The Demon Bride

By Crystal Arrow

Chapter 12: Facing the Facts

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the other characters from that story; they belong to someone else who actually has talent.

            For some time, things were quiet. Sesshoumaru took to helping Inuyasha collect the Shikon shards since Rin had become so attached to his group and his little sister insisted upon it.  No one bothered them other than the usual demons that had possession of Shikon Shards and desired more and the usual passing of Kikyo. However, after the first few visits, Michera noticed how much it disturbed the balance of the group and forced Inuyasha to explain why the vile smelling woman constantly came. When he explained everything about what had happened before with the now undead priestess and Naraku, he got the biggest beating of his life from Michera. After knocking some sense into him, she made him choose between Kagome and Kikyo (she was obviously rooting for Kagome, they'd taken a liking to each other, and had begun to hang out a lot together, the three women of the group together, and Kikyo did nothing but upset that balance, depressing Kagome and thus the other two girls.) He had seemed dumbstruck at first, then after making sure no one else was around, Confessed that he loved Kagome but felt obligated to Kikyo. This earned him a second beating that ended only when he promised that next visit, he would tell Kikyo to piss off and he would confess to Kagome his feelings.  They ended up returning to camp, Inuyasha a bruised up mess with a bloody nose, and Michera bouncing about like a little girl come out of a candy store.

            Besides that, all was quiet, the portion of the jewel in their possession was slowly growing and the two wolves had not bothered them since their first encounter in the beginning. But all was soon to change, for with the passing of time, the future comes closer, and the future sadly held dark tidings for all.

            Time passed yet again, Inuyasha had confessed to Kagome his feelings for her after an encounter with Kikyo, which over all, ended rather amusingly.  Kikyo had showed up before the group with Naraku, Inuyasha was shocked to find that Kikyo worked against him with his enemy.  After a quick battle with Naraku thanks to the doubled fighting force of the group, Kikyo was left standing alone before the band of shard hunters. Just as she had turned to flee, Michera had shown up behind her…

            "Just where do you think you are going, Bitch?"

            "You must be mistaken on who the bitch is here." Kikyo had responded calmly, no feelings showing in her dull eyes.

            The hanyou girl had laughed at this, "Yeah, well, at least I'm the right species to be considered one that it's not an insult. For you, however, it is!" At that, Michera had forcefully turned Kikyo around to face Inuyasha. "I believe he has something to say to you."

            "Kikyo…." Inuyasha whispered. Kagome watched fearfully from behind, her grip on Shippo tight in her fear. Would Inuyasha choose between them now? Would he choose Kikyo? Or her? "I don't love you." A thud was heard from behind Inuyasha. He ignored it. "Naraku pitted us against each other, then you did not forgive me for it. I used to love you, I would have done anything for you, but now, I see you didn't love me or me." A second thud was heard. "Kikyo, I won't go to hell with you, life is too precious, I'm sorry."

            With that, Inuyasha had turned around, turning his back on Kikyo. His eyes widened in Surprise to find Kagome passed out on the ground before him.

            "How dare you!! You have to come to hell with me!" Kikyo had screeched, Inuyasha words only then sinking into her dead skull.  She took out her bow and arrows and prepared to fire at Inuyasha. Upon releasing the arrow however, there was a flash of light. When the light cleared, all that remained were her miko garbs strewn upon the ground, Kikyo's own arrow piercing the breast of the outfit.

            " What the fuck?" Inuyasha yelled.

            "Oh woops." Michera had giggled.

            " Woops what?!"

            " Woops, it appears I accidentally put a reflection shield around her. Sorry, Kikyo was so mad, she shot herself"

            "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!!"

            "So?"

            "Lighten up Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru intervened, "it was time the dead bitch stayed dead."

            And so, the tale of how Kikyo came to an abrupt end. 

  And so, the odd group of demons, hanyous and humans traveled the feudal era in search of shards, Kagome sometimes going back to the future in order to catch up in her school work, much to the dismay of Inuyasha. It was on one such day in the encroaching fall that Kagome was on her way to return to the future that the real adventure began for this group.

            "Inuyasha, I'm going home for three days so I can catch up on my school work." Kagome stated matter of factedly.

            "What, no you don't, wench, you just came back two weeks ago, how will we ever collect all of the shards if you keep leaving?!"  Inuyasha protested.

            "Come on!"

            "Here we go." Miroku sighed.

            "Will they ever stop fighting over such petty things?" Sango joined.

            Sesshoumaru watched in mild amusement as he usually did and Michera stood, ears twitching and tail wagging excitedly, "They are so kawaii together!!" she whispered under her breathe to Shippo who was perched upon her shoulder.

            "Eww." Was Shippo's response to that. Suddenly, he stopped and stood still upon Michera's shoulder and sniffed the air delicately. He turned to her, confused, "Hey, Michera, why did your scent just change?"

            "Nani?"

            Sesshoumaru now turned to his little sister upon overhearing Shippo's comment. He too sniffed the air, then growled.

            Inuyasha ceased arguing with Kagome. "What was that?"

            The group stayed quiet, seemingly, Sesshoumaru was not happy about the change in his little sister's scent. "Michera's in heat."

            "NANI!!??" everyone shouted, Michera among the loudest.

            "Grrrr, Michera's in heat, or did I not speak it clear enough?" Sesshoumaru growled again.

            "Damn it, that means there are going to be demons following us non-stop!" Inuyasha cursed, "Maybe we can send her to stay in the future with Kagome until it passes? Michera?"

            However, Michera wasn't listening, she stayed dazed, staring off into space, "No, it can't be now… not yet…"

            "What are you talking about, Oneesan?" Shippo asked. He had taken to calling her big sister much to the dislike of her brothers, given that made them brothers to not only Shippo, but to each other, something they still denied.

            "Yeah," Inuyasha growled next to her now, as he removed the kit from her shoulder, "What are you mumbling about?"

            "You mean she still hasn't told you all the details?" a familiar voice broke in from above, followed by the scent of wolves. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru quickly took positions surrounding their little sister. Upon doing so, a whirlwind came unto them from the path behind them.

It cleared to reveal Koga standing smugly in what was once its center. "How's my woman?" he declared. A sweat drop could be seen falling from Kagome's brow as Inuyasha twitched in aggravation.  However, there was no time for a fight to break out, for at that exact moment, Mishin landed in the clearing.  

"Ookamishin." Sesshoumaru stated calmly. He knew to keep emotions out of a situation such as this, unlike his hanyou brother who was at the moment becoming increasingly frustrated about the wolf Koga, who was in turn, making moves on the human wench, Kagome.  "Just what details do you believe she has not yet revealed?" He also knew not to go and automatically turn on his sister because of what the wolf said; he needed more details before he demanded details from Michera.

            Ookamishin also knew more about these situations than certain relatives who would be left unnamed, like those that made moves on the enemy's woman upon every encounter. "Oh, not much, Sesshoumaru, just the small print in the deal she was forced into, such as the who, what and where."

            "She has already told us everything about being forced to b the mate of whoever defeats her."

            "Oh no, she hasn't."

            "He's right…", Michera whispered. She still seemed to be in a daze over some newfound realization.

            Sesshoumaru turned to face her. She seemed totally subdued now, where she would usually be happy and full of energy, quickly beginning and ending fights on the turn of a diem, she now seemed as if the worst news in the world had just been revealed to her, which unknown to him, was. "And what would these details be?"

            Michera made no move to speak. "INUYASHA! SIT!" Kagome yelled. Inuyasha had been about to attack Koga. Kagome then removed the offending arm of Koga from her shoulder and stepped away from him. Inuyasha lay embedded in the ground cursing and Koga had a hurt expression on his face. "Koga, I don't like you that way, besides, now is not the time. My friend seems distressed, and you are distracting her brother."

            "Yeah!" Inuyasha yelled, jumping up.

            "Okay, Kagome, only because now is not the time, but later." Another sweat drop fell from her brow.

            She stiffly walked away from Koga. Ohmigosh, when will he leave me alone? I like Inuyasha, not him!  "Michera?" She asked gently, pushing aside the matters of Koga and Inuyasha for the time being. "Please tell us, what haven't you told us?"

            Michera lifted her head slowly. Her bangs swayed in a soft breeze revealing watery worried eyes, she was greatly stressed by the situation.  "On my third heat cycle, the shield that protects me from being claimed too early is removed, and the spell that prevents me from harming those who come to study me is also released, thus beginning my fight to defend myself from any who wish to claim me, and leaving me open to be defeated.  On my fourth cycle, if I have not been defeated yet, then… then… my chance to chose who to lose to if I should chose, is taken from me, and I am once again left without power, and to the mercy of any who can defeat any other challengers, and take me." She lowered her face, hiding her eyes from view. "As an inu hanyou, my cycle happens twice a year, and as a part of one of the many spells the witch cast on my, my body matured more slowly than normal, so that my heat cycles would not begin until I was older… … … that makes this my third cycle."

            "What does that mean?" Inuyasha asked hesitantly.

            "That means, you idiot," Ookamishin, " That she is now free for the taking to any who can defeat her."

Author's note: Oh! Look, I updated! He he, you may not have noticed, but I update one story at a time, after updating, I move on to the story I have not updated in the longest time, meaning, the next chapter of this won't come for a while again, though I do try to write when I get the chance, but I'm really busy all the time, so please don't hurt me, wait like two weeks, and hopefully, around then, the next chapter of this should be up! Don't hurt me!"

 Crystal Arrow