Chapter Eleven
The Power of the
Shikon no Tama
Kaede shot. The arrow whizzed past the demon's head causing him to veer slightly to the left and miss Kaede. With a loud scream, Kaede ran as fast as her legs would allow to the edge of the clearing and readied another arrow. The boy turned sharply, grass and dirt flying, then darted toward her, his body not touching the ground. Kaede struggled to knock another arrow and the boy slashed. The bow broke into pieces. He laughed and attempted a second attack. Kaede jumped backwards, not very far since she has had no training, and managed to get away with the loss of her quiver.
"AH!" Kaede shouted as she stumbled over the dropped quiver of arrows and fell onto the ground with a thud.
"Looks like I win." The boy said with an evil smile, pulling out the Shikon no Tama and holding up to his mouth. "And now for the best part."
The demon swallowed the jewel and began to change. His flesh became tanner, his figure more muscular and grown up, his eyes were a dark yellow and his pupils were nothing more than wild slits that reminded Kaede of a viper. The boy's fangs grew and extended passed his lower lip to his jaw. Kaede looked on in horror. She had failed her sister.
Kikyou and Inuyasha bounded through the forest and then burst into the clearing. Kaede let out a scream and the demon turned his head into Inuyasha's direction. Kikyou jumped from Inuyasha, her bow over her left shoulder, and Inuyasha looked over his new opponent.
"Sister Kikyou!!" Kaede shouted.
"Kaede!" Kikyou exclaimed in reply.
"ENOUGH!!" The newly transformed demon shouted, slicing the air. "I have HAD it with you, girl!"
He slashed the air with his left hand, forcing a dark purple streak of light to fly toward Kaede. Kikyou tried to run to Kaede but Inuyasha grabbed her and knocked her to the ground. Kikyou managed to shout for Kaede to duck just in time. Kaede did as she was told but was too slow. Her cry echoed through the forest, birds flew from their nests as the loud crash from the demon's attack ripped through the forest.
Kikyou looked up from the dirt in shock. Inuyasha glared at the demon and growled in his throat. Blood poured from Kaede's face; she was curled in a small ball on the ground a few feet from where she had been. Kikyou wasted no time in getting up from beneath Inuyasha's arm and running to Kaede's side. She rolled her sister onto her back, not with ease, and fixed her head onto her lap.
"Kaede…remove your hand." She instructed, Inuyasha rushing over to defend against any further attacks.
"IT HURTS!! IT HURTS, Sister Kikyou!!" Kaede wailed struggling to fend off her sister's prying hands.
"Kaede, please!" She scolded, taking a firm grip on both of Kaede's hands and pulling them away. "Oh…no…" Kikyou's eyes widened when she saw the wound. Kaede's eye had been partially cut. The flesh around the eye was fine, but a distinct cut, about two millimeters deep, was across her pupil. Anger was building inside Kikyou like she had never experienced. She wanted to see the demon boy dead.
She placed Kaede's head down on the ground and put her hands back over the wound. Kaede continued to scream and wail while the demon laughed. Kikyou glared at the demon, causing him to stop laughing for a moment.
"What's wrong, miko? Did I hurt the brat? HA HA HA!!" He shouted.
Kikyou's eyes narrowed and she slid the bow from her shoulder and into her hand without being noticed. Without blinking and averting her gaze from the demon's eyes, she knocked an arrow and fired, slicing across his cheek and drawing blood. The demon's eyes widened when he realized that he had just been hit.
"You…YOU DARE STRIKE AN ALL POWERFUL DEMON!!" He shouted, his voice carrying.
Inuyasha stood in front of Kikyou, who continued to hold the bow forward for another attack.
"No…I do, runt." Inuyasha blurted out only to feel a sharp pain in his right side.
"WE do." She scolded him silently.
"What?" He whispered. "You can't fight a demon like that?"
"I know more about the jewel than you do, Inuyasha, and it would not be wise for you to fight him alone."
"…Fine."
Kikyou stepped to his right, keeping herself in full view.
"You harmed my little sister. You invaded our peaceful village and stole the Shikon no Tama. For this, I cannot forgive you." Kikyou replaced her bow and knocked another arrow.
"HA! That is YOUR sister? She is a horrible shot with an arrow!"
"I guarantee you that I am a master archer and I shall not miss."
The demon stared at them then crossed his arms.
"Well…My name is Toki. And you two freaks are?"
Inuyasha jolted but Kikyou cleared her throat to stop him.
"My name is Kikyou and this," she said seriously as her eyes looked to Inuyasha, "is Inuyasha."
"Fine. Let's hurry. I have things to do with my new found powers."
Inuyasha tilted his head to Kikyou, his eyes still on the demon.
"Kikyou…I'll set him up, you can hold him and I'll cut him to pieces. Pin him to one of the trees like you did to my gi." He whispered, his hand rubbing his gi sleeve where Kikyou's arrows snagged him so many times.
Kikyou nodded and fixed her eyes on the demon. Kaede had stopped crying and that made Kikyou's stomach tighten. Toki charged and slashed with the same attack he had done to Kaede. Inuyasha jumped over it and dove down at Toki. Kikyou kneeled beneath it, the purple ray coming inches from cutting her head off. Now on her knees, Kikyou fired the arrow, hitting Toki in the leg just as Inuyasha came down on him.
"YAH!!! SANKON TESSO!!" Inuyasha struck. The demon tried to block but the attack sliced straight through his arm. Kikyou rushed to Kaede.
"Kaede, speak to me." She instructed. Kaede opened her eye wearily and looked to Kikyou with a sleepy expression. "Do not fall asleep." She stroked her sister's hair then darted back into the battle.
Inuyasha was in a battle of wits. Toki met him at every attack with a counter. The arrow in his leg seemed to do nothing more than hinder minor movements. He came in and slashed across Inuyasha's left shoulder but missed the flesh, leaving a burn but Inuyasha struck him square in the gut and flung him into the air. Kikyou fired two arrows, one after the other and managed to pierce his only remaining arm. Toki let out a shout and landed on a branch. He tried to pull out the arrows but the arrows began to singe his flesh as they sat. He looked up from his arm then dove off.
Inuyasha gave chase and followed him along the clearing. Kikyou readied another arrow, listening to Kaede whimpering as she did so, and stood ready. The demon ran into the brush followed by the red blur that was Inuyasha. She watched them as they darted, zipped, and dashed between the trees and bushes of the forest. She closed her eyes for a moment and released the arrow.
A shout was let out and Kikyou felt her heart jump. She could not have hit the wrong target. She dashed toward the brush but heard Inuyasha shout his attack. A series of cuts and sputters were heard then the sound of someone running. Kikyou ran right into Inuyasha. He caught her and she stood straight. He looked at her for a moment, then held out his right fist. Kikyou looked down at it and dropped her bow. She placed her hands on his and looked up to him. He gulped and dropped a small object in her hand and quickly took his hand away. Kikyou looked into her hands and then to Inuyasha with a smile.
"I thank you…for being honest."
He smiled and then focused on Kaede.
"I'll carry her back."
"You have my thanks." She kissed him sweetly and picked up her bow. She looked around for a moment then caught a glimpse of something lying in the grass. She went over and picked it up to see that it was the necklace for the jewel. "This must not fall into the wrong hands again."
"Yeah." Inuyasha stated as he picked up Kaede. "But don't worry about it too much."
"I shall never drop my guard for this jewel. Never again."
The three returned to the village and Kikyou returned the jewel to the shrine. A villager was there this time and swore he saw nothing but Kikyou was in no mood to listen. Kaede had left the village without someone with her and then she tried to fight a demon. She loved her sister too much to have experienced such a thing. Kaede was nine years old, she knew better than to act so foolishly.
She stormed back to the hut and began to treat Kaede. Scolding her about her actions and how she should be more responsible. Inuyasha left in a hurry when the sun was setting and Kikyou decided that, later that night, she would go after him and give him some dinner as payment for his help.
She ran out of the hut and down the path. There was no moon that night so only the light of a small lantern that she held in her left hand. The food was safely tied within a small cloth and she made her way along the forest path and toward Inuyasha's favorite tree to see a boy, lying against it unconscious. Kikyou ran to his side, placing the lantern and the food down and began to look him over but could not shake the feeling that she had seen him somewhere before.
