CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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"Kikyo," Inuyasha whispered.
Kagome recognized the look of shock on Inuyasha's face, and felt a pang. Inuyasha wouldn't believe anything negative about his first love, now a wandering undead priestess full of bitterness. But she was shocked too -- Kikyo had fought against dark priestesses. What did she have to do with this old woman?
And more importantly, Kagome thought, why would this dark priestess be attacking Inuyasha on Kikyo's behalf, if the old woman was everything Kikyo had fought against?
"How sad," the old woman said with a smile. "I suppose she never mentioned her beloved old teacher to you, did she?"
"You're a filthy liar!" Inuyasha snarled. "Kikyo never would've had anything to do with a dark priestess!"
"I was not ALWAYS a dark priestess, ignorant halfbreed," the crone sneered. "But I became one for the sake of one curse -- to curse you, by turning you into a mindless killer. Not that it took much." Her eyes narrowed. "You already were a murderer, the day you slew my poor Kikyo."
Inuyasha drew back, shocked.
"Your poor Kikyo?" Kagome whispered.
"She was more than my pupil," the old crone said. A tear glittered in her small eyes. "More like a daughter. I doted on her and taught her every skill I knew. Kikyo was the most powerful priestess in an age, with powers that put all others to shame -- and the pride of my old life. But you, Inuyasha -- you stole all that from her.
"I heard of Kikyo's love for a worthless half-demon," the old woman said, "fifty years ago. And then when I went to the village where she had lived, I learned that you had wounded her and left her to die so you could steal the Shikon jewel, but that as you destroyed her home village, she summoned the last of her strength and killed you." The crone smiled grimly. "It was just as well for you, because if you had been left free, I would have killed you myself."
"Sure you could have," Inuyasha snapped.
The old woman held out one hand, and uncurled her gnarled fingers. She was holding a little glass orb, about the size of a marble, with a thin spidery crack running over one side of it. Suspended inside were a few drops of something red.
"W-what is that?" Inuyasha said.
"Your blood," the crone said.
"What?" Kagome cried. "How did you get that?"
"He was pinned to a tree for fifty years, wench," the crone said. "I knew that one day, a demon or powerful human might be able to break the spell on him. So I came to the clearing in the forest of Inuyasha, cut his hand, and took some blood from him. For a curse," she added, "that would destroy his blackened soul if he ever got loose."
"You're wrong!" Kagome said, standing between Inuyasha and the dark priestess. "Inuyasha didn't kill Kikyo! And she's... she's not really dead anymore. She came back-"
"Wicked child," the crone sneered. "You have the gall to take Kikyo's appearance, and lie to me?"
"I'm not-" Kagome stammered. "I mean, I didn't -- I'm her --"
"Forget it, Kagome," Inuyasha said in a low voice. "This old hag's gone mad with all her anger." His claws cracked ominously. "Crone, I never touched a hair on Kikyo's head. And if you don't take that curse off me -- I'll take it off myself the hard way."
"So very confident," the old woman said. "Did you forget that I can transform you into a full demon anytime I please? If it hadn't been for that wretched kitsune's pitiful powers, you never would have gone back to your ordinary form again."
She slowly turned her cold eyes to Kagome. "Maybe I should turn you now, and leave you with this girl who pretends to be Kikyo. Did you go to her after you murdered Kikyo, I wonder?"
"You... HAG!" Inuyasha sprang forward, claws bared.
The old woman gripped the little sphere -- and Inuyasha stumbled to his knees with a howl of pain. "Inuyasha!" Kagome said, rushing over to him. He was shaking and gripping his head -- it was hurting him, not like it had when he transformed naturally.
"K-Kagome!" Inuyasha cried. "Get away from me! Run! Go!" His groans ended in a pained yelp.
Inuyasha... Kagome thought, clutching at his shirt. She looked up at the old woman. "Stop it!" she shouted tearfully. "Stop hurting him! He didn't do anything wrong-"
Suddenly Inuyasha growled ferally. He looked up at the old woman; jagged purple lines were forming on his cheeks, and a reddish glow was creeping over his eyes. He wasn't transformed yet, but in a matter of seconds he would be. Kagome landed hard on her backside as the half-transformed Inuyasha leaped up, and took a desperate swipe at the old woman.
A screech from the sky startled him. One of the winged demons swooped down and caught the crone in its claws, lifting her into the air.
"You won't get away!" Inuyasha snarled. His voice was getting rougher and colder. He leaped up into the air, reaching for the old woman.
The tiny orb in her fingers flashed bright red -- and Inuyasha screamed, crashing back down to the ground. The demon and crone flew out of sight, and vanished into the thick clouds.
Kagome almost felt her heart stop. Inuyasha was slowly getting up from the rut he had left in the dirt. His eyes were scarlet now, and his claws and fangs were twice as long as they usually were. Worst of all, he was angry. His rage from before he transformed had been multiplied now that his last vestiges of sanity were gone.
And there was no mistaking the way he was staring at her, with that wicked, crazed grimace on his face. Inuyasha wanted to kill her.
TO BE CONTINUED
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"Kikyo," Inuyasha whispered.
Kagome recognized the look of shock on Inuyasha's face, and felt a pang. Inuyasha wouldn't believe anything negative about his first love, now a wandering undead priestess full of bitterness. But she was shocked too -- Kikyo had fought against dark priestesses. What did she have to do with this old woman?
And more importantly, Kagome thought, why would this dark priestess be attacking Inuyasha on Kikyo's behalf, if the old woman was everything Kikyo had fought against?
"How sad," the old woman said with a smile. "I suppose she never mentioned her beloved old teacher to you, did she?"
"You're a filthy liar!" Inuyasha snarled. "Kikyo never would've had anything to do with a dark priestess!"
"I was not ALWAYS a dark priestess, ignorant halfbreed," the crone sneered. "But I became one for the sake of one curse -- to curse you, by turning you into a mindless killer. Not that it took much." Her eyes narrowed. "You already were a murderer, the day you slew my poor Kikyo."
Inuyasha drew back, shocked.
"Your poor Kikyo?" Kagome whispered.
"She was more than my pupil," the old crone said. A tear glittered in her small eyes. "More like a daughter. I doted on her and taught her every skill I knew. Kikyo was the most powerful priestess in an age, with powers that put all others to shame -- and the pride of my old life. But you, Inuyasha -- you stole all that from her.
"I heard of Kikyo's love for a worthless half-demon," the old woman said, "fifty years ago. And then when I went to the village where she had lived, I learned that you had wounded her and left her to die so you could steal the Shikon jewel, but that as you destroyed her home village, she summoned the last of her strength and killed you." The crone smiled grimly. "It was just as well for you, because if you had been left free, I would have killed you myself."
"Sure you could have," Inuyasha snapped.
The old woman held out one hand, and uncurled her gnarled fingers. She was holding a little glass orb, about the size of a marble, with a thin spidery crack running over one side of it. Suspended inside were a few drops of something red.
"W-what is that?" Inuyasha said.
"Your blood," the crone said.
"What?" Kagome cried. "How did you get that?"
"He was pinned to a tree for fifty years, wench," the crone said. "I knew that one day, a demon or powerful human might be able to break the spell on him. So I came to the clearing in the forest of Inuyasha, cut his hand, and took some blood from him. For a curse," she added, "that would destroy his blackened soul if he ever got loose."
"You're wrong!" Kagome said, standing between Inuyasha and the dark priestess. "Inuyasha didn't kill Kikyo! And she's... she's not really dead anymore. She came back-"
"Wicked child," the crone sneered. "You have the gall to take Kikyo's appearance, and lie to me?"
"I'm not-" Kagome stammered. "I mean, I didn't -- I'm her --"
"Forget it, Kagome," Inuyasha said in a low voice. "This old hag's gone mad with all her anger." His claws cracked ominously. "Crone, I never touched a hair on Kikyo's head. And if you don't take that curse off me -- I'll take it off myself the hard way."
"So very confident," the old woman said. "Did you forget that I can transform you into a full demon anytime I please? If it hadn't been for that wretched kitsune's pitiful powers, you never would have gone back to your ordinary form again."
She slowly turned her cold eyes to Kagome. "Maybe I should turn you now, and leave you with this girl who pretends to be Kikyo. Did you go to her after you murdered Kikyo, I wonder?"
"You... HAG!" Inuyasha sprang forward, claws bared.
The old woman gripped the little sphere -- and Inuyasha stumbled to his knees with a howl of pain. "Inuyasha!" Kagome said, rushing over to him. He was shaking and gripping his head -- it was hurting him, not like it had when he transformed naturally.
"K-Kagome!" Inuyasha cried. "Get away from me! Run! Go!" His groans ended in a pained yelp.
Inuyasha... Kagome thought, clutching at his shirt. She looked up at the old woman. "Stop it!" she shouted tearfully. "Stop hurting him! He didn't do anything wrong-"
Suddenly Inuyasha growled ferally. He looked up at the old woman; jagged purple lines were forming on his cheeks, and a reddish glow was creeping over his eyes. He wasn't transformed yet, but in a matter of seconds he would be. Kagome landed hard on her backside as the half-transformed Inuyasha leaped up, and took a desperate swipe at the old woman.
A screech from the sky startled him. One of the winged demons swooped down and caught the crone in its claws, lifting her into the air.
"You won't get away!" Inuyasha snarled. His voice was getting rougher and colder. He leaped up into the air, reaching for the old woman.
The tiny orb in her fingers flashed bright red -- and Inuyasha screamed, crashing back down to the ground. The demon and crone flew out of sight, and vanished into the thick clouds.
Kagome almost felt her heart stop. Inuyasha was slowly getting up from the rut he had left in the dirt. His eyes were scarlet now, and his claws and fangs were twice as long as they usually were. Worst of all, he was angry. His rage from before he transformed had been multiplied now that his last vestiges of sanity were gone.
And there was no mistaking the way he was staring at her, with that wicked, crazed grimace on his face. Inuyasha wanted to kill her.
TO BE CONTINUED