"Promises Promises"
By Pixie
Disclaimer: After all my hard work, I should own it…
Author's Note: Last chapter. I'm sad…I don't want it to end, but I've on my last idea here, typing up the last few words. Thanks so much everyone, I loved the reviews I've got from you all, I love it that you guys have made this my most popular story ever and I love it how I've finally been convinced to write longer chapters. So here's what you've all been waiting for...Kikyo's finally going to get her own.
This is it guys. It's been great.
Chapter 22:
Kikyo was alone. Something plagues the young priestess's mind as she sat in quiet, pensive, thought. From where she sat, she could see the trap, laid so perfectly. In the background, the noises of a beginning battle raged on.
To one who happened to see the raven-haired priestess there, it would have been a strange, albeit peaceful scene. A young maiden, dressed in a contradicting combination of innocent dove-white, and blood red sat in wait, patiently. The soft flowing cotton of her white-as-snow top fluttered gently in the wind, intermingling with feather-soft strands of hair. The wind played with her hair, teasing it this way and that, never wildly tossing about the raven flocks, but all the same, twisting them a little, teasing. Her features were that of a gentle goddess, calm and unchanging, but only a mask over years of wisdom. Her brown eyes watched the world around her, absorbing it all in, and reflecting back out her emotions on what she saw.
It was a strange, but calming sight.
One might refer to it, as the calm before the storm.
When Kagome arrived at the castle, in the beginning, she had no idea what was in store for her. Over the course of time, she had learned a great deal about love and friendship, and people in general. These were all very important lessons, of course. But there was one thing Kagome learned that she had now simply pushed to the back of her mind. It was hardly a big event when it happened, and even Kagome wasn't quite sure what it meant. When she had watched the battlefield, she had noticed flickers of pink among certain demons. If Kikyo had known this, she would have identified Kagome for what she was – a priestess. But Kagome had kept the knowledge to herself, deeming it of no importance.
But it was important. A certain spell had been laid on a certain door, so that no one but Inu-Yasha could pass. However, it is a little known fact, due to the rarity of priestesses in the world, that spells laid by a priest or priestess do not affect other priests of priestesses.
"Stay here he says…I can't just stay here when everyone is out there! I can help! Inu-Yasha might need me…" Kagome whimpered her concerns to her reflection as she paced back and forth in her room, her soft sandals clicking against the ground. Inu-Yasha had left mere moments before, and was probably nearing the exit of the castle as Kagome spoke.
"I won't stay here! I know all the healing herbs, and I could probably help out wounded soldiers! I can't just sit here and be all useless and pretty!"
And with that, Kagome took off for the spelled door.
Inu-Yasha paused at the sight of someone familiar in the hallway. The wolf-demon cocked one eyebrow, staring down the dog-demon. Inu-Yasha smirked, and turned around the other way, flipping Kouga off as he did so.
"Stay away from my woman, wolf-breath."
And thus begun a sequence of events in which everything would finally return to normal, beginning with a newfound argument between the wolf and the dog…
Kagome paused, ducking behind a pillar as she watched Inu-Yasha walk off one way, and Kouga the other. She held her breath to stop to prevent her breathing from being too loud as she chased Inu-Yasha.
It was lucky for her that he was distracted. The scent of blood filled the air, and though Kagome couldn't smell it, it filled Inu-Yasha's scent and blinded him to Kagome's.
A feeling of anxiousness rose up in Kikyo's chest. She knew Inu-Yasha was coming…without his skills with the sword of his father, Naraku could easily take the castle and she, Kikyo, would have the power she long desired. Inu-Yasha was coming now. It was only a matter of time now…minutes even. Seconds. But each felt like agonizing hours to the beautiful priestess.
"Guilty? I'm feeling guilty for doing this?" In a quiet moment of brief reflection, Kikyo remembered….
It had been a summer day when the priestess was young and she first laid eyes on the Prince. He had seemed to be a few years older than her, but herself only being five years of age, everyone looked much older to her. The priestess was gathering herbs and flowers for the elder priest of the time, and she spotted the young Prince sniffing around at all the flowers. He looked so innocent, his hair as long and silver as it was now, his golden eyes, enchanting as always, wide with amazement at all the scents his sensitive nose picked up. His tiny hands and short stubby fingers reached out to gently touch the flower. He had the remarkable mix of a human child and a puppy's curiosity and Kikyo found it fascinating. Suddenly shy, she approached the Prince, her face lightly tinted pink.
"You should smell this one…" She shyly offered him a sprig of lavender, her own personal favorite scent.
Inu-Yasha grabbed it, snatching it away in the fashion only boys have, and inhaled deeply.
"It stinks." He muttered, his gaze not meeting her's. Kikyo's face fell in disappointment and she felt the first salty tears of sorrow sting her eyes. Inu-Yasha noticed the tears and his own eyes widened in amazement. Was she crying? Over the stupid flower thing? Inu-Yasha, with his piercing golden eyes studied Kikyo for a moment and saw that she was very young. He had thought her older when he saw the passive, calm look on her face. But now her tears opened up windows to her soft vulnerability, her innocent childness, and a painful loneliness she kept hidden from the world.
He felt the need to comfort the girl, but found his arms and legs rooted to the spot. "Well…um…I meant um…its only smelly when compared to…uh…you?" He stared over at Kikyo, his amber eyes begging her to forgive him. It worked. The young priestess wiped her eyes and smiled over at him. A true and genuine smile.
The years past from that day when they first met…the two grew older, and closer, and one day…
"Inu-Yasha, what do you think love is?"
"Love? I dunno…just a whole bunch of promises and promises I guess."
"Promises?"
"Yeah, you know…when you love someone, you promise to do a whole bunch of things for them to show you care."
"So that's all love is? Promises, promises?"
"Well, only if you keep the promises you make…"
Kikyo was awoken suddenly by a noise. The door was opening…
Kagome spotted the arrow mere moments before Inu-Yasha did, from her spot behind him. Her heart seemed frozen in time as she watched the naïve dog-demon stumble right into Kikyo's trap. The arrow flung, made from the strongest wood around, blessed with priestess magic and aimed straight for the deathblow at Inu-Yasha's heart.
He turned, as if in slow motion and his eyes widened in shock at the sight of Kagome standing there.
The young girl covered her eyes, fearing the sight of her lover's death. There was no way he could have dodged that one, he spotted it too late. But to Kagome's surprise, she heard no cry of pain, no sound of a body falling. She opened her eyes to see Inu-Yasha still standing there.
"But…how?" Kagome raced forward, closing in on the space between her and Inu-Yasha…and was greeted by the same sight his golden eyes were watching in horror.
It was Kikyo.
Kikyo had jumped in the way of her own arrow at the last minute, sparing the golden eyed demon's life, and ending her own simultaneously.
She had made no cry of pain as the arrow pierced her own heart. Her expression remained calm, like a goddess of serenity, hiding a mask of wisdom. Her raven hair seemed to billow out behind her in soft clouds as she sank to her knees. Inu-Yasha ran to her, his golden eyes misty, tears threatening them constantly.
Like a hero in a movie, a dashing Prince Charming, he caught Kikyo just as she fell, and he allowed them both to sink down, Kikyo resting softly in his arms. Blood from her wound poured out over Inu-Yasha's arms, a crimson river flowing from her heart. She coughed slightly, fighting for her voice and Inu-Yasha did not fail to notice the small bit of blood coming from her mouth as she coughed.
"Don't talk…" he pleaded.
"Inu-Yasha…" her voice was barely a whisper as she struggled for her life, trying to keep her eyes open. "I really did…love you…even if I couldn't keep…my promise…" And then she smiled at him. A true, genuine smile.
And then her face relaxed into its peaceful expression once more. The serenity of her death was no different than the calmness of her life. Inu-Yasha fought tears, rage, and a heart-wrenching pain he could not contain. For even if you love another, love never dies. One may, in time, hide that love away so far they think it gone, but you can never change the way you feel about someone, if you love them. And so Inu-Yasha cried out in pain, sobbing over Kikyo's body, while she lay, still and peaceful forever.
Kagome stood motionlessly as the scene took place. She could make no move to comfort her love as he wept like a baby for the woman he had loved. She watched her love, transfixed as he slowly stood up, still holding Kikyo. He stared at something, intently, and Kagome followed his gaze to see Naraku standing there. She did not recognize him, of course, but Inu-Yasha did. Holding his first love in one hand, and his powerful sword in the other, he took all the emotions inside of him, powering into one attack.
Love is the most powerful of the emotions; it's a tangible force, and the reason for all other emotions. Unless you care about someone, unless you love him or her, they are powerless over you, and cannot hurt you. But once you trust them, once you give you're heart away in love, you become their puppet. They can, if they chose, pull the strings to make you enraged, hateful, insane, infatuated, obsessed, hopeless…Kikyo's death had pulled all these strings in Inu-Yasha and now he released them, raising his sword high above his head and slashing it downwards, crossing it across Naraku in a blinding flash of light.
Then he stuck his sword in the ground, and began digging a hole around it. As the light faded, Kagome was horrified to only see splashes of blood and a few stray pieces of cloth where Naraku had been. She turned her eyes away, and watched instead Inu-Yasha dig the grave of his first love…
"Inu-Yasha…?" Kagome tenderly approached her love as he sat alone in his room. He continued to stare straight into the fire, flame reflections dancing in his strange, clouded amber eyes. Kagome walked up behind him, walking softly on the rug where he sat. She kneeled down behind him and placed a cautious hand on his shoulder.
"Please…look at me?" she pleaded with him and rested her head against his back, desperate for any sign of life from him.
"Kagome…" he murmured softly, turning to her, his golden eyes filling with tears. He broke into heart-wrenching sobs, and Kagome found she could nothing. Slowly, she moved her arms around him, holding him gently against her chest, softly kissing the top of his head, in a soft motherly fashion. She felt her kimonos grow damp beneath Inu-Yasha and she found she didn't care. Nothing mattered now. Nothing mattered except for Inu-Yasha and making him happy.
He tilted his head up towards her, his face mere inches away. "Please…don't leave me alone?"
"I promise…" Kagome breathed before getting caught up in a desperate kiss from Inu-Yasha. It was so fast and clumsy that his teeth banged against her's, but neither cared. His lips moved gently across her's, acting out of sheer instinct in his actions. Kagome felt his tears transfer to her face, and his whole kiss tasted of salt, the taste of a tear. She returned the kiss, gently pressing her lips against his, moving them slightly, massaging his bottom lip between her own, tasting that sweet salty tear kiss. Inu-Yasha moved away slightly, just enough to meet her eyes.
"Inu-Yasha…what is love?" Kagome asked, remembering the scene she witnessed of Inu-Yasha burying Kikyo.
"Promises, promises…" he repeated the childish phrase he had said at her grave earlier… "When you love someone, you promise to do nice things for them…And even if you break those promises…love is forgiving the person who broke those promises."
"Promises then…"
"Kagome…I promise to love you. And even if at times it seems I might break it, I won't. I can't lose you Kagome…I can't lose another woman I love…"
"I promise to love you too Inu-Yasha."
And then she smiled at him.
Her true, genuine smile.
And so after the funeral for the priestess Kikyo, a more joyous event came to the Kingdom. Both the younger Prince and the Older Prince were getting married. There was a bit of panic for a while as to whether or not they could get married for the town's resident priest was giving up his priestess to take a young bride. Eventually, the priest from the neighboring town was called in to marry the couple's. And they all lived happily ever after.
Well…mostly.
Sesshoumaru and Rin had the first child, and the old King nearly had a heart attack over the fact the next heir was not of full royal blood.
Sango still slapped Miroku from time to time…well, actually lots of times. This often ended with arguments between them in which Sango would wake the entire castle with her screams.
Inu-Yasha and Kagome eventually had a set of nightmare dog-eared nightmares who all seemed to have inherited a gene that made them delight in terrorizing Kouga.
Shippo was promoted.
Kouga eventually married the young redheaded girl called Ayame, and they had twins who would often try to think up good comebacks for Inu-Yasha's children…but usually failed.
And so nothing was peaceful.
Author's Commentary: Well, I finally killed off Kikyo. Though…it wasn't quite the way you guys were expecting huh? Believe it or not, the story is over. No plans for a sequel, they always turn out bad, and there's no where I can really take this story. Thanks much for everything. BTW, this sets the new record as my longest chapter with 5 and a half typed pages.