Inuyasha jerked backwards sharply and snarled. "Who are you?" His hand flew to his sword but it was missing. He growled again. "Where's my sword!?"
Taisrika regarded him with faint annoyance. "Be silent Inuyasha. My name is Taisrika."
Inuyasha calmed a bit. "I know of you. Kagome told me- Kagome! Where is she!?" He tried to get to his feet but pain shot through him and he fall back against the pillows that were scattered across the table he lay on.
"Calm yourself. She's fine...or as fine as she can be in the case of what's going on."
"If she is harmed..."
"Then it will be your own fault Inuyasha." Taisrika said sharply. "I have something to show you." She turned and walked to the far was and ran her hands over it slowly then after a few movements something clicked and the wall seemed to fade till it looked more like glass. Through the wall made window was another room and on the floor of the room Kagome lay curled weeping.
Inuyasha let out a cry of anger and despite the pain threw himself against the clear wall and pounded at it calling Kagome's name. She made no response, couldn't hear him. He rounded on Taisrika. "What did you do to her?"
The woman's eyes lit with anger. "What I have done to her? Oh no Inuyasha. It is you who have done her more wrong than anyone could do. Now sit before you undo all the work her suffering has wrought."
Surprise caused Inuyasha to obey and he backed till he could lean against the table but didn't get back up on it again. Taisrika glared down at him a moment then crossed to sit herself down in the chair as the wall faded so Inuyasha could no longer see Kagome.
"You say you know of me. You know who and what I am then."
"I know you are the same as what Maieku is. And you are Keeper." He frowned. "I've heart tales and myths of Keepers. Most demons have."
Taisrika nodded. "Good. Do you remember what happened to you?"
Inuyasha nodded. "Yes. Kikyou. Where is Kikyou? Is she here as well?"
"The priestess is fine. She is in the care of a village healer some distance from Kaede's village. She remembers all that happened and will soon seek you out Inuyasha."
Inuyasha looked away for a beat and his hands strayed to his neck. "You removed the collar."
Taisrika smiled. "Ah. Yes, you noticed. And that is were our discussion will begin. The collar Maieku placed on you took hold of your soul. The only way to remove the collar was to sever the link between it and your soul. And that would have added to the pain the collar gave you and your mind would have shattered."
"Then how-"
"My power allowed me the ability to transfer the pain to another while I healed." She said quietly.
Inuyasha stared at her without understanding for a long while then understanding dawned. "Kagome..."
"This is what she went through for you Inuyasha." Taisrika moved forward and before he could react had laid a palm over his heart and Inuyasha scream, long and agonizing as pain split his skull. Blinding white agony that rolled over him in waves. Taisrika stepped back and the pain faded.
Inuyasha panted. "What...did you do to me?"
"That is the pain Kagome experienced. For 3 hours every day for 7 days."
"Kagome...Kagome went through that. For me. To heal me. Why?"
"Because she loves you Inuyasha. She loves you with more then she has to give." Taisrika smiled. "But Kikyou loves you as well doesn't she. And you will go to her in the end won't you?"
Inuyasha looked away. "I have to. Kikyou died. Kikyou died for me."
Taisrika nodded grimly "As I know." She looked towards the wall again. "There is one more day of healing left. Kagome must still bear the pain for there is still a fragment of the collar still attached to your soul. It would latch onto the pain the healing gave and grow and the process would have to be started from the beginning again." Taisrika looked at Inuyasha pointedly. "And you will watch." Her voice was low and cold.
She went on after a beat. "Kikyou will be waiting once you leave here and you will have to make your choice then. You will have to choose either Kikyou or Kagome." She turned her back to him. "No matter what you choose Kagome will go on searching jewel shards with you. But once they are all gathered." She looked over at Inuyasha. "I will give her a choice."
"What...will happen to Kagome if I choose Kikyou."
"She will have the option of remaining here with me and being trained as the next Keeper. If not then she will be returned home after her memories of this place is wiped clean. Eventually she will marry a young man in her own time, Hojo by name, for the line of priestesses must go on. She will never be truly happy though for despite her loss of memory her heart will be broken and break again with everything that would have once reminded her of you. And she will never know why."
Taisrika lifted a candle from the table in the corner and looked at him. "I will return later for your final healing be ready. Afterwards you may see Kagome and I will pack the pair of you some supplies to take with you when you leave." She walked to the door but paused there. "Think on this Inuyasha." He looked at her and she met his eyes directly. "Kikyou may have died for you. But Kagome lived for you. And often that is harder to do." She turned and walked out of the room.
Inuyasha sat back as her words pounded in his ears. 'Kikyou may have died for you but Kagome lived for you.'
And Inuyasha wept.
Taisrika regarded him with faint annoyance. "Be silent Inuyasha. My name is Taisrika."
Inuyasha calmed a bit. "I know of you. Kagome told me- Kagome! Where is she!?" He tried to get to his feet but pain shot through him and he fall back against the pillows that were scattered across the table he lay on.
"Calm yourself. She's fine...or as fine as she can be in the case of what's going on."
"If she is harmed..."
"Then it will be your own fault Inuyasha." Taisrika said sharply. "I have something to show you." She turned and walked to the far was and ran her hands over it slowly then after a few movements something clicked and the wall seemed to fade till it looked more like glass. Through the wall made window was another room and on the floor of the room Kagome lay curled weeping.
Inuyasha let out a cry of anger and despite the pain threw himself against the clear wall and pounded at it calling Kagome's name. She made no response, couldn't hear him. He rounded on Taisrika. "What did you do to her?"
The woman's eyes lit with anger. "What I have done to her? Oh no Inuyasha. It is you who have done her more wrong than anyone could do. Now sit before you undo all the work her suffering has wrought."
Surprise caused Inuyasha to obey and he backed till he could lean against the table but didn't get back up on it again. Taisrika glared down at him a moment then crossed to sit herself down in the chair as the wall faded so Inuyasha could no longer see Kagome.
"You say you know of me. You know who and what I am then."
"I know you are the same as what Maieku is. And you are Keeper." He frowned. "I've heart tales and myths of Keepers. Most demons have."
Taisrika nodded. "Good. Do you remember what happened to you?"
Inuyasha nodded. "Yes. Kikyou. Where is Kikyou? Is she here as well?"
"The priestess is fine. She is in the care of a village healer some distance from Kaede's village. She remembers all that happened and will soon seek you out Inuyasha."
Inuyasha looked away for a beat and his hands strayed to his neck. "You removed the collar."
Taisrika smiled. "Ah. Yes, you noticed. And that is were our discussion will begin. The collar Maieku placed on you took hold of your soul. The only way to remove the collar was to sever the link between it and your soul. And that would have added to the pain the collar gave you and your mind would have shattered."
"Then how-"
"My power allowed me the ability to transfer the pain to another while I healed." She said quietly.
Inuyasha stared at her without understanding for a long while then understanding dawned. "Kagome..."
"This is what she went through for you Inuyasha." Taisrika moved forward and before he could react had laid a palm over his heart and Inuyasha scream, long and agonizing as pain split his skull. Blinding white agony that rolled over him in waves. Taisrika stepped back and the pain faded.
Inuyasha panted. "What...did you do to me?"
"That is the pain Kagome experienced. For 3 hours every day for 7 days."
"Kagome...Kagome went through that. For me. To heal me. Why?"
"Because she loves you Inuyasha. She loves you with more then she has to give." Taisrika smiled. "But Kikyou loves you as well doesn't she. And you will go to her in the end won't you?"
Inuyasha looked away. "I have to. Kikyou died. Kikyou died for me."
Taisrika nodded grimly "As I know." She looked towards the wall again. "There is one more day of healing left. Kagome must still bear the pain for there is still a fragment of the collar still attached to your soul. It would latch onto the pain the healing gave and grow and the process would have to be started from the beginning again." Taisrika looked at Inuyasha pointedly. "And you will watch." Her voice was low and cold.
She went on after a beat. "Kikyou will be waiting once you leave here and you will have to make your choice then. You will have to choose either Kikyou or Kagome." She turned her back to him. "No matter what you choose Kagome will go on searching jewel shards with you. But once they are all gathered." She looked over at Inuyasha. "I will give her a choice."
"What...will happen to Kagome if I choose Kikyou."
"She will have the option of remaining here with me and being trained as the next Keeper. If not then she will be returned home after her memories of this place is wiped clean. Eventually she will marry a young man in her own time, Hojo by name, for the line of priestesses must go on. She will never be truly happy though for despite her loss of memory her heart will be broken and break again with everything that would have once reminded her of you. And she will never know why."
Taisrika lifted a candle from the table in the corner and looked at him. "I will return later for your final healing be ready. Afterwards you may see Kagome and I will pack the pair of you some supplies to take with you when you leave." She walked to the door but paused there. "Think on this Inuyasha." He looked at her and she met his eyes directly. "Kikyou may have died for you. But Kagome lived for you. And often that is harder to do." She turned and walked out of the room.
Inuyasha sat back as her words pounded in his ears. 'Kikyou may have died for you but Kagome lived for you.'
And Inuyasha wept.