- Chapter 25 Switching Souls

Kikyo gasp and struggled on the cold, damp ground. Sweat clung to her like a blanket, her clothes wet and dirty, picking up dead leaves and forest deposit as she struggled to live, or something like it. Was it the last day already? Her brain wheezed in her clay mind. Was it her last moment of oxygen and sky? Nausea washed over her like deadly waves. The world was spinning, the already dark forest growing darker and more daunting.

"No!" She cried out.

"No I want to continue living!" The words were ripped from her throat and carried to the canopy. One last thought before her words were gone.

Would anyone grieve?

Tree tops. She could see tree tops. Lush grass and there was a monkey watching a bird down aways. What was she? Why didn't she have a name? She was cold and warm. Soft and light, smooth and humming. What was she? She was so peaceful up here. But she was missing something. Something vital. But the air, she didn't want to leave the air. Now chocolate bark and swaying leaves. There was a girl down there. Crying, there was a girl down there, in trouble it seemed. Gasping, shallow breaths she took like she was dying. She moved toward the girl. She had no idea what she was herself, but she felt an urgency to help the girl. Horror fled over her. NO! She didn't want to go to the girl! She was pulling her in! Not this way! She didn't want to help this way! She had to find the other girls soul! She had to find the other part! She knew what she was and this wasn't to be! This was wrong!!

Because she knew what she was. She was half of Kikyo, half of Kagome. And they weren't coming together, they were trading.

Both girls, Kikyo and Kagome, lay helpless as there confused souls took to the air. Where was one? Where was the other? Who were they alone if not together? What body? What feeling? They saw the others body. One fake and weak, the other alive and strong. Dead, or rather, husks of what they had once been. Both souls being kind and prone to help, floated by the sides of the woman.

Kagome. One thought

Kikyo. Thought the other.

We were to merge. One thought.

Where is my love? Thought the other.

The bodies and the demons grew excited. The souls, drawn in by the strange force of life that radiated around them for no other reason then by power and God, slipped lightly into the places once empty.

This isn't right! Thought one.

Perfect. Thought the other.

Kagome woke up; she was shivering and dizzy. Her head felt like someone had just thrown her into a wall. She looked up at the sky and wondered what had happened. It was morning, had she fallen asleep? Then why did her head feel so...

Her eyes widened. She pulled herself up quickly, and then dropped to her knees when the world spun around her.

'I remember!' she thought frantically. 'I remember! I'm supposed to be dead! How stupid! How could I have forgotten that yesterday was my last day?! How idiotic do you have to be to forget when you were going to die?'

She awoke. Her eyes opened and a breeze shivered through the tree's. Her very first thought was that she could feel the blood rushing through her veins, the beat of her heart, the goose bumps on her flesh. Blinking she slid her hand over her arm and slowly sat up. Her legs were bare, shielded only by a thin green skirt that was covered in leaves and mud. She lifted her dirty hand and felt her lips, moving her hand until it reached a head of thick hair, running, she felt, half way down her back. She stood up. Her lips twitched when she saw her familiar long, white socks, and her dull brown school shoes.

"Kagome." She laughed softly. In no hurry she smoothed down her skirt and looked into a stream not far from the dead fire pit. She fell to her knees and felt her reflection.

She was thirsty.

She was thirsty.

Her hands dipped into the water, cupping the cold, clear liquid; she brought it to her lips. She felt it invigorate her already, the coldness falling to her chest.

She would have looked odd by any passerby. Her slow, almost calculated movements, her large smiling eyes gleaming as if she had been given a large, wonderful gift.

Then the laughter erupted.

Laughter bubbled up inside of her and spilled out, dancing into the sky. She slapped the water with her hands, just for the pure joy of seeing it make those, beautiful little ripples. She sucked the water from her fingers and dried them on her cotton shirt. She was jumping up, twirling in circles, her joyous laughter singing into her own ears. Asking questions would come later. Today she was ALIVE. Today she was HAPPY. Today her soul shivered with the pure, wonderful, tantalizing feeling of being a young girl dancing in the forest. She had so much energy! Giggling like a fool, she hugged herself and screamed to no one but the gods.

"I don't understand it! I don't know why! But I am ALIVE! I was aloud to live! I was given a body! I am Kikyoooo!!"

Kagome opened her eyes. Hollowness. Her first thought that nestled it's way into her head like a hot knife was of the hollowness. She didn't FEEL hollow; really, it was more of a knowing. As if she could cut of her arm and KNOW that blood wasn't going to be there. Just air, just ashes. She was to dazed to think to hard about it at that moment. She was paralyzed and she knew it. Kagome had felt paralyzed before, it had scared her, she had tried to thrash around, but had failed. But that had been an illusion. This was real. This was heavy and dark, as if she would never move again. A rock that someone could kick to there pleasure. She tried to thrash this time too, though she knew it was pointless. This only exhausted her even more. Something odd caught her eye. She tried to concentrate. If she was in danger, though she couldn't do anything about it, it was nice to know. It flew by again. And if she could have gasped, she would have. A long thin snakelike creature had flown by. It was one of Kikyo's Soul collecting demons. If she had wondered if she was dead it was pushed away by the hope that Kikyo would find her and in some slim chance help her. She doubted it. She tried fiercely to call out her name.

Kikyoooo! Kikyo damn it!!! Please!!! Please god let me talk!!!

But it was no use.

She was so afraid. She was afraid of herself, she was afraid of Kikyo, she was afraid for Inuyasha.

Kagome felt something-warm flow into her chest. For a moment strong warmth filled her hollow body. It was as if a ladder had been thrown down into this pit of hell she sat in.

Then it was gone.

She wanted to cry out for it to never leave. She had felt how important it was. How could it leave? She had forgotten everything with that one ball of love.

What's going on?

Suddenly Kikyo's insects were all around her. They were flying faster then she could see and the numbers were unbelievable.

What the hell...?

Blue balls of light were firmly in their clutches she noticed, fear bouncing in her head. Souls of the dead.

She could move.

She wanted to die.

"NOOOO!" She screamed slapping them away. Souls. They were FEEDING her souls. She looked down at her self as her arms batted away the unwanted saviors. Miko's clothing. She gave up the fight and grabbed a piece of her hair.

Long, silky, black.

"No, no, no, no!" She breathed shaking her head, slapping a demon lightly.

"Kikyo." Her voice whispered. She looked up, fear plastered on ever-fake cell on her face. She fled from the disgusting creatures.

"KIKYOOO!" She screamed running.

No! I am alive!

The collectors chased her. Played with her. Twirling in circles as if enjoying the run.

"GET AWAY FROM MEEE!" She screamed. "BASTERDS! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

God she wanted to kill them. She wanted to kill whoever did this to her! Could it have been Kikyo herself?

"KIKYO! KIKYO! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

She was sobbing, she was dead.

Wasn't she?

Kagome thrashed through the bush and tried to lose her demons. Her? She heard laughter.

Her laughter.

"KIKYO!" She tripped, but crawled to were she was.

Kagome gasped. She was staring at herself. She had known this.

Oh please let it be a dream.

"We aren't dead." Kikyo said smiling Kagome's smile.

Kagome felt her hand move toward the others face.

"My body.." She cried.

Kikyo stepped back calmly. Some how, deep down, she felt a flicker of pity for her reincarnation. It was soon smothered.

"Naraku knew." She smiled smugly.

Kagome held her hand to her chest and shook her head, refusing to believe.

"He must have," Kikyo continued. "It's why he waited so long. He wanted to wait until I had a living body, a body that was fated to be mine. He waited for me." Her smile widened.

"All the sweeter when I kill him."

Kagome tried to understand these words. Was she nothing but a body warmer for Kikyo...for fate?

"but...my body..." She tried.

"Is now mine." Kikyo finished for her, a giggle on her stolen lips. Her hand glided over her gun hilt.

"There isn't really any reason to keep you alive any more, Kagome dear." Kagome felt a whimper rip from her throat.

Kikyo laughed.

"What were you thinking Kagome? This is what I have been waiting for! I had giving up all hope! I don't have to die! I can have a second chance...with Inuyasha." Her eyes were mad. She had never thought her prayers would be answered. She had long given up her hopes of the gods. Kikyo smiled down at her old skin, a smile flashing at her hopeless, fear wrapped opponent.

"Don't you want me to be happy Kagome? I remember once when you tried to council me."

Kagome was lived with anger, and though her veins pumped no blood, and her lungs held no air, and her brain released no adrenaline, her soul was still alive. And she knew it now. How dare she try to brain wash her with her lies. Her body, her life, her love...

SHE WANTED TO RIP HER APART! How DARE she fit so well into the picture. How dare she! How dare-

"YOU!" Her fear consumed by her hate, that seemed to flourish within this body of nothing.

"YOU BITCH! YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE EVERYTHING!?" Her fisted hand found Kikyo's face. Kagome shook with rage and sorrow. A slap felt to clean, to safe, to harmless. She wanted Kikyo to BLEED! Let her try to shoot. Kikyo had never held a gun in her life. Kagome had been tricked one to many times by Naraku and his whore. He had taken to much from her friends and people she didn't even know yet. Not again. Hell no, not again. This hate to END!

Kikyo brought her hand away and felt the blood and the sing from her lip.

"That...hurt." She giggled, her eyes wide and yearning. She picked herself up.

"I remember the last time I bled. I was so angry." She laughed. "Now I'm happy that it's even real!" She ran her hand through her hair. Such a human thing.

"So we fight over this body of ours, do we?" She asked nonchalantly.

"No," Kagome growled as a back of soul-colecters shoved Kikyo into the nearest tree and she readied and arrow.

"You die."

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Hi^^, YES! I KNOW! I'm a evil person! Please don't flame! I had to tell a girl my whole plan just to calm her down^^. It's allright^^. It will alll work out. hehe