(AN)---:-D why am I grinning? You'll see soon enough! :-D
Juxtaposition
Chapter Five:
Shadows
Kirara, in full-battle regalia, turned to the fallen priestess, blood dripping in sharp colour from her muzzle. Kagome immediately launched herself at the cat-demon, throwing her arms around the beast's neck and leaning full against her body. She sobbed thankfully into the soft golden fur.
Too close, too close. Demons and oni and all manners of black magic, and she nearly fell by her own kind. Sometimes she forgot who the true monsters were.
Wiping her eyes on the back of her not so steady hand, Kagome straightened away from Kirara, smoothing down the fur she had ruffled with her tears. "Thanks, Kirara-chan. I don't know what I would have done..." Which was pretty much a lie. She knew exactly where the situation had been leading, though her young mind didn't want to wrap too much around it.
Her eyes flicked, almost too quickly, over the scene beneath the quietly rustling trees. It was no worse than the carnage that had accompanied some of the previous battles she had witnessed, and even participated in. But it was worse. Because a good portion of it was on her hands. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. And yet, she couldn't quite get herself to feel pity, or even a tiny sliver of remorse.
They were going to hurt me. I won't feel sorry. Not when it was their choice. But still, she looked on the three empty bodies and wished something else could have been done, some other end could have been reached. The first casualties of this journey. I wonder, how many more will there be?
She shook her head, forcing the thought out of her mind. The blood and gore would soon begin to call to scavengers, she needed to gather her things and be gone by then.
Kirara sat down, her two tails flicking back and forth as the miko went about the small break in the trees, avoiding the inevitable mess with small steps. She lifted a stained paw and began licking at the matted fur, looking, for all the world, like a cat that had gotten into the cream. She extended her claws and began cleaning between them with long, sure tongue-strokes.
The ground was a patchwork of grass and darker, congealing puddles. Kagome carefully picked her way through to where her yellow back pack lay, spilled over on its side. Setting it aright, she began, one by one, picking up the things that had tumbled out.
She was staring at a bottle of hand-lotion when she realized blood had splattered on the white and pink label, obscuring the words. She reached a hand out and let it hover over the bottle, faced with the decision of either bloodying her fingers in keeping it, or letting it lie where it was. She drew her hand back and zipped up her bag. It was time to find her bow.
Swinging the book bag onto her back, she turned...and had a perfect view of the man she had killed. Her fingers tightened around the strap, shaking a little. He had fallen half on his side, with his legs twisted beneath him and his arms held close to his chest. Her arrow made his neck bow out at an odd angle. She swallowed, knowing it was an image she would carry with her through all her dreams. I'm not sorry, she thought at the dead man, you can't make me sorry.
Kirara nudged her in the back, causing her to take a sudden step forward, then settle back on her feet. It brought the miko around and out of her own unpleasant thoughts. With a small smile Kagome rubbed at the neko-youkai's forehead, bringing her hand down in one smooth stroke between her eyes.
"Let me get my bow," she said, "Then we'll find some water and get washed up, okay?"
Miroku-sama can't leave well enough alone, can he? But I'm glad he thought this far ahead and sent her with me. I could...really use the company.
Kagome watched as Kirara curled up on the bank, spotless and back in her usual, less threatening form. Her small head rested on her paws, and she stared out attentively into the line of trees. Her ears flicked from time to time, to gather and identify the occasional bird-cry that drifted through the woods, or the fall of a leaf. Her two tails lifted and fell in a soft hush, letting the miko know that the fierce demon sensed no immediate danger.
Having scrubbed herself clean in record time, Kagome absently donned her spare uniform, stuffing the soiled one in the bottom of her back pack to be taken care of later. Preferably when she didn't have to worry about a half-demon soon to be on her trail.
Gods, it felt so good to be clean. And though her problems were no better in the soft morning light, she didn't feel quite so overwhelmed, or alone. She reached down to scratch Kirara affectionately behind one of her ears, then moved to where she had laid her shoes and bow down. Sitting down in the grass, she pulled her shoes on one at a time, then paused. Glancing over at the neko-youkai, Kagome noted that she had not changed position, or even lifted her head. Kagome leaned back, placing her hand palm-flat in the grass so that it rested nonchalantly near her bow.
"We should get going, Kirara-chan," she commented, causing the small cat to lift her head in curiosity. Her ears twitched, and something flashed through her eyes. Understanding.
Smiling into the youkai's wide crimson eyes, the miko's head fell forward in what might have been an unfinished nod. Kirara climbed to her dainty paws and stood quietly by, as if the action was completely natural.
"Well...NOW!" Kagome jumped to her feet, bow already armed and pointed. The cat beside her burst into battle-form, flame licking out and around her deadly claws. They stared at empty branches. Shadow swooshed to her left, and Kagome spun around, trying to keep it in sight and see what it was at the same time. The point of her bow followed her eyes as they scanned the trees.
Youkai and miko stood back to back, waiting for a danger that neither of them were quite certain of yet. Movement at her right brought Kagome around again, but Kirara launched into the air, swiping massive claws at a shadow that lay thick beneath one of the tall trees. The shadow swirled away from her paw, floating on the breeze and disappearing.
Kagome ran up to her side, bow at the ready, but without target. For long moments the two stood, listening for something, anything that could alert them to a possible attack. But minutes crawled by, the birds sang and the wind pulled at the trees, and nothing else came to their ears. Finally, Kagome sighed, replacing her arrow in its quiver and laying her hand on the demon's shoulder. Kirara looked at her.
"It's gone...whatever it was." Had anything truly been there? Kirara's sensitive nose or ears didn't pick it up. Maybe I'm just jumpy after last night? Didn't matter, they needed to be moving on. Her body protested, reminding her that what little sleep she had got last night had been fitful at best. But Kagome ignored the complaints and went to retrieve her back pack. She could sleep once she put more distance between herself and Inuyasha.
They needed to find a village. It seemed the best way to track Kikyou down would be to begin asking around. It wouldn't be too hard. Excuse me, have you seen a girl that looks exactly like me? Except...maybe a little older? She should be wearing the robes of a Shinto priestess. Kagome sighed. Maybe luck would be with her and the first village she walked into would have children running up, crying 'Kikyou-sama! Kikyou-sama!' Kagome very nearly twitched. Maybe she didn't want to be that lucky.
They set off again, going the direction they had been going since they left their group behind. Kagome kept close to Kirara's back until they cleared the canopy of the trees. She sat up in one motion, keeping a tight, but unnecessary hold on the neko's fur. Kirara was too skilled to let her fall.
They didn't have to search long; their height above the ground soon showed them where the woods receded and tiny huts and fields sprawled out. A medium-sized settlement.
Except...something was wrong. As they closed the distance, Kagome started to notice an inconsistent stream of people fleeing into the nearby woods. Smoke billowed from one building, a dark line that looked like a ribbon curling and stretching into the wind. The sea of leaving people parted as Kirara landed near the centre of the village, some of them yelped at the sight of such a fearsome youkai and ran faster.
Kagome ignored them, her eyes set on trying to find their initial cause for alarm. She hopped to the ground, and Kirara immediately reverted then hopped into the miko's arms. With so much human chaos erupting around them, it was safer for both that she appear mostly as a harmless cat.
"Excuse me," Kagome called as one woman went past her, clutching a screaming baby to her chest. Kagome turned her head to watch the woman run on, without even a glance to acknowledge that she had heard her. Kagome frowned, but set Kirara down and was ready when the next villager happened through. She caught his arm as he went by and used his own momentum to swing him back around to face her.
"What's going on?!"
The man stared at her dumbly. She dug her fingers into his arm and shook him, just enough to get his eyes to focus on her.
"What is going on!?"
"Demon! Demon run amuck! The miko-sama stole some treasure of his, and now he's destroying the village!"
"Where?" But she didn't have to wait for an answer. Feeling a warning spill of youki send chills down her back, Kagome looked over her captive's shoulder.
TBC...
Okay, I'm not even going to bother being sneaky about this one! Teehee! We're running out of surprise guests aren't we? Is it Sesshoumaru? Or *creepy music* someone else completely?! *shakes head*
And why was I grinning at the beginning of the chapter? It was Kirara! You didn't think Miroku, who I happen to believe is one of the more insightful characters, would let Kagome go off ALL alone? I think he would respect her enough to let her make such a decision, but he wouldn't be stupid about it. Plus, Miroku is a great friend, and I like to see him in more roles than 'the lech', or Sango's boyfriend.
Reviews, reviews—keep me posting! If you want to see who it is in the next chapter, then review and tell me so! Otherwise, we all know I'm insecure enough to think you don't care! ^_^