions," she clarified. "And...for helping me." He nodded. He wondered as to why she didn't ask his name or why he was helping her. She didn't seem to care about anything around them, in fact she seemed to be attempting to speed up, her body tensing up at something. She didn't even look up, her eyes watching the ground below her as if it were far more interesting. When she finally did look up it was when they were at the edge of a forest. She looked forward, her chocolate orbs taking in the wooded road with almost a sense of wariness and relief.
"You okay?" She nodded at his question and they moved further into the forest until they came upon a well, but her eyes flickered over to the right, where a large tree broke above the tree line. It was a tree that they had passed, but she hadn't even given it a bit of attention. Almost as if she were ignoring it. There had been a nick in the tree, a mar on the flesh of the trunk. She again thanked him as she pushed away from him, her steps less shaky she reached out to grasp the edge of the wooden well's lip. She didn't look at him as she struggled to climb over the lip, her feet dangling into the darkness. With a soft smile she turned to him and then she was gone, a bright light flowing from the well. He moved closer to it, not hearing her hit the bottom, and looked over the edge. "She's gone?" It was strange, a girl disappearing into a well and he wasn't sure what to think. Was she just a dream? Was she real? Shaking his head he turned to head back to the village. He wanted answers, not that he should be so concerned about someone he had only met once before. Someone he had robbed from, but the fact that she could see the shards made him curious and now that she revealed that she wasn't from this place it only made him more curious about the girl with strange clothing. The Miko from another time.
A flash of light and Kagome found herself on her side of the well, her body finally collapsing on the soft dirt, darkness filling the well house with the doors closed. I can't even make it out of here. She leaned back and allowed her eyes to close as her head hit the well's walls. Sighing she felt her body grow heavier as sleep began to seem into the edges of her vision. It called to her and she allowed it to consume her, her tears burning her eyes in their attempt to escape, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't allow herself to cry. He would smell them and she didn't want him to come and yet...there was tremor in her heart at the thought of not seeing him again. I didn't even know him that well, she told herself weakly, the tears coming forth against her wishes. She soon found relief as her body sagged into a rather uneasy sleep.
The ones we hurt are you and me
**Kikyo looked down at her, her face twisted in a sneer as she looked at Inuyasha, his golden eyes filled with so many emotions. Confusion. Anger. Love. He was torn and she could see that as she watched the pair. She was still talking, her voice a muted sound as she talked to the Hanyou. She felt her body shiver, the heat from the strings pulling at her body calling out for relief. She sighed as another wave of energy twisted thru her body. She couldn't see who was holding her, but she knew that they meant no harm, their aura one of holiness and one of a human. Struggling she could feel herself fall off of something warm, the cold hard ground making her flinch. She paid it no heed as she struggled to stand, the get to the other woman. She couldn't figure out why or how she was able to move her body with how heavy it felt. Pain still slipping thru the numbness. She didn't know but she knew that her soul wasn't leaving her any time soon. She seemed to be able to grasp it, the string slipping like a kite was on the other end, twisting with all the power that was like a wind trying to pull the kite away. It was the majority of her soul being yanked away, but with every yank from the soul still in her she could feel the strength of the wind dull. She finally was able to get to where it was leading her, to the woman, the shell that held so much hate and anger. It vibrated with it. She could also see the spark of pink that was hidden in the darkness that tried to take it out. It was a shard...**
Gasping awake she saw light above her, a small sliver of it that intruded on the darkness of the space. She opened her mouth, a rough, "S-Sota? Jii-chan?" husking out as she fell into a coughing fit that shook her pained form. She shivered as wind blew from the doors being opened and the sound of her brother's voice as he talked to someone.
"She should have come back by now," her brother said. "She wouldn't be gone for so long without at least coming to collect more supplies." Her grandfather's response was muffled. He didn't seem to be in the well house. She tried to call again, but her voice was even softer. She had to get their attention. Looking around her she reached into her pockets, struggling against the exhaustion that still seemed to fill her body. When nothing seemed to be there she thought of a better plan and using her hand she began to bang on the side of the well, the sound of it echoing around her. "See! I hear something!" A light appeared to shine down from above, her brother's face coming into focus as he leaned over the well before calling her grandfather. He soon appeared over the edge, a look of relief and shock on his aged face. With a little assistance from her mother and a rope ladder they managed to get her into the house and on the couch.
"Kagome, are you okay?" her mother asked. "Why are you wet? And what is that smell?" That had to be it. The smell from the bath so accustomed to her nose that she forgot it was still on her clothing. She managed to nod at her first question and then in a small voice she asked for a bath. Nodding her mother turned to her son and the pair lifted her up, struggling a bit with her worn out body, before taking her upstairs, the task a long one. Her mother still was looking at her as if she were on Death's doorstep and she shook her head.
"I'm just worn out, mama," she assured her. "I just need a bath and some rest." Her mother nodded, and although she looked relived she knew her mother was still worried. She wouldn't stop until she could see Kagome looking better, able to get around on her own. Her grandfather rushed around them to the bath, turning it on and allowing the warm water to fill the tub, checking to make sure that it was good temperature. As the trio moved into the small space her grandfather helped to sit her on the toilet.
After they had left her with her mother she looked down at her legs and then at her mother. "I can do it," she whispered. It looked as if her mother would fight her on it, but at the look in her daughter's brown eyes she backed down. Her daughter was practically an adult in their time, but she was still her child and she wanted to help, but she knew that sometimes she had to step back and let her struggle on her own.
"Let me know if you need anything." She nodded at her mother and waited til she had left to stumble over to the bath, leaving her clothing on she fell into the bath with a groan. A lot of the water slouched out over the edges as she sank back against the back of the tub. Sighing she closed her eyes and began to undress, the struggle becoming less of one with every second she was in the bath, the herbal bath she had been in washing away. It didn't take her long to get undressed and after draining the tub and shoving on the shower once it was clear she sat there, the shower coming down like rain on her head. She kept her head down, pulling her legs up to her chest as she let the warm water wash the rest of the herbs off of her.
I am not a copy. I am my own person. She didn't want to be a copy, but the sight of the other woman in her head, the memories and the real life copy of her predecessor flashing before her eyes. I don't want to be thought of as a copy. Sighing again she just sat there, thinking of all that had transpired. Debating on what she could do because even though she had told them to keep the shards she still wanted to go back. I still have that obligation, my task, to complete and then I never have to return. But could she do that, with the way she was feeling about a certain male in that era?
Ah, so what will she do now? She's got feelings for someone who sees her as nothing more than a forced companion... Hope you enjoyed! :)