Prologue --- This takes place two weeks before chapter 8, during the time
Kagome is training with the crone.
"She's probably laying dead somewhere in an alley." Shippou moaned, head and tail hanging dejectedly. "Or maybe after she was kidnapped they sold her into slavery, aren't maidens supposed to fetch a high price?" Inuyasha ignored him. "Or maybe even now she's gravely injured, her life barely hanging on by a thread. Waiting helplessly somewhere, wondering why nobody has rescued her. Or maybe."
"Shut up" Inuyasha growled, pounding the kitsune into the ground with one blow.
"Oww, you didn't have to do that." Shippou whimpered gingerly touching the sore spot on his head that was rapidly turning into a lump.
"I shouldn't've let you come at all" Inuyasha muttered as he dragged the semi-conscious fox demon along at a bruising pace. "It's not like you're helping." They were in the mountains now, they'd been working steadily inland the past two weeks, searching for some sign of Kagome. So far, nothing. He was assuming that whoever had kidnapped her had magic of some sort. There had been the scent of a demon in the park where Kagome was abducted, but also the scent of magic, human magic and demon magic. While Inuyasha hadn't found any trace of Kagome since the clearing where she'd disappeared, he had found the trail of the demon who'd abducted her. The trail was very old, and difficult to follow, but it seemed to be leading towards a particular group of mountains. "You sure you don't want to ask Mrs. Higurashi for help again?" Shippou laughed and barely avoided the punch Inuyasha aimed in his direction.
"Hey, don't be so upset, it was your idea in the first place!" Shippou reminded Inuyasha. "I warned you, no I begged you, but noooo, you had to go see her." Inuyasha's teeth and hands clenched, Shippou had been like this for the past two weeks. 'I will not hit him, Kagome likes him,' Inuyasha repeated to himself over and over. "I told you that I'd been there and she didn't know any more than I did but you insisted that we check. You know, it's your fault this happened. It's your fault Kagome's missing. If you hadn't left-
THUD
Inuyasha decked Shippou. Restraint wasn't Inuyasha's strong point. Finally, silence. Over the past two weeks he'd learned the exact place to hit to knock the little kitsune out instantly. If he wasn't sure that Kagome would never speak to him again (much less help him recover the Shikon jewel) he would've done a lot more than that. Inuyasha inhaled deeply, and sifted through the scents. There were so many strong, recent ones that overlaid the demon scent he was looking for. At least it was distinctive or he'd never be able to find it. The farther back he followed the demon's scent, the fainter it got.
Which meant that the demon that had kidnapped Kagome had gone out that way, but he hadn't come back along the same route. But there had been no returning trail from the clearing where Kagome had been kidnapped, which meant that the demon had either changed/erased his AND Kagome's scents or they'd used some other form of transport. Magic maybe or some strange human contraption. He'd meant to ask Mrs. Higurashi about that, but everything besides getting out alive again had slipped his mind after he'd entered Mrs. Higurashi's house. Fortunately, the little brother had met him outside Kagome's house/shrine and told them what little he knew. Which was... There'd been a new boy in school that day, he'd gone missing the same time as Kagome and there was no human invention that the boy knew of that could transport Kagome and the demon without leaving some sort of track/scent. So it probably was magic. This old scent-trail was the only clue he had to Kagome's location, he'd have to follow it and pray it didn't disappear before it reached its source. And there he'd find Kagome, or someone he could torture into telling him where Kagome was. Someone to torture at least, he needed that. Two weeks of worrying about Kagome and traveling with Shippou and his nerves were as taught as wire.
Chapter 8: Death and Betrayal
The crone trudged wearily up the hill. Her shallow straw basket was heaped to overflowing with the reddish Blutstamm leaves. Her joints creaked alarmingly with every step, the human body simply wasn't built to last for two hundred some-odd years. She lost track of the exact number 240 something, it didn't really matter at this point. Old was old. Anti-aging spells could only slow the process, not stop it, and even they weren't working anymore. Living was a torment, arthritis, gout, deafness, cataracts, running sores, osteoporosis, but that would all end soon. Soon, the crone grinned, her yellowed teeth were almost the same shade as her wizened, wrinkled skin. Soon she would be young again, young forever. She trundled up the hill with renewed energy, her body might be falling apart, but her spirit was eternal, and soon she'd have a body to match. A beautiful, lithe young body that would never age, never sicken, and that could recover from any injury. The crone cackled, a harsh sound, wild like the cawing of crows, she'd outlast them all!
The dim light of a lantern gleamed faintly from the shadowy interior of the hut. The girl must still be studying, how diligent. So many young people were lazy these days. The girl was such a hardworking student, despite the inexplicable difficulties she was having casting spells, she could be a great priestess. With her power level and dedication and with the proper training she could reach the same levels as the ancient priestesses of so many centuries ago. As it was, she'd make an excellent sacrifice. Her power combined with the demon's, and all the other sacrifices of the past two centuries would ensure that the youthening ritual was successful. The door squeaked noisily on its rusted hinges as she swung it open, the girl sat huddled over her book, fervently scanning the pages, but she looked up when the crone entered.
"Oh! You're back," the girl exclaimed running her hand through her hair nervously "I though you'd be gone the whole night?"
"No dear, luckily the herbs I needed were closer to the cabin than I had thought, it didn't take long to harvest enough for the ritual." The girl's eyes widened at the word "ritual." "Don't be alarmed dear," the crone hastened to reassure her. "It's time for your ascension ritual, the ritual that grants you the powers and abilities of a priestess."
"Bu-but I'm not ready!" the girl protested, panic in her voice. "We're still in the middle of my lessons. I've barely learned anything! Please, can't we wait till I'm ready, till I've learned a little bit more?" she clasped her hands and gazed pleadingly at the crone.
"I'm sorry dear," the crone took the girl's hands in hers and with a gentle smile explained, "but you are ready, you're not trying to learn everything, remember? Just enough to control your abilities so they don't harm anyone else, and you've done that. I think I can safely promise you that you don't need to worry about harming anyone with your powers ever again." The girl gulped and stared at the crone. "Besides, I thought that you'd be happy to leave early, your family must be so worried about you, surely you're eager to return to them?" Kagome continued to stare wordlessly at the crone, there was no way she could refuse, not without making the crone suspicious.
"Now," the crone continued, "we must prepare you for the ritual of ascension. It's conducted at sunset on a night with a new moon. But before you can undergo the ritual of ascension, you must be pure. Tomorrow morning you will undergo the ritual of purification, then spend the afternoon in meditation while I prepare the ceremony. Now, it's important that you get plenty of sleep tonight so that you're in proper condition for the ritual tomorrow evening."
Kagome lay in her bed staring up into the darkness. How could she possibly sleep? In less than 24 hours she was going to be sacrificed. There was no way she could defeat the crone before then, not without John's help. She nervously crumpled the blanket under her fingers, wait!! John had said he couldn't help, because of the slave spell, and there had been that chain around his neck, maybe it was just a stronger version of the subduing spell that bound Inuyasha? If it was, maybe she could-"
"Poor dear, too excited to sleep?" the crone murmured, interrupting Kagome's thoughts. It was so dark, she hadn't noticed the crone approaching her bed. "Here," she reached down to stroke Kagome's brow. Kagome struggled not to flinch in revulsion from the crone's clammy, wrinkled fingers. "Let me help. We can't have you tired during the ritual after all," the crone said while she traced patterns on Kagome's skin. And she was tired Kagome realized, very, very tired, in fact she couldn't keep her eyes open.
The cloying smell of vanilla drifted from out from one of the cabin's windows. The crone must've cast a sleep spell on the girl. John wasn't worried that the crone was suspicious, she always cast sleep spells on her students the night before the ritual. The problem was what the spell signified. They were out of time. The girl would have to attack the crone tomorrow even if she didn't have a chance. If she went through the "ascension ritual" the crone would discover the blood bond, that'd mean a slow painful death for him as well as the girl, the crone didn't like surprises. Yes, the girl would attack the crone, he'd force her if necessary.
Early the next morning. . .
"There you go dear," the crone chirped as she handed Kagome a rough terry cloth towel, an herb-scented cake of soap, and a pristine set of priestess robes. "Now you're sure you won't need assistance during the purification ritual?" the crone asked for the third time.
"No," Kagome grabbed the bathing implements from the crone's hands and gave her a tight smile. "I think I can take a bath on my own," she reassured the crone, a sarcastic tone creeping into her voice. "Besides, you need to get everything ready for the ritual tonight, you don't have time to help me!" she called the last sentence over her shoulder as she dashed towards the glade that held the spring, leaving the crone staring disapprovingly at her retreating figure.
"Brr," Kagome shivered, her teeth chattering as she submerged herself in the freezing water. There were no hot springs nearby, and this one was probably ice melt from farther up the mountain, it was *very* cold. It was early spring, and the air was still fairly cold. She wasn't supposed to know any fire spells, so she'd have to endure the freezing water, with the crone less than a mile away, the woman would sense it if Kagome tried to use a fire spell to heat the water. "Mmm," she sighed once her body became accustomed to the cold water and she was able to start enjoying the sensation of being thoroughly clean for the first time in a month. She vigorously soaped up and rinsed her hair, she hadn't had many opportunities for a real bath during the past month of training, and it felt so good to be clean, the water felt almost warm now.
Finally, the girl was alone. John silently stepped into the glade where she was performing the purification ritual. For a moment there, it had appeared that the crone would insist upon assisting the girl. It was imperative that the sacrifice be thoroughly clean for the ritual, otherwise the life-force would be tainted. Originally, there'd been problems persuading the girls to undergo the purification ritual, and the crone had strictly supervised the cleansing. But the last fifty years or so, the girls had seemed to actually enjoy the ritual, and the crone had started letting them undergo the ritual without supervision. The girl appeared to be finished, why didn't she get out? Had she decided that death by hypothermia was better than facing the crone? John waited impatiently for a moment, but she showed no signs of leaving the spring. "You don't have all day!" he finally growled from where he stood a few feet away from the edge of the spring.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK"
John heard a shrill scream at the same time that a boulder the size of his head came hurtling at him too fast to avoid.
"Ohh," John groaned and tentatively touched the painful lump on his forehead that was already healing. He hadn't know that humans could move that fast, the girl had amazing reflexes. He was stretched out flat on the ground, the boulder was now on his stomach where the girl had dropped it after she got out of the spring. Now, modestly covered with a towel, she was kicking him repeatedly in the ribs calling him various insulting names, "pervert" came up most often. He really should stop her before she actually managed to do some damage, John thought hazily still a bit dazed from the initial blow to his head. What a violent girl! Were they all like that these days? Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, John jumped up into a nearby tree branch, dislodging the boulder from his stomach and narrowly avoiding a kick from the girl. Her bare foot impacted with the boulder instead. John winced at the solid thunk sound of impact, that had to hurt, especially for a human. The girl was getting ready to launch the boulder at him again, the situation was definitely getting out of hand.
Roughly an hour and many bruises later. . .
"So you want me to challenge her now?" Kagome asked incredulously as she sat, looking every inch the virgin sacrifice in her white priestess robes, on a flat rock near the stream, towel drying her hair. John shrugged carelessly.
"Since there's no way to free me you might as well challenge her now, while she's concentrating on preparing the ritual. Perhaps it'll give you the advantage of surprise.
Kagome scowled blackly, it didn't matter how much of a surprise advantage she had, there was no way she could defeat the crone. If she wanted to live, she had only one option, free John. She gulped nervously, Kaede had shown her how to cast and remove the type of subdue spell that held Inuyasha. The one on John looked to be basically the same thing, just a lot stronger. She could break it, but it would require a lot of magical energy. She would have very little if any magical power left for at least a day afterwards. But if she freed John every human that he killed because he was free to do so would be her fault. But at the same time, if she didn't kill him then the crone would sacrifice her and become immortal. Every death that she caused would also be indirectly Kagome's fault, and wasn't an immortal witch with the crone's powers much more dangerous than a demon? Besides, the world had survived demons for untold centuries. So it was the powerful, immortal evil she didn't know or the not-quite as powerful, almost immortal, callous, but maybe not completely evil, evil she did know. "What if I free you?" Kagome asked, feeling like she had made the wrong choice. But both choices were wrong choices, it was a no-win situation.
"Free me?" John went deathly still and pinned Kagome with a hopeful stare, but it only lasted a moment. "Feh," he stated, his voice thick with scorn, "we've been over that already, you can't free me I couldn't find the spell that would break the slave enchantment that holds me. You'll just have to face the crone on your own," he concluded, tilting his head and folding his arms in a stance that reminded Kagome eerily of Inuyasha.
"No," Kagome said quietly but emphatically, "I can free you. An old lady I met once showed me how to break that type of spell, the one she used was a lot simpler, but it's the same type of spell, I'm fairly sure I can break it." What?? John's jaw dropped in astonishment, this entire time she'd had the ability to break the spell?! He could've been free a month ago. His fingers clenched in futile rage, the urge to strangle the girl was overpowering, but he wouldn't not now anyway, not until she'd freed him. "Then," he caught her hand and looked soulfully into her dark brown eyes "you can free me now, you don't need to get involved past that. Once free, I can easily stop the crone. We can end the killing now!"
End the killing, suuuure yeah, I believe you Kagome thought as she stared skeptically up at John and tried to tug her hand free. Did he honestly expect her to fall for that? "Err," she interrupted his monologue gently, "I need my hand for the ritual."
"Of course," John dropped her hand faster than she could blink. Human flesh, mentally he shuddered with revulsion, it was so soft and weak, she'd die so easily.
"Lay your head down over here," Kagome indicated the flat rock she'd been sitting on. "It won't take longer than ten or fifteen minutes, maybe even half that, it all depends," she explained, her eyes distant with thought, as if she were puzzling something out. "I should be able to finish before the crone notices and makes it over here though." Carefully, John laid himself down on the cold stone. "Ready?" the girl asked as she bent down to pull the gold chain that circled his neck to one side.
"Yes," John nodded and drew in a deep breath, soon, very soon now. The girl slowly chanted the syllable of a breaking spell as she traced the corresponding runes in the air above him, they shimmered gold in the air, barely perceptible in the bright sunlight. A smell like burnt sugar filled the air. John smiled in anticipation, careful not to so much as twitch lest he disrupt the ritual.
The girl had finished chanting, but the ritual wasn't complete yet, he wasn't free yet, the chain still bound him. She was stepping away, moving towards the forest. John tensed, was something wrong? Why was she leaving? He heard her footsteps, quiet in the new spring grass, returning. She stood over him, a boulder (probably the same one from earlier this morning) held high above her head. A boulder, John might not be an expert on human magic, but he knew that there weren't any spells that required large rocks to cast them. John gulped, surely she wasn't still upset about him interrupting her purification ritual? John's eyes were glued to the rock, he couldn't move, literally, if he disrupted the girl's spell at this point the backlash would kill him, so this kind of spell included a fail-safe that paralyzed its subject. He could move his facial muscles but that was about it. The girl brought the rock crashing down towards him, John closed his eyes.
Great, Kagome though as she lifted the rock a second time, the crone would have to bind him with a metal chain. It was a good thing gold was soft or she'd never be able to break it. John looked really pale, and he had his eyes squinched shut. Really!! Did he think her aim was that bad? Kagome though indignantly as she repeatedly pounded a rapidly thinning link of the chain. She had to hurry, the crone would've noticed her spell casting by now, and she didn't want to even think about what would happen if she didn't break this chain before the crone got here. "You can open your eyes," she told John, "I'm almost done. I've finished the spell part but as long as the chain stays around your neck all she has to do is say a few words of subduing and you'll be trapped again. It's almost done," she brought the stone down again, the metal finally parted. "Finished" she stated, grabbing the chain and tossing it into the stream.
"No," John rose to his feet and caught the chain in one fluid motion. "I have a use for it," he explained with a fierce grin as he bounded towards the crone's hut.
He has a use for it. I don't even *want* to know Kagome though as she buried her face dejectedly in her hands. John was free, apparently he could easily kill the crone once he was free of the slave spell. And she'd just loosed another demon upon the world. Kagome felt sick to her stomach. But maybe, she thought, digging into her huge backpack for some twine, she could still salvage the situation. She knotted the twine into a circle and started the incantation, she had just enough magic left to complete it. If she could get this on John, she could bind him. It wouldn't be anything that would take away his freedom, just something like he couldn't kill any humans, or had to obey a certain code or something.
John loped towards the hut. He could smell the crone, rotting and foul. She was heading towards the clearing where the girl had freed him as fast as her creaking bones would let her, too late!! She was too late to prevent his freedom, and now she would die. The crone's eyes widened when she saw him and the chain he dangled so casually from his left hand, his fingers clinking the delicate links together so that they chimed softly in the silent clearing. She reeked with fear. Two centuries, it had been a long time coming, and he would enjoy this. He felt the crone gather her magical energies inward, a metallic smell filled the air, she meant to attack him? Lightning ripped the sky as the crone gestured violently. A huge bolt tore through the heavens with a crash, striking John. He laughed, already his body was healing from the damage, adrenaline pumped through his veins. Desperately, the crone gestured again, too late. John had crossed the clearing, he slashed the crone across her midsection, feeling her warm blood on his claws, it was the first time human blood had ever smelled sweet to him. He grabbed the crone by her neck, crushing her windpipe so she couldn't speak. Slowly, he lifted her up to eye level, tilting her face towards his. Her mouth hung open, exposing her rotting stumps of teeth as she gasped for breath. Smiling sweetly, his perfect white teeth and youthful face illuminated by the frequent crashes of lightning. "Alte," he whispered her name, "now you die." and he tightened his grip on her neck. It snapped easily.
A lightning storm appeared out of nowhere covering up the bright morning sun and scattering a few drops of rain. The fight must've started Kagome realized as she headed towards the center of the storm, the makeshift necklace clutched in her hands. She could barely see, the sun didn't penetrate the clouds at all, it was almost as dark as night. It didn't take her long to reach the clearing. Something was hanging from a low lying tree branch, swinging slightly in the breeze. A flash of lightning illuminated the clearing for a few brief seconds, but long enough to see what hung from the chain. It was the crone, the gold chain encircled her neck, hanging her from the tree. Her white bloodless face rested at an unnatural angle, her mouth gaped open, showing her tongue thick and swollen, it looked like a slug. Her stomach was ripped open, entrails mixed with the tattered bloody rags of her dress. Blood thick and viscous trickled from the gash in her stomach, down her legs, then dropped in a widening puddle on the ground a few feet beneath her. Then darkness covered the clearing again. Kagome gagged, dropping the rope necklace as she covered her mouth with both hands and sank to her knees. She'd never grown used to death, it was even harder since she'd actually known the crone. What if it was all a lie, what if the crone had just been a kindly old woman trying to help fledgling priestesses learn how to develop their powers? She closed her eyes and swallowed a sob. She fiercely blinked the tears out of her eyes as she searched the ground for the dropped necklace. She wouldn't break down and cry, she couldn't afford to, she had to find John and get the necklace on him, if she could. She was more helpless than the crone, she'd exhausted all her magical powers. What was to prevent John from killing her as easily as he'd killed the crone? She found the twine necklace only a few feet away, just as her hands closed on its rough, slightly hairy surface she felt a presence enter the clearing. John. "So," his voice was as cool and clear as mountain snowmelt. "I'm to go from one master to another? Now that the crone's dead you think to take her place?"
"No!" Kagome blurted out hastily in denial "I just - It's just that," she stammered, "I freed you, and I have to make sure that you can't hurt or kill any innocent people that you couldn't've hurt if you hadn't been free," she explained in a rush, her head lowered. Why did she even bother to explain, there was no way he'd ever willingly agree to be bound again.
"So, if you want to prevent me from harming innocents" John asked, walking slowly towards her, "why don't you just kill me? Wouldn't that be the simplest solution? Why enslave me?"
"I'm not enslaving *anyone*," Kagome enunciated, looking him straight in the eyes. "The enchantment doesn't have to work that way. It's true it can be used to enslave someone, but there are other versions. I can cast it so that it will only prevent you from harming innocent people."
"I have a different idea." John smiled beautifully, his expression angelic. "Lets," his hands moved faster than Kagome's eyes could follow "play a game." Kagome felt something rough around her neck, John's fingers pulled the twine tight around her throat so that if fit like a choker. He spoke a few words in a language Kagome couldn't understand, but she could see the spells symbols glowing in the air as he spoke them, along with an accompanying tightening feeling, like she was being bound. "The game is cat and mouse," he purred in her ear, putting a finger beneath her chin and tilting it so that their faces almost touched. "I hunt, you hide. Very simple isn't it? If I catch you, I kill you. Or maybe. . ." he leaned in so that their lips were almost touching, she could feel his breath, warm as it touched her mouth, like a caress. " . . . maybe I'll have a slave," he drew his thumb slowly across her cheek, "I've already bound the necklace to you, you can't take it off any more than I could take mine off. If you escape, it'll fall off on its own at sunrise. If I catch you, just a few words and you're a slave like I was, or maybe I'll just kill you, I haven't decided yet," he confessed with a lazy grin. Kagome stood, still as a statue, her eyes widened and her mouth slightly open in shock. "You know," John put one long finger under her jaw and gently brought her jaw back up. "I'd start running now if I were you."
Next chapter: Blood and rain
"She's probably laying dead somewhere in an alley." Shippou moaned, head and tail hanging dejectedly. "Or maybe after she was kidnapped they sold her into slavery, aren't maidens supposed to fetch a high price?" Inuyasha ignored him. "Or maybe even now she's gravely injured, her life barely hanging on by a thread. Waiting helplessly somewhere, wondering why nobody has rescued her. Or maybe."
"Shut up" Inuyasha growled, pounding the kitsune into the ground with one blow.
"Oww, you didn't have to do that." Shippou whimpered gingerly touching the sore spot on his head that was rapidly turning into a lump.
"I shouldn't've let you come at all" Inuyasha muttered as he dragged the semi-conscious fox demon along at a bruising pace. "It's not like you're helping." They were in the mountains now, they'd been working steadily inland the past two weeks, searching for some sign of Kagome. So far, nothing. He was assuming that whoever had kidnapped her had magic of some sort. There had been the scent of a demon in the park where Kagome was abducted, but also the scent of magic, human magic and demon magic. While Inuyasha hadn't found any trace of Kagome since the clearing where she'd disappeared, he had found the trail of the demon who'd abducted her. The trail was very old, and difficult to follow, but it seemed to be leading towards a particular group of mountains. "You sure you don't want to ask Mrs. Higurashi for help again?" Shippou laughed and barely avoided the punch Inuyasha aimed in his direction.
"Hey, don't be so upset, it was your idea in the first place!" Shippou reminded Inuyasha. "I warned you, no I begged you, but noooo, you had to go see her." Inuyasha's teeth and hands clenched, Shippou had been like this for the past two weeks. 'I will not hit him, Kagome likes him,' Inuyasha repeated to himself over and over. "I told you that I'd been there and she didn't know any more than I did but you insisted that we check. You know, it's your fault this happened. It's your fault Kagome's missing. If you hadn't left-
THUD
Inuyasha decked Shippou. Restraint wasn't Inuyasha's strong point. Finally, silence. Over the past two weeks he'd learned the exact place to hit to knock the little kitsune out instantly. If he wasn't sure that Kagome would never speak to him again (much less help him recover the Shikon jewel) he would've done a lot more than that. Inuyasha inhaled deeply, and sifted through the scents. There were so many strong, recent ones that overlaid the demon scent he was looking for. At least it was distinctive or he'd never be able to find it. The farther back he followed the demon's scent, the fainter it got.
Which meant that the demon that had kidnapped Kagome had gone out that way, but he hadn't come back along the same route. But there had been no returning trail from the clearing where Kagome had been kidnapped, which meant that the demon had either changed/erased his AND Kagome's scents or they'd used some other form of transport. Magic maybe or some strange human contraption. He'd meant to ask Mrs. Higurashi about that, but everything besides getting out alive again had slipped his mind after he'd entered Mrs. Higurashi's house. Fortunately, the little brother had met him outside Kagome's house/shrine and told them what little he knew. Which was... There'd been a new boy in school that day, he'd gone missing the same time as Kagome and there was no human invention that the boy knew of that could transport Kagome and the demon without leaving some sort of track/scent. So it probably was magic. This old scent-trail was the only clue he had to Kagome's location, he'd have to follow it and pray it didn't disappear before it reached its source. And there he'd find Kagome, or someone he could torture into telling him where Kagome was. Someone to torture at least, he needed that. Two weeks of worrying about Kagome and traveling with Shippou and his nerves were as taught as wire.
Chapter 8: Death and Betrayal
The crone trudged wearily up the hill. Her shallow straw basket was heaped to overflowing with the reddish Blutstamm leaves. Her joints creaked alarmingly with every step, the human body simply wasn't built to last for two hundred some-odd years. She lost track of the exact number 240 something, it didn't really matter at this point. Old was old. Anti-aging spells could only slow the process, not stop it, and even they weren't working anymore. Living was a torment, arthritis, gout, deafness, cataracts, running sores, osteoporosis, but that would all end soon. Soon, the crone grinned, her yellowed teeth were almost the same shade as her wizened, wrinkled skin. Soon she would be young again, young forever. She trundled up the hill with renewed energy, her body might be falling apart, but her spirit was eternal, and soon she'd have a body to match. A beautiful, lithe young body that would never age, never sicken, and that could recover from any injury. The crone cackled, a harsh sound, wild like the cawing of crows, she'd outlast them all!
The dim light of a lantern gleamed faintly from the shadowy interior of the hut. The girl must still be studying, how diligent. So many young people were lazy these days. The girl was such a hardworking student, despite the inexplicable difficulties she was having casting spells, she could be a great priestess. With her power level and dedication and with the proper training she could reach the same levels as the ancient priestesses of so many centuries ago. As it was, she'd make an excellent sacrifice. Her power combined with the demon's, and all the other sacrifices of the past two centuries would ensure that the youthening ritual was successful. The door squeaked noisily on its rusted hinges as she swung it open, the girl sat huddled over her book, fervently scanning the pages, but she looked up when the crone entered.
"Oh! You're back," the girl exclaimed running her hand through her hair nervously "I though you'd be gone the whole night?"
"No dear, luckily the herbs I needed were closer to the cabin than I had thought, it didn't take long to harvest enough for the ritual." The girl's eyes widened at the word "ritual." "Don't be alarmed dear," the crone hastened to reassure her. "It's time for your ascension ritual, the ritual that grants you the powers and abilities of a priestess."
"Bu-but I'm not ready!" the girl protested, panic in her voice. "We're still in the middle of my lessons. I've barely learned anything! Please, can't we wait till I'm ready, till I've learned a little bit more?" she clasped her hands and gazed pleadingly at the crone.
"I'm sorry dear," the crone took the girl's hands in hers and with a gentle smile explained, "but you are ready, you're not trying to learn everything, remember? Just enough to control your abilities so they don't harm anyone else, and you've done that. I think I can safely promise you that you don't need to worry about harming anyone with your powers ever again." The girl gulped and stared at the crone. "Besides, I thought that you'd be happy to leave early, your family must be so worried about you, surely you're eager to return to them?" Kagome continued to stare wordlessly at the crone, there was no way she could refuse, not without making the crone suspicious.
"Now," the crone continued, "we must prepare you for the ritual of ascension. It's conducted at sunset on a night with a new moon. But before you can undergo the ritual of ascension, you must be pure. Tomorrow morning you will undergo the ritual of purification, then spend the afternoon in meditation while I prepare the ceremony. Now, it's important that you get plenty of sleep tonight so that you're in proper condition for the ritual tomorrow evening."
Kagome lay in her bed staring up into the darkness. How could she possibly sleep? In less than 24 hours she was going to be sacrificed. There was no way she could defeat the crone before then, not without John's help. She nervously crumpled the blanket under her fingers, wait!! John had said he couldn't help, because of the slave spell, and there had been that chain around his neck, maybe it was just a stronger version of the subduing spell that bound Inuyasha? If it was, maybe she could-"
"Poor dear, too excited to sleep?" the crone murmured, interrupting Kagome's thoughts. It was so dark, she hadn't noticed the crone approaching her bed. "Here," she reached down to stroke Kagome's brow. Kagome struggled not to flinch in revulsion from the crone's clammy, wrinkled fingers. "Let me help. We can't have you tired during the ritual after all," the crone said while she traced patterns on Kagome's skin. And she was tired Kagome realized, very, very tired, in fact she couldn't keep her eyes open.
The cloying smell of vanilla drifted from out from one of the cabin's windows. The crone must've cast a sleep spell on the girl. John wasn't worried that the crone was suspicious, she always cast sleep spells on her students the night before the ritual. The problem was what the spell signified. They were out of time. The girl would have to attack the crone tomorrow even if she didn't have a chance. If she went through the "ascension ritual" the crone would discover the blood bond, that'd mean a slow painful death for him as well as the girl, the crone didn't like surprises. Yes, the girl would attack the crone, he'd force her if necessary.
Early the next morning. . .
"There you go dear," the crone chirped as she handed Kagome a rough terry cloth towel, an herb-scented cake of soap, and a pristine set of priestess robes. "Now you're sure you won't need assistance during the purification ritual?" the crone asked for the third time.
"No," Kagome grabbed the bathing implements from the crone's hands and gave her a tight smile. "I think I can take a bath on my own," she reassured the crone, a sarcastic tone creeping into her voice. "Besides, you need to get everything ready for the ritual tonight, you don't have time to help me!" she called the last sentence over her shoulder as she dashed towards the glade that held the spring, leaving the crone staring disapprovingly at her retreating figure.
"Brr," Kagome shivered, her teeth chattering as she submerged herself in the freezing water. There were no hot springs nearby, and this one was probably ice melt from farther up the mountain, it was *very* cold. It was early spring, and the air was still fairly cold. She wasn't supposed to know any fire spells, so she'd have to endure the freezing water, with the crone less than a mile away, the woman would sense it if Kagome tried to use a fire spell to heat the water. "Mmm," she sighed once her body became accustomed to the cold water and she was able to start enjoying the sensation of being thoroughly clean for the first time in a month. She vigorously soaped up and rinsed her hair, she hadn't had many opportunities for a real bath during the past month of training, and it felt so good to be clean, the water felt almost warm now.
Finally, the girl was alone. John silently stepped into the glade where she was performing the purification ritual. For a moment there, it had appeared that the crone would insist upon assisting the girl. It was imperative that the sacrifice be thoroughly clean for the ritual, otherwise the life-force would be tainted. Originally, there'd been problems persuading the girls to undergo the purification ritual, and the crone had strictly supervised the cleansing. But the last fifty years or so, the girls had seemed to actually enjoy the ritual, and the crone had started letting them undergo the ritual without supervision. The girl appeared to be finished, why didn't she get out? Had she decided that death by hypothermia was better than facing the crone? John waited impatiently for a moment, but she showed no signs of leaving the spring. "You don't have all day!" he finally growled from where he stood a few feet away from the edge of the spring.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK"
John heard a shrill scream at the same time that a boulder the size of his head came hurtling at him too fast to avoid.
"Ohh," John groaned and tentatively touched the painful lump on his forehead that was already healing. He hadn't know that humans could move that fast, the girl had amazing reflexes. He was stretched out flat on the ground, the boulder was now on his stomach where the girl had dropped it after she got out of the spring. Now, modestly covered with a towel, she was kicking him repeatedly in the ribs calling him various insulting names, "pervert" came up most often. He really should stop her before she actually managed to do some damage, John thought hazily still a bit dazed from the initial blow to his head. What a violent girl! Were they all like that these days? Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, John jumped up into a nearby tree branch, dislodging the boulder from his stomach and narrowly avoiding a kick from the girl. Her bare foot impacted with the boulder instead. John winced at the solid thunk sound of impact, that had to hurt, especially for a human. The girl was getting ready to launch the boulder at him again, the situation was definitely getting out of hand.
Roughly an hour and many bruises later. . .
"So you want me to challenge her now?" Kagome asked incredulously as she sat, looking every inch the virgin sacrifice in her white priestess robes, on a flat rock near the stream, towel drying her hair. John shrugged carelessly.
"Since there's no way to free me you might as well challenge her now, while she's concentrating on preparing the ritual. Perhaps it'll give you the advantage of surprise.
Kagome scowled blackly, it didn't matter how much of a surprise advantage she had, there was no way she could defeat the crone. If she wanted to live, she had only one option, free John. She gulped nervously, Kaede had shown her how to cast and remove the type of subdue spell that held Inuyasha. The one on John looked to be basically the same thing, just a lot stronger. She could break it, but it would require a lot of magical energy. She would have very little if any magical power left for at least a day afterwards. But if she freed John every human that he killed because he was free to do so would be her fault. But at the same time, if she didn't kill him then the crone would sacrifice her and become immortal. Every death that she caused would also be indirectly Kagome's fault, and wasn't an immortal witch with the crone's powers much more dangerous than a demon? Besides, the world had survived demons for untold centuries. So it was the powerful, immortal evil she didn't know or the not-quite as powerful, almost immortal, callous, but maybe not completely evil, evil she did know. "What if I free you?" Kagome asked, feeling like she had made the wrong choice. But both choices were wrong choices, it was a no-win situation.
"Free me?" John went deathly still and pinned Kagome with a hopeful stare, but it only lasted a moment. "Feh," he stated, his voice thick with scorn, "we've been over that already, you can't free me I couldn't find the spell that would break the slave enchantment that holds me. You'll just have to face the crone on your own," he concluded, tilting his head and folding his arms in a stance that reminded Kagome eerily of Inuyasha.
"No," Kagome said quietly but emphatically, "I can free you. An old lady I met once showed me how to break that type of spell, the one she used was a lot simpler, but it's the same type of spell, I'm fairly sure I can break it." What?? John's jaw dropped in astonishment, this entire time she'd had the ability to break the spell?! He could've been free a month ago. His fingers clenched in futile rage, the urge to strangle the girl was overpowering, but he wouldn't not now anyway, not until she'd freed him. "Then," he caught her hand and looked soulfully into her dark brown eyes "you can free me now, you don't need to get involved past that. Once free, I can easily stop the crone. We can end the killing now!"
End the killing, suuuure yeah, I believe you Kagome thought as she stared skeptically up at John and tried to tug her hand free. Did he honestly expect her to fall for that? "Err," she interrupted his monologue gently, "I need my hand for the ritual."
"Of course," John dropped her hand faster than she could blink. Human flesh, mentally he shuddered with revulsion, it was so soft and weak, she'd die so easily.
"Lay your head down over here," Kagome indicated the flat rock she'd been sitting on. "It won't take longer than ten or fifteen minutes, maybe even half that, it all depends," she explained, her eyes distant with thought, as if she were puzzling something out. "I should be able to finish before the crone notices and makes it over here though." Carefully, John laid himself down on the cold stone. "Ready?" the girl asked as she bent down to pull the gold chain that circled his neck to one side.
"Yes," John nodded and drew in a deep breath, soon, very soon now. The girl slowly chanted the syllable of a breaking spell as she traced the corresponding runes in the air above him, they shimmered gold in the air, barely perceptible in the bright sunlight. A smell like burnt sugar filled the air. John smiled in anticipation, careful not to so much as twitch lest he disrupt the ritual.
The girl had finished chanting, but the ritual wasn't complete yet, he wasn't free yet, the chain still bound him. She was stepping away, moving towards the forest. John tensed, was something wrong? Why was she leaving? He heard her footsteps, quiet in the new spring grass, returning. She stood over him, a boulder (probably the same one from earlier this morning) held high above her head. A boulder, John might not be an expert on human magic, but he knew that there weren't any spells that required large rocks to cast them. John gulped, surely she wasn't still upset about him interrupting her purification ritual? John's eyes were glued to the rock, he couldn't move, literally, if he disrupted the girl's spell at this point the backlash would kill him, so this kind of spell included a fail-safe that paralyzed its subject. He could move his facial muscles but that was about it. The girl brought the rock crashing down towards him, John closed his eyes.
Great, Kagome though as she lifted the rock a second time, the crone would have to bind him with a metal chain. It was a good thing gold was soft or she'd never be able to break it. John looked really pale, and he had his eyes squinched shut. Really!! Did he think her aim was that bad? Kagome though indignantly as she repeatedly pounded a rapidly thinning link of the chain. She had to hurry, the crone would've noticed her spell casting by now, and she didn't want to even think about what would happen if she didn't break this chain before the crone got here. "You can open your eyes," she told John, "I'm almost done. I've finished the spell part but as long as the chain stays around your neck all she has to do is say a few words of subduing and you'll be trapped again. It's almost done," she brought the stone down again, the metal finally parted. "Finished" she stated, grabbing the chain and tossing it into the stream.
"No," John rose to his feet and caught the chain in one fluid motion. "I have a use for it," he explained with a fierce grin as he bounded towards the crone's hut.
He has a use for it. I don't even *want* to know Kagome though as she buried her face dejectedly in her hands. John was free, apparently he could easily kill the crone once he was free of the slave spell. And she'd just loosed another demon upon the world. Kagome felt sick to her stomach. But maybe, she thought, digging into her huge backpack for some twine, she could still salvage the situation. She knotted the twine into a circle and started the incantation, she had just enough magic left to complete it. If she could get this on John, she could bind him. It wouldn't be anything that would take away his freedom, just something like he couldn't kill any humans, or had to obey a certain code or something.
John loped towards the hut. He could smell the crone, rotting and foul. She was heading towards the clearing where the girl had freed him as fast as her creaking bones would let her, too late!! She was too late to prevent his freedom, and now she would die. The crone's eyes widened when she saw him and the chain he dangled so casually from his left hand, his fingers clinking the delicate links together so that they chimed softly in the silent clearing. She reeked with fear. Two centuries, it had been a long time coming, and he would enjoy this. He felt the crone gather her magical energies inward, a metallic smell filled the air, she meant to attack him? Lightning ripped the sky as the crone gestured violently. A huge bolt tore through the heavens with a crash, striking John. He laughed, already his body was healing from the damage, adrenaline pumped through his veins. Desperately, the crone gestured again, too late. John had crossed the clearing, he slashed the crone across her midsection, feeling her warm blood on his claws, it was the first time human blood had ever smelled sweet to him. He grabbed the crone by her neck, crushing her windpipe so she couldn't speak. Slowly, he lifted her up to eye level, tilting her face towards his. Her mouth hung open, exposing her rotting stumps of teeth as she gasped for breath. Smiling sweetly, his perfect white teeth and youthful face illuminated by the frequent crashes of lightning. "Alte," he whispered her name, "now you die." and he tightened his grip on her neck. It snapped easily.
A lightning storm appeared out of nowhere covering up the bright morning sun and scattering a few drops of rain. The fight must've started Kagome realized as she headed towards the center of the storm, the makeshift necklace clutched in her hands. She could barely see, the sun didn't penetrate the clouds at all, it was almost as dark as night. It didn't take her long to reach the clearing. Something was hanging from a low lying tree branch, swinging slightly in the breeze. A flash of lightning illuminated the clearing for a few brief seconds, but long enough to see what hung from the chain. It was the crone, the gold chain encircled her neck, hanging her from the tree. Her white bloodless face rested at an unnatural angle, her mouth gaped open, showing her tongue thick and swollen, it looked like a slug. Her stomach was ripped open, entrails mixed with the tattered bloody rags of her dress. Blood thick and viscous trickled from the gash in her stomach, down her legs, then dropped in a widening puddle on the ground a few feet beneath her. Then darkness covered the clearing again. Kagome gagged, dropping the rope necklace as she covered her mouth with both hands and sank to her knees. She'd never grown used to death, it was even harder since she'd actually known the crone. What if it was all a lie, what if the crone had just been a kindly old woman trying to help fledgling priestesses learn how to develop their powers? She closed her eyes and swallowed a sob. She fiercely blinked the tears out of her eyes as she searched the ground for the dropped necklace. She wouldn't break down and cry, she couldn't afford to, she had to find John and get the necklace on him, if she could. She was more helpless than the crone, she'd exhausted all her magical powers. What was to prevent John from killing her as easily as he'd killed the crone? She found the twine necklace only a few feet away, just as her hands closed on its rough, slightly hairy surface she felt a presence enter the clearing. John. "So," his voice was as cool and clear as mountain snowmelt. "I'm to go from one master to another? Now that the crone's dead you think to take her place?"
"No!" Kagome blurted out hastily in denial "I just - It's just that," she stammered, "I freed you, and I have to make sure that you can't hurt or kill any innocent people that you couldn't've hurt if you hadn't been free," she explained in a rush, her head lowered. Why did she even bother to explain, there was no way he'd ever willingly agree to be bound again.
"So, if you want to prevent me from harming innocents" John asked, walking slowly towards her, "why don't you just kill me? Wouldn't that be the simplest solution? Why enslave me?"
"I'm not enslaving *anyone*," Kagome enunciated, looking him straight in the eyes. "The enchantment doesn't have to work that way. It's true it can be used to enslave someone, but there are other versions. I can cast it so that it will only prevent you from harming innocent people."
"I have a different idea." John smiled beautifully, his expression angelic. "Lets," his hands moved faster than Kagome's eyes could follow "play a game." Kagome felt something rough around her neck, John's fingers pulled the twine tight around her throat so that if fit like a choker. He spoke a few words in a language Kagome couldn't understand, but she could see the spells symbols glowing in the air as he spoke them, along with an accompanying tightening feeling, like she was being bound. "The game is cat and mouse," he purred in her ear, putting a finger beneath her chin and tilting it so that their faces almost touched. "I hunt, you hide. Very simple isn't it? If I catch you, I kill you. Or maybe. . ." he leaned in so that their lips were almost touching, she could feel his breath, warm as it touched her mouth, like a caress. " . . . maybe I'll have a slave," he drew his thumb slowly across her cheek, "I've already bound the necklace to you, you can't take it off any more than I could take mine off. If you escape, it'll fall off on its own at sunrise. If I catch you, just a few words and you're a slave like I was, or maybe I'll just kill you, I haven't decided yet," he confessed with a lazy grin. Kagome stood, still as a statue, her eyes widened and her mouth slightly open in shock. "You know," John put one long finger under her jaw and gently brought her jaw back up. "I'd start running now if I were you."
Next chapter: Blood and rain