CHAPTER SEVEN
Kagome's arrow arched gracefully
through the air and met it's target: a fleeing crane youkai.
The shard dropped out of it's beak and into Shippou's hand as
he leapt up in the air to grab it.
"Yatta!" he cheered.
"Don't celebrate yet!"
Kagome warned. "Inuyasha's still got his hands full!"
They both turned and watched as
the hanyou burst through the abdomen of the huge pelican that
had only just a moment ago swallowed him whole. The Tetsusaiga
sung as it slashed through the flesh. He tumbled to the ground
and grinned.
"I told ya I'd give ya the
heartburn of your life!" The demon moaned, but still came
at him. "Don't know when to quit, eh?!" Inuyasha raised
the sword, and in one final move, eliminated the massive bird.
"Yatta!" Shippou cried
again and ran over to him with the shard. "We did it!"
"Good job Inuyasha!"
Kagome cheered and ran over as well. She slowed down and held
her nose. "Woof! What did that bird have to eat!?"
"Huh?"
"You STINK!"
"Well SORRRRY!" He folded
his arms, bile and stomach acid dripped from his sleeves.
Kagome pointed to a nearby lake.
"You! Bath! Now!"
Inuyasha raised a defensive brow.
"Osu...." Kagome threatened.
"All right, all right. Sheesh.
Ya could say PLEASE."
"It's hygiene, Inuyasha.
That's a basic courtesy!"
He mimicked her as he walked away.
Shippou tagged along.
Inuyasha had to jump in fully
dressed to get the filth off. He dove under water and swam out
a few yards before surfacing. Shippou folded his little arms.
"Inuyasha, why are you still
so mean to Kagome?"
He stopped swimming and glared
at the kitsune. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Just now, I saw the faces
you were making, that was mean!"
"Che," he snorted. "She
didn't see it."
"What if she did?"
"....." Inuyasha dove
back under the water. 'I wouldn't have made those faces TO HER
FACE. She would have been upset,' he thought. 'Why is this brat
so interested in this subject anyway?' He surfaced. "Oi,
Shippou. Why do you... Shippou?" Inuyasha looked around,
but the kitsune was gone. He got out of the water. "Shippou?!
Stupid kid with his stupid tricks. If this is one of your ideas
to try and get Kagome and me together, better think again, little
fox!"
He tromped around and decided that
there was no ruse. Shippou was gone. Inuyasha went on guard,
but too late. He walked into the trap.
"Kagome and you will never
be together... Inuyasha."
He spun around. Lying propped up
against a tree was Shippou and standing just in front of him
was the undead Miko herself.
"Kikyo!"
"Inuyasha? Shippou?"
Kagome called. When there was no answer, she walked towards the
lake. Almost immediately, she felt the evil aura. 'Oh no! They're
in trouble!' she fretted. She didn't have to concentrate. Kagome
could see the shimmering outline of the force field very clearly.
She balled her fists and walked through.
Inuyasha and Shippou lay against
the trunk of a tree. "Guys!" she called, but didn't
take another step. She lurched forward, but her feet were held
fast to the ground.
"It's just too easy,"
a voice cooed from behind. A voice she knew too well.
"Kikyo!"
Her ancestor walked around her
and observed as Kagome struggled against her spell. 'She's gotten
stronger,' she thought. 'I must make this quick!'
"You let them go!"
"I will not. Inuyasha must
die."
"Why do you have to do this?!
You love Inuyasha."
"I hate him. All that is left
for me is hatred. If he lives, I cannot be free."
"I.. won't.. let you!"
Kagome took a step towards Kikyo, who was obviously shocked to
see her fight.
"If you won't be a good girl
and sit still, I'll just have to take my soul back!" she
cried and reeled back her hand. Kikyo thrust her arm up to the
wrist into Kagome's chest. The
girl screamed. It was searing hot, but no blood issued forth.
Kagome panicked, but her eyes fell on Inuyasha and she rallied.
"I won't let you!" she shouted and raised her own hand.
Kikyo cried out as Kagome's hand
pierced her chest. She didn't know at first what to do, but soon
her instincts took over. Her aura glowed blue like Kikyo's and
her mind trained itself to search for the soul.
"No!"
"Yes!" Kagome shouted.
"Kikyo! Give me back the rest of my soul! You must rest!
This battle is over. If you are me and I am you, you must see
that I am right. I love Inuyasha and I will not let you take
him from me!!!"
Kikyo's hold on Kagome's soul slipped
a little and Kagome took the opportunity to wrap her fingers
around what she felt inside her chest. She pulled out a glowing,
blue orb and Kikyo's aura began to fade.
"You.. truly.. are.. me..."
she whispered. "Take care of him... Kagome." Kikyo's
hand slipped out. A translucent image of Kikyo floated up and
the clay-doll body she had been living in fell to the ground
at Kagome's feet, shattering into a hundred pieces. Kagome looked
down, still in full Miko mode and observed the whole in her chest.
She filled it with the blue orb: Kikyo's soul, and it sealed
back up again, leaving nothing but a tear in her blouse. Kikyo's
ghost, freed of its material form floated over to the tree and
kissed Inuyasha on the lips before disseminating on the breeze
like smoke. Kagome smiled and passed out.
*
More than a day later, Kagome opened
her eyes. The light of a single candle danced across the walls
of a small room. A warm, purring at her side told her she was
safe. Kirara looked up and meowed in greeting. Kagome moaned
lightly and instantly, a figure appeared at her side.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"How ya feelin'?"
"...Weak." Kagome saw
the light flickering in his eyes. She closed hers again.
"Kagome?"
"I'm all right. Are you?"
He nodded. "I think I know
what happened..." the way he said it was like a question.
As if to say, 'I want to know what happened, but I really don't.'
"Did you see the clay doll?"
He nodded.
"Then you know what happened.
She's gone. Well, at rest, I should say."
He swallowed hard. Had she always
spoken so well? Did she have more of Kikyo in her now? Would
she be different from now on?
"Inuyasha, could you get
me a glass of water?"
He did so and returned moments
later. Kagome could not sit up on her own, but he helped her.
She took one sip and lay back down.
"Inuyasha... please don't
leave the room while I'm asleep."
"I haven't."
She smiled and realized that his
hand covered hers.
"I couldn't do anything..."
he whispered.
She turned her hand over and clutched
his. "It's ok. It was my turn to save YOU."
Shippou, who was watching from
the doorway, sighed with relief.
*
Houseki closed her eyes and
felt the warmth of the sun on her eyelids. Soft clouds drifted
by. She had been alone for almost a month now and had only just
come to terms with her loneliness. Everywhere she went humans
fled from her and demons threatened her. She had killed nearly
a dozen or so of these lesser youkai and been glad each time
that she no longer needed to eat them to survive.
To her right, she heard a rustling
in the undergrowth. Her ear swiveled to catch the sound. Her
stalker was closing in. She had only caught glimpses of him since
that first time when she was bathing. This time, she decided
that she'd feign sleep and see what happened.
Houseki's eyelids cooled down as
his shadow appeared over her. She could tell he was leaning in
close. Her heart raced with excitement. She popped her eyes open
and smiled. "Hi there!"
"Bwa!" shocked, the stalker
made to run away, but Houseki held him fast by an ankle.
"I don't think so, Pal. You're
going to tell me who you are why the hell you're following me
around, right now!"
The youkai stuttered. "B..b..b..
baka! I'm Kouga!" Houseki let him go and he stood and glared
down at her. She lay on her side and propped her head in her
hand.
"Nice to meet you."
"What are you talking about?!
You know me!"
"I do not," she chuckled,
growing amused at this wolf-youkai's confusion.
"Inuyasha, I'm not stupid!"
Houseki cracked up. "Oh yes
you are! Have you noticed that I'm female?"
"Yes!" he shouted back.
"Are you... under a curse or something?"
She laughed again. "No. I'm
Houseki. Inuyasha's daughter."
He blinked a few times. "Ohhhhhh..."
Houseki stood. "So that's
why you've been stalking me? Cause you thought I was my tou-chan?
Poo. And here I was thinking you thought I was attractive."
"Well..." Kouga cocked
his head to the side. "I kinda thought you weren't him,
cause you smell good."
Houseki blinked.
"And you've got a hell of
a body."
She was speechless. "I...
do? I mean, you think I do?"
"Yeah! Well, I gotta go. Sorry
I bugged you so much." Kouga turned and ran off into the
woods.
He stopped by a clearing and leaned
up against a tree. 'Damn! I'm so stupid! What the hell was that?!
'you've got a hell of a body!?' arg!!!' Kouga was lost in self-flagellation,
but he did hear the rustling of leaves just to his right.
"Who's there?"
Houseki stepped out of the bushes
and made a silly face. "Mind if I follow YOU around for
a while?"
Kouga grinned back, relieved. "Why
the hell not?"
END CHAPTER SEVEN