AN -- PLEASE READ: In an attempt to at least try to make this fanfiction fit in with the Inuyasha manga more accurately, I changed the name of the villain from Akuma to Magatsuhi. When I wrote this in 2002, the youkai that Midoriko had fought against had not been named, but he was always the one I wanted to write about.
Since learning that Midoriko and this unnamed demon were both trapped within the jewel and "destined to fight forever until someone was able to destroy the Shikon no Tama" I felt more confident about my opinion of who (and what) Kagome really was. I always thought it was just too bizarre that a reincarnation of Kikyou would be born with a jewel inside of her. Plus the whole thing about Kagome's soul being "so large," etc.
Well, after hearing about Midoriko, I felt more confident in my belief that Kagome was in fact a living, human extention of the jewel -- and the miko (Midoriko) trapped within. The reincarnation of Kikyou bit was only a very minor part of who Kagome really was.
So, long story short (haha) Akuma was always supposed to be Magatsuhi in this fic. Though my background of him, etc. is not totally correct. But, hey, welcome to the wonderful world of fanfiction. :)
I hope that doesn't cause any confusion for anyone reading this a second time. ;)
.:All of My Tomorrows:.
chapter eight : candescence
Kagome stood quickly, placing herself between Sesshoumaru and the kitsune cub. He regarded them both as carefully as they regarded him, each sizing up the other and both unwilling to be the first to make any sudden moves.
Shippou gritted his teeth and immediately stepped away from the miko shielding him. His movements were not lost on Sesshoumaru, who watched him reposition himself with faint interest. The boy had to know that he was no match for the Taiyoukai.
Sesshoumaru was not like the other youkai who lusted after the jewel. His power was great enough that he did not need it. No other youkai could make that claim and that fact alone made him an unpredictable opponent.
Kagome's voice rang clear, echoing with the duality that Shippou recognized from the night Inuyasha died. An unconscious chill ran down his spine.
"You have not been able to break the seal."
A pale eyebrow rose, curiosity glinting in his eyes. "Are you here to retake the Tetsusaiga?"
"No."
"Good. I do not intend to hand it over to you." He paused, watching her carefully. Her voice was wrong. It contained two distinct tones. "Why have you entered my lands without permission if you do not seek to retake the sword?"
Her eyes darkened. "We are drawn to it. It calls to us."
Curiosity piqued, "It called you here?"
"Yes, it needs us and we need it. We are related."
Sesshoumaru heard Tsume's words echoing in his mind, 'She was able to draw it out; therefore, she must have some level of control over it because it gave her that control. The seal is now related to her.'
We are related.
We.
"Tetsusaiga is related to the kitsune brat there?" The youkai lord asked as he gestured toward Shippou, already knowing that her use of "we" had nothing to do with the kitsune cub.
"The child is ours, he has no relation to Tetsusaiga. He comes of his own free will."
"Then explain who is 'we.'"
"Midoriko. Kagome," she said, voice strong and confident. "The barrier that seperated us has been broken. We are united as one."
Midoriko. Sesshoumaru had not heard that name since he was a child. She was a human with unbelievable spiritual power. So much so that many youkai referred to her as Shinigami, certain that she was the god of death in mortal flesh. She could draw out of souls of ten youkai at once. No other Miko was feared as much as she, not even Kagome or her predecessor, Kikyou. Midoriko died long ago, her death forming the Shikon no Tama. The woman-child was a gifted Miko in her own right, but if both Midoriko and Kagome were united as one then nothing could be taken for granted.
He moved slowly toward the girl, carefully gauging her reaction. Her clear blue eyes shined brightly as she watched him, but he did not sense fear from her. What he could sense from her was something else. Something he could not quite name, but something similar to what he sensed from Rin the first time she came to him.
Trust, perhaps?
It was preposterous, but he could not deny his senses. Perhaps she, too, knew she was his equal and had nothing to fear from him. Perhaps she was a fool like Rin, naïve to a fault. Either way was acceptable to Sesshoumaru. An opponent who felt comfortable often let down their guard and death quickly followed.
As he stood before her, he inhaled her scent deeply. Searching for clues to further explain the presence of Midoriko, he instead found himself strangely pleased at the soft uniqueness of her scent. She had taken up bathing again, but there was still a scent that lingered on her that could not be washed away. The scent of the jewel radiated from her. Its fragrance stronger now than it was when he saw her last. The will to live and an unnatural wisdom glowed in her eyes when she looked at him. She had changed quite a bit since he last saw her. She was slowly changing even before his very eyes.
"I heard something interesting about you." He said softly, almost intimately. "I heard you are the only one who can break the seal that keeps me from wielding Tetsusaiga. Is that true?"
The kitsune cub looked up at Kagome nervously, not liking the proximity of the pair.
"The sword calls for us. It is..." she trailed off, searching for the right words. Sesshoumaru tilted his head as he waited for her to answer him and watching her eyes cloud once more with a strange confusion.
"The sword is necessary," she murmured after a time. "We need it, we need you."
He looked at her smugly, "You need? Explain yourself."
"We... we are being hunted. Magatsuhi is drawing near, the swords..." Kagome paused, her brows drawing together. The duality of her voice was becoming muddied, as though one voice was trying to speak over the other. She hesitated a moment longer, then "Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga can free us and correct past mistakes."
It was then that Sesshoumaru felt a tangible shift of power within her. Eyes slowing drifting shut and face passive, the girl stood still and quiet. Her calm felt unworldly given the strange sensations he was sensing from her.
When her eyes finally opened again they were no longer the blue color he was familiar with, but a deep, dark brown. Her stance changed as well. She no longer stood like an uncertain, yet angry, woman-child. Instead her muscles tensed for violence if need be, causing Sesshoumaru to automatically assume a defensive posture ready to act offensively if necessary.
The sudden shift roused his blood with unexpected excitement. She felt powerful. And she was clearly ready to do battle with him if necessary. Curiosity streaked through his veins as he wondered at the little Miko girl was capable of. Was the display of power just for show or could she back it up? He'd seen her dispatch the youkai that sought the jewel at Inuyasha's grave, but they were nothing compared to him.
As though reading his thoughts, the corners of the girl's lips twitched upwards. She said nothing, but her expression revealed her thoughts. He was tempted to smirk in reply, but did not. Keeping himself in check, Sesshoumaru maintained his stoic facade as he pushed aside his excitement. The Tetsusaiga was far more important to him than testing her limits as an adversary, though if given the opportunity, he would not waste it.
She smiled at him suddenly, revealing perfectly straight, white teeth.
"You are the one," she said finally with a voice and accent that sounded foreign to his ears. The battle-hardened voice stood out in a stark contrast coming from the youthful and innocent lips of the woman-child.
"Am I?" The youkai lord asked feeling faintly amused at her peculiar behavior. This was not Kagome speaking, Sesshoumaru realized. This was indeed Midoriko herself and she was in complete control.
"Aa. Magatsuhi interfered. He kept your brother alive when he should have died. We thought the hanyou was the one at first, but he was only a ruse to garner him more time." She blinked slowly, a small smile forming on her lips.
"And whom is this Magatsuhi?"
"He was a man who once asked me to marry him." Midoriko's voice stated with Kagome's flesh. "I refused. My work as a miko was not yet complete and he became angry. He believed that if he could finish my work for me that we would be able to be together. As a result, he became youkai and Magatsuhi was born."
"Is this Magatsuhi related to Naraku?"
"Aa. They are the same. Naraku is both son and brother of Magatsuhi. Naraku was spawned from the same darkness that begot Magatsuhi, but they are one once more."
She stepped closer to Sesshoumaru, scant inches from him she smiled oddly. "You are the one to destroy Magatsuhi using the Tetsusaiga."
Sesshoumaru smirked at her, "You speak as though I wish to help you. I do not. Magatsuhi can kill you and your bastard pet and take the jewel with him. I care not. My only concern is for the Tetsusaiga."
Her smile grew and she laughed, the duality slowly returning to her voice as her eyes sparkled with blue flecks. "You are ignorant, Sesshoumaru-sama."
The youkai lord bristled at the sarcastic tone in her voice, but said nothing.
"Do you believe the twin swords hold the power within them because they were formed from your father's tusks?" she asked, voice condescending. "How is it one sword heals while the other destroys? Do you think that you exist by chance? Do you think this body was born with the Shikon no Tama within her and crossed time by pure luck?"
She peered up at him, brazen and unintimidated. He seethed.
"You have a greater part to play than you realize," she continued. "Your destiny was sealed long before your father marked your mother. We do not care for the swords other than using them to fulfill their purpose. They are yours to keep, but we will not give you control over the Tetsusaiga until you desire to help us."
Jaw clenched, he said nothing. She inched toward him, a small smile playing about her features. Pitching her voice for his ears only, she whispered, "Keep a worthless sword and let us die, or help us and gain the most powerful weapon in existence. It is your--"
His rage at the boiling point, Sesshoumaru struck Kagome with the back of his fist. The impact sending her sprawling to the ground and earned a startled squeal from the kitsune cub. He ran to her side, his fear for her well-being wafting heavily into the air.
Sesshoumaru snorted. He had not hit the bitch hard enough to kill, though he wanted to. He felt some satisfaction at the scent of her blood, glad that he had wounded her infuriating face. He'd like to hit her again, but was disappointed that her display of power had been only that. A display.
Only dimly aware that brat was yelling at him, the Taiyoukai gazed at the unconscious girl. 'Keep a worthless sword and let us die, or help us and gain the most powerful weapon in existence.' Sesshoumaru sneered at the memory of her statement, but felt he had found his answer. Indeed, this could be the only way to claim the Tetsusaiga as his and his alone.