It was a quiet morning, and a particular hanyou felt his thoughts drifting anywhere but the path before him. Yesterday, the sun had been bleak, but now it basked the young man and his traveling companions, though it seemed to pay a good deal of attention to his pure white hair, giving a whole new meaning to the term 'hot head'.
Crisp amber spheres dutifully watched their surroundings, ready to spot trouble the moment it reared it's ugly head. However, despite his rapt attention, he found not only his mind, but his 'inner eye' wandering, replaying days long gone for his viewing pleasure. Not that he gained any satisfaction from the morning's show, though.
Kikyou...The young shrine maiden that had captured his interest and instilled all kinds of strange feelings into his formerly indifferent self. Not only did she teach him the sting of guilt (and later betrayal), but she also made him learn the warmth of empathy and the joy of love. He, half-demon Inu-Yasha, now the picture of humanity. Keh!
The point of the matter, though, was that Inu-Yasha did care, and right now he was caring a little too much for a certain deceased miko for a certain uncomfortable reincarnation's tastes. But of course, he would never know these things.
In the heat of deception though, their trust in each other faltered, ultimately leading to both the young miko's demise and the half-demon's binding. At first, it had been easy to place the blame on Kikyou; but even Inu-Yasha himself bitterly recognized the fact that it was his faith in her that had first broken.
Had he not been so foolish as to pilfer the village in a blind rage, then perhaps when Kikyou made her appearance she would have seen that he indeed did not have possession of the Shikon no Tama. Inu-Yasha's expression was now dark, for he knew what would come next in this little 'what-if' scenario: if she hadn't had to use the last of her strength to seal him, then she would have made it; she would have lived.
But just as blood runs thicker than water, lust runs thicker than blood. The thief Onigumo had been weak, dying even, but still, he had found a way to realize his disgusting fantasies. His need to do unspeakable things to his rescuer grew, til one day he allowed demons to gorge on his body, creating a newer, much stronger being: Naraku.
Because it was Onigumo's presence that more or less 'held' the body together, Naraku was a mere hanyou; a half-demon like Inu-Yasha. And because Onigumo co-existed inside Naraku, he decided to kill to birds with one stone, so to speak. Not only would he use the Shikon no Tama to become all demon, he would destroy this Inu-Yasha that so captivated 'his' Kikyou.
Unfortunately for Onigumo's desire for physical pleasure was Naraku's desire of power. On the fateful day when Kikyou was supposed to meet Inu-Yasha and hand over the Shikon no Tama so he could become human, thus purifying the jewel and allowing the miko to live as a free woman, Naraku intercepted the two.
To Kikyou, he came in the form of Inu-Yasha. He had snuck up on her in the midst of a grassy hill, striking her down. While she could not lift her head to see her attacker at first, 'his' legs and voice gave it all away. "I have no desire whatsoever to become human," he had spat, as if the mere concept was repulsive. And so, the young maiden's dreams were shattered. And she took her vow for revenge.
Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha had been heading to meet Kikyou, to become human and free her from her task, allowing the two to be together. To his utter dismay, the woman in question stepped out from the trees, arrow notched. As it whizzed past him, avoiding him by a narrow margin, her voice rang out, cruel and full of hate. "Die, Inu-Yasha!"
Confused and angered, for he believed Kikyou's companionship had been a trick all along, he made his way to the village where she resided. His destination was the temple where the Shikon no Tama was kept, slaughtering townspeople and setting fire as he went; the ultimate trail of destruction.
Naraku had taken the jewel from Kikyou and placed it in shrine, so it would be waiting when Inu-Yasha arrived to claim it. Inu-Yasha did not disappoint Naraku; he snatched it from where it hung over the fire, quickly fleeing the village.
The real Kikyou had used up a majority of her strength dragging herself back to the village. She saw the havoc that had been wreaked upon her village, and when she caught sight of Inu-Yasha's fleeting figure in the forest, and whatever hope she had left dissipated in an instant. "Inu-Yasha!" she had cried, using the last of her strength to send an arrow flying.
He had looked up upon seeing her voice. Unfortunately, he had been passing a large tree at that moment. As the arrow pierced his heart and the jewel went flying from his hands, he could only weakly mutter, "K-kikyou! But I thought we were..." It was then his world went blank.
So Naraku's horrendous scheme had worked, and all-too-well at that. There had been one thing he hadn't been counting on, though. With her last breaths, Kikyou implored upon her younger sister Kaede and the townspeople to burn the Shikon no Tama along with her body, that way it could never fall into the wrong hands.
And so the Shikon no Tama disappeared from existence and everyone thought it was gone forever. No one counted on having it turn up, exactly fifty years later...
Kagome...Inu-Yasha's thoughts now focused on her. It had been Kagome that had once again set loose the Shikon no Tama into the world. She had been kidnapped by Mistress Centipede and taken to the other side of the well; feudal Japan.
She had stumbled across Inu-Yasha's pinned form and met Kaede before Mistress Centipede came for her again. The bare-chested youkai had sensed the sacred jewel inside Kagome's body, for she was Kikyou's reincarnation.
Mistress Centipede had then ripped a hole in Kagome's side, releasing the Shikon no Tama. Despite the villager's warnings, Kagome unbound Inu-Yasha, fearing for her life. Inu-Yasha soon took care of Mistress Centipede, who in reality had been very weak.
Inu-Yasha had at first mistaken Kagome for Kikyou, much to said girl's annoyance. But now he knew the truth, and he wanted the jewel for himself. Had it not been for a timely intervention by Kaede, who released rosary beads to form a necklace around the half-demon's neck, Kagome would have been slain. Kagome finally figured out the necklace's powers, subduing Inu-Yasha with a well chosen "Sit, boy!"
Since Inu-Yasha could not harm her, lest his face be smashed repeatedly into the ground, he skulked around for awhile, trying to think of ways to steal the Shikon no Tama. A crow-demon managed to steal the jewel first, though, and when Kagome killed it with an arrow, she also shattered it.
Inu-Yasha was furious, of course, but soon discovered Kagome could sense the jewel fragments, since she was Kikyou reincarnated. After many rounds of "Only by working together, Inu-Yasha, can ye gather the shards of the sacred jewel," Inu-Yasha teamed up with Kagome.
Along the way they came in league with Shippou, a fox-demon child who had lost both his parents; Miroku, a lecherous monk with a deadly air-void in his hand; and Sango, a demon exterminator who had lost her brother and entire village to Naraku in some way or another. This odd band teamed together in their quest to gather the shards of the sacred jewel and destroy Naraku.
Of course, it was only a matter of time before Inu-Yasha discovered the truth of what had happened fifty years ago. Even before the crew met Miroku and Sango did they run across a witch named Urasue, who kidnapped Kagome and extracted. The ancient necromancer had wanted to revive Kikyou, foolishly believing the miko would obey her commands.
Kikyou's soul had sprung forth from Kagome's body the moment Inu-Yasha had murmured her name. Though she was just made up of bones and graveyard soil, Kikyou had all of her memories intact. She was shocked to find that fifty years had passed and that her little sister Kaede was now an old woman. What shocked her even more was the fact that Kaede was taking his side. Him being Inu-Yasha.
Though she was informed of Naraku's deceit, she had died full of anger and hate; emotions she could just not bring herself to get rid of. And so, despite the fact that Inu-Yasha had not betrayed her, she set out to take his life. She could not let go of the past. While Kikyou had been kind and benevolent in life, she was now bitter, cruel, and even a touch evil.
This brought Inu-Yasha to the end of his reveries. Kikyou was dead but also alive, and she was determined to bring Inu-Yasha to hell with her. But also, as proof that she was not completely bad in her new life, she had set out to destroy Naraku as well, before she dealt her final card to Inu-Yasha.
Inu-Yasha wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and soothe her dark soul, but the miko would have none of it. But still he persisted, unknowingly causing great amounts of distress to Kikyou's reincarnation, who had fallen in love with him.
And now it was Kagome's time to reflect. While she of course, could not hear his thoughts, she somehow had subconsciously refrained from thinking of the miko while Inu-Yasha had. But now the hanyou had turned to bitter revenge plans, and she could now bring herself to think all she wanted.
Kagome did indeed love Inu-Yasha, but she knew of his attachment to Kikyou. While this irritated her at times, she could not bring herself to truly blame him; he had been in love with Kikyou, and he lost her to Naraku's trickery. It was only natural that once he was reunited with her he would want to be with her again, and it was even more natural that he would want to avenge them both.
But she found it all a little unfair. While Kikyou may still not be over Inu-Yasha, she did not wish to make him happy and 'live' out her 'life' with him. She only desired her happiness, which could only be fulfilled by dragging Inu-Yasha down to hell with her. Inu-Yasha had displayed feelings to her, Kagome, before, but he would run off to Kikyou every chance he got. In other words, he effectively 'two-timed'.
Kagome was a kind-hearted girl though, and although you may think she would be very bitter over such things, she was not. While she certainly realized that Kikyou should not be alive, the fact that she had been brought back to life unwillingly was not the miko's fault. And though it may seem simple to just wish she would go back to being dead, Kagome could not bring herself to think such thoughts. However false Kikyou's 'half-life' might be, she was alive nonetheless, and Kagome respected that.
That was not to say that Kagome could not think of other things, however. Things such as being Inu-Yasha's sole love. But she knew that she could not ever be with him like that, so long as Kikyou was alive. This seemed to present a problem, but Kagome was a very thorough girl, and she had thought such things out many times before.
Kikyou had a bitter soul, and was hung up over Inu-Yasha. Had the emotionless miko have someone to teach her how to feel again, to love again...Just maybe she would realize that even her half-life was worth living and give up on taking Inu-Yasha to hell with her.
As for Inu-Yasha himself...Maybe if Kikyou found someone else to love, he would realize that his attachment to the undead miko was out of responsibility. Though it was Naraku who had conceived such a scheme, it had been Inu-Yasha who had initiated the grander part of things. Maybe if Kikyou found someone else to protect her, Inu-Yasha could let go and start living in the present...
But Inu-Yasha and Kagome were not the only ones in deep, wistful thought. While Inu-Yasha led the procession, with Kagome not too far behind and Shippou loyally by her side, Miroku and Sango brought up the rear.
Speaking of rears, for once, Miroku's wandering hand was nowhere near Sango's, and the two were surprisingly engaged in pleasant conversation. Miroku's false but ever-present grin was there as he asked, "So, Sango...Where do you think life will take you after all this is over?"
"You mean if I'm not lying in a ditch somewhere?" Sango replied dryly. Miroku did not laugh. She shrugged. "I really don't know...I'd like to imagine myself back at my village, surrounded by all my friends, loved ones, and most importantly my brother...But, I doubt that even if I rescue Kohaku..." she trailed off with a sigh, breaking eye-contact with the monk and looking off in the distance.
Miroku frowned, looking concerned for her mental health, which had seemed to be on a rapid decline these days. "I'm sure things will...work out," he offered as comfort, though not willing to say that everything would turn out 'ok'. False promises would, if anything, further dishearten the young woman.
"Thanks," he heard her mumble. She found it was strange he was being so polite, but asked more out of curiosity than inclination, "What do you have in mind?"
Miroku shrugged once her eyes returned to his figure. "You know, I'm not really quite sure. I haven't given it much thought, the constant threat of being consumed alive and all, but..." he trailed off, and only upon the tilt of Sango's head did he continue. "I think I'd like to continue traveling for awhile. Just to see all the lovely sights I've been too busy to enjoy. And then, maybe I could settle down out in the country somewhere. Without the need of an heir, I could do such a thing. You know, retire in peace, for some much-needed rest and relaxation, as they say,"
Whatever Sango had been expecting, it hadn't been this. Maybe she thought he aspired to grow a harem of fertile young women to practice his perversities on, but this... Was this really the Miroku she knew and...err, despised?
Whatever the case, she hadn't a chance to ask him, for he almost immediately quickened his pace, catching up to and passing Kagome in little time at all. She stared after him; openly gaped, rather. He practically poured out his heart right there, and he didn't even try to grope her...
A new question formed in her mind. Was this the real Miroku? Had he been telling the truth all along? That he only acted like a pervert because it was vital to self-preservation? But then why did he continually cop a feel and grope her but never ask the infamous question? And most importantly, why was she even having such thoughts about the moronic lecher?
She couldn't help feel upset, though. Had he not asked her because she was ugly? Because he hated her? Did he only grope her to satisfy himself til he could lay his dirty little hands on a much more suitable girl? While Sango absolutely hated Miroku's touchy-feely fests, it still hurt. She insisted that she did not desire his attention in that way, but still...Was she really that much of a uncute tomboy?
Her anguish somewhat quelled when a startling revelation hit her. Could he not have asked her because he did care? She knew that his mother had died while giving birth to him...Could it possibly be that maybe he did like her more than he said and just didn't want to see her hurt? He had even asked Kagome...Which meant it could only be one of those two things!
She was quite sure she did not want him to like her in that way, but she couldn't bare the thought of him hating her either. She almost wished he'd just ask her the damn question one day so she could beat his ass and get it over with. She'd been expecting him to spring it on her any day now, but he never had, and she'd nearly forgotten about it.
It was all so confusing, really. If his little perverted act was just that, an act, she didn't know what she'd do. Sure, she had had...thoughts about...err, some stuff she didn't care to actually admit, and sure she wished he'd quit being so damn lecherous, but still...
She gave his back a crooked little smile. If only that stupid hentai knew the crazy things he did to her head...He probably did know, she changed her mind, seething at the thought. But a quiet bubble of laughter escaped her lips, and she wondered if a decent and moral Miroku would really be that bad. "Houshi-sama..." she sighed, and only Kirara was around to hear it.
A/N: Mega long chapter. I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written! ::cheers:: I know about a full page of it was probably a description of all that had happened and stuff (it was kind of vital as filler, since it was Inu-Yasha's reflection on what happened...But gee, while I'm on this tangent, isn't it sad when I wrote all that without having to look it all up on the net or something; sad that I did it all from memory? Sadder yet is that I remembered their exact little quotes and could hear them saying it all in my head -_-...I only skipped describing them meeting Sango and Miroku and all because I figured you all would get beyond irritated and I had started to get ideas for the Kagome bits.) but still! That was like, some mega writing there! I could have probably written another whole page or something, but it seemed like a good place to stop.
I hoped you all enjoyed it as a break from my one-and-a-quarter page chapters, and I'd like to thank you for the reviews I've received. It's made me very happy that you've all been so receptive of the story. Sadly, by my own friends no less, I've been ridiculed for this pairing, so I was a little more defensive than needed in my initial author's note. But now I'm the one laughing since they're actually very intrigued by the idea now that I've actually written it. I'd also like to look back and think that some of the stuff in the first chapter was more than a bit too much, but I was just so damn excited to have gotten the idea, and I wanted to make Kikyou and Sesshoumaru as beautiful as I could. So I got carried away, but now I've relaxed to my normal style.
This author's note is turning out to be another whopper, but with such a long chapter and so many things to address, I really hope you all don't mind too terribly. I've been busting my butt to update both this and my other Inu-Yasha story (same parings but it's a modern day AU if you're interested). In fact, since I first started writing Vagabond, my only complete fic, I don't ever think I've updated a story so quick. If all goes well, I may also upload the beginning of my first Inu-Yasha fanfic. Ehe, and as for the use of the word orbs? I know it's gotten a tiny bit cliché, but in the three years that I've used it in the phrase of 'emerald green orbs' for my namesake character, Shiara Kazikal, I've gotten rather attached to it. So forgive me if I use it in place of eyes a lot. I just find 'eyes' to be one of the most blah words out there (aside from said and stuff). In any case, it's time to end this monster.
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