A/N: Welcome to chapter two. I hope you enjoy your trip through the words, and when your journey has ended, feel free to give comments or advice on how to improve the next chapters or the story in general. Flames are welcome, as is constructive criticism. This humble one would be happy to hear you spit out curses if you had gone through the trouble of reading this story. (Well, not really, but...well, you know what I mean, right?)

Pairings: Suikotsu/Kikyou, Inu/Kag, Sess/Kagura

Warnings: A bit of surgery, not that descriptive, really, but not for the too faint-hearted. The idea is rather gruesome. And, Kikyou is a bit OOC, as she picked up on swearwords and such from Suikotsu's household, but no matter. Inu-Yasha comes in -- he might be a little OOC too.

Rated: R for violence and sexual innuendo.

A Labour of Love

By CocaCola43

II: In which a cure is found and the heroine returns to the village

"I've found it!" Kikyou cried, running down the hall, her long black hair streaming like a banner behind her. She was holding a scroll in her hand and a bag was slung precariously over her shoulder, bouncing with every leaping step she took.

"You've found what?" said Suikotsu's mother in a tone of supreme disdain. She'd just been interrupted from a relaxing cup of hot tea when Kikyou had started screaming.

"A way to cure Suikotsu!"

Everyone who heard her stopped in their tracks. A few female servants shrieked and dropped whatever they were holding, resulting in broken plates, smashed vases, and angry kittens. Suikotsu's mother took several deep breaths. "You've found...a way to cure my son?" she said in an odd, choked-up voice.

"Yes! Where is he?" demanded Kikyou, an obstinate look passing over her delicate features.

"Where...where he always is," Suikotsu's mother replied, trying to act as haughty as usual but failing utterly.

Kikyou burst into Suikotsu's room, where the boy was sitting up in bed, staring at the wall opposite him. "Suikotsu, I've found a cure!"

He tried to stop his heart from hammering too wildly. "Kur...?"

"Yes, a cure!"

As Kikyou rolled the scroll open, Suikotsu's mother was bombarding her with questions. "Is this safe? How long will it take? Are there any side effects?"

"Shh." Kikyou stopped flipping and held up the scroll for all to see. The servants scrambled around and squeezed each other to get a good look, which was pointless as hardly any of them were literate. "Here it is."

There was a pause, in which Suikotsu's mother scanned the spidery calligraphy on the scroll. "Oh my...replacing the human heart with a false one?" Suikotsu's mother gasped, looking horrified. The servants, who now knew what the markings meant, looked shocked. "That's..."

"That only plan we have." Kikyou glared at her. "I have everything we need in the bag. We could get started right now."

"No," Suikotsu's mother breathed. "No, not on my poor baby!"

"He won't be your poor baby much longer if we don't do something about it," Kikyou retorted. Then, in a softer, gentler tone, she added, "Please, it's for the sake of your son."

"I..." she said weakly. "I..."

"Please, ma'am." Kikyou was firm.

"Oh...all right," Suikotsu's mother mumbled, her face going red for all her white powder. "If you make a mistake..."

"You can torture me and hack me into little tiny bits while I'm still alive. Or you can drown me in vinegar. Or you can bury me alive. I just want to save Suikotsu. He's a friend of mine and I won't lose him to some illness that's too cowardly to show its true nature!"

Suikotsu's heart jumped. He was Kikyou's friend...that angel thought of him as a friend...Only a friend. Only a stupid friend. Bound to the limitations of friendship. He would rather have her detest him. It would be more deserving.

Then he felt something pleasantly warm, and he blacked out.

Kikyou sighed and fell onto her futon. The surgery had taken many hours, but had gone relatively well. The false heart -- made of animal fat and formed with her own miko power -- had been replaced with the real one, which was currently pumping ominously in its glass jar in her room. The false heart would give strength to Suikotsu's body, as well as pump extra blood to his brain so that he could hear and speak normally. Suikotsu was now sleeping peacefully, and would not wake up until about two days afterward.

She'd found the scroll in the library, where there was a large section on medicine and foreign forms of treatment. However, her scroll had been lying on the ground when she'd tripped over it. It had been perfect. It was as if the scroll had appeared just for her...

Now that the operation was over, it was only a matter of time. Soon Suikotsu would be healed and she would be given leave to go back to her village. They would all be happy for her...

What she'd thought was true. A day after the surgery had been done, Suikotsu's mother summoned Kikyou to her private quarters. A small table had been set up, and Kikyou knelt, sipping her tea.

"My son seems to be doing well," she told Kikyou, her back straight and her lips pursed to emphasize her high cheekbones -- not that there was anybody important to show them off to, Kikyou thought darkly. "Your job is finished. You may leave now."

"Ma'am..." Now that she had been given permission, she felt as if she didn't want to leave. "Please, ma'am, could I just stay a while longer...to make sure nothing happens --"

"No," Suikotsu's mother said coldly. "The head of your village wrote in a letter yesterday that they wish you to return. They have a duty for you. Guarding something. A carriage has been prepared and is waiting for you outside. Your kin expect you back this evening."

Kikyou imagined meeting her family again after all these years. Little Kaede, now fourteen and grown -- what would she be like? Would she still recognize the sister that she had left so many years ago? And her mother. She'd almost forgotten the sound of her mother's voice. Her friends and teachers. A huge wave of homesickness tumbled her about, and she knew she would have to return tonight. It was impossible to think of refusing.

"Ok," she said aloud. "Just give me a few minutes...I'll go gather my things."

Back in her room, Kikyou wrapped the last of her clothing in her bag and tied it with some rope. She looked around to check if she forgot anything and her eyes landed on the container protecting Suikotsu's heart. Kikyou hesitated.

Should she bring it? It would admittedly be much safer at the heavily protected temple back at her village, but it belonged to Suikotsu...what a dilemma. She sighed in frustration.

Oh, what the hell. She covered the jar with a blanket, wrapped it securely with the remaining rope, and clutched it in her hands along with her bag. A bloody souvenir. Kikyou made her way to the front door, where, sure enough, a small, heavily decorated carriage was waiting for her. The two horses pulling it were both a silky black, exactly the same size and with an identical white streak from their noses to the inside corners of their eyes. She was leaving. And it didn't seem as though she would be returning.

The driver of the carriage helped her into her seat and commented about the strong north wind. Kikyou nodded, not really listening. The driver jumped onto the carriage and on his command the horses began trotting briskly.

Kikyou looked behind her, at the receding house that until today had been her home. "Good-bye, Suikotsu," she said softly. "I wish I could have heard you speak to me before I left."

Her last view was of golden roses.

The wind subsided after a few hours, when they had almost arrived at the village. The sun had just set and the painted sky was slowly darkening to violet, and then a velvety black. The stars, tiny pinpricks of white, blue, and red light, were their only source of light. Suddenly the driver stopped the horse and told his passenger, "We've arrived. Do you be wantin' to greet your family or what?"

Kikyou stepped off the carriage, hugging her belongings. "Hello?" she called tentatively to the dark. "Anyone...I'm back."

A lamp was lit, and a cheer rang out. A small crowd of people greeted her with smiles. She recognized her mother -- "Mama!"

Her mother smiled. "Kikyou." It's been six years. Such a beautiful girl.

More lamps were lit, from within the village. "Come," an elderly woman told her. "The village will be safe."

As Kikyou entered the gates she was met with many smiling faces and -- well, anything she'd ever seen at a celebration. So she was some sort of celebrity, was she? Wonderful. She smiled.

"The great priestess Kikyou has returned...Kikyou has returned..."

A young girl's voice screamed, "Neesan!"

Kikyou was frozen. Kaede...? She spotted her little sister running towards her. The small eyes of childhood had become larger, the snub nose was gradually straightening...but the wide mouth was just the same...the big ears...

They embraced, to a touched "Awww" from those watching.

Kikyou was then pushed gently to the front of the procession, where two flag bearers were walking at her two sides. "Kikyou's returned..." they shouted, over and over again. This made her feel self-conscious and she blushed.

An arrogant male voice muttered, "Idiots." The procession stopped abruptly, and Kikyou bumped into a flagbearer.

She searched for the source of the voice, when the Village Head snapped, "Get away from here, Inu-Yasha. We have no need for the likes of you."

A silver-haired demon with two white dog ears snickered, swinging his legs from his perch in a tree. "Just try to throw me out. You didn't even notice me until I started talking."

"Would you like to turn human, dog?" the Head threatened.

Inu-Yasha laughed and gave a bark. "I'd like to see you try...not very good at blowing things up anymore, are you?"

Another male voice, from within the procession, called out, "Get away from here! Don't you know we're celebrating? The great priestess Kikyou has returned! It would be just like you to ruin our mood, you dog!"

"Great priestess? I don't know of any great priestess --"

But when his amber eyes met hers, Kikyou felt a thrill of excitement traveling up and down her spine.

The dog demon glared, his thick eyebrows bunching up again. It was an expression of bewildered curiosity...or maybe anger. The two flagbearers moved so that they were in front of Kagome, blocking her from the demon's view. In unison, they shouted, "Get away from here!"

The demon laughed loudly and sycophantically, his mouth opened wide to show his sharp fangs. A few small children in the crowd started to cry, and their mothers hushed them with whispered orders. The demon jumped up from his branch --

And disappeared from sight. The Village Head sighed in relief and perhaps even exasperation, but with a wave of her old, knotted hands the procession went on.

Hours later, the celebration ended, and everyone retired to bed, talking animatedly about the food and dance. It was as if these appearances from the demon happened daily and were a small matter compared to their lifestyles.

In bed, Kikyou couldn't get to sleep. Part of it was because of Kaede's soft snores, which were deafening in the small room, and because of the lumpy bedding -- but mostly it was because of the demon. Inu-Yasha... The name was literal, meaning "dog-forest spirit," but on the person itself it seemed to take on a new meaning. "Fear me!" Kikyou didn't know anything about fear, as her life had been sheltered. Even the thought of Suikotsu dying brought up limited emotions, most of them anger and exasperation. But now she had something else to fear.

The expression in those amber eyes.

A/N: Finished with the second chapter. Review please, or I'd have to kick you. Or at least steal your cookies. Hehe.

I wonder what kind of cookies they are.

Review!