Disclaimer: Does not belong to me. Inuyasha Me Nope.
Enjoy.
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"The village had been rampaged," the old village man said, "No one's left, and the demon… it tore through everything like paper." His bottom lip trembled and he tightened his hold on the child by his side. Kikyou nodded knowingly, freeing the man from the need of any more information. She watched as he hobbled away, his grandson in tow. Kaede would attend to their wounds, while she would make the journey over to their neighboring village to survey the damage and to make sure survivors were not left behind.
The journey there should take her no more than half a day, she calculated, and the journey back would be done during the night. It was of no obstacle to travel during the night for her and she preferred the stillness of the evening to the constant activity of the day.
And Inuyasha would make certain of her safety.
The thought of the hanyou made her heart skip a tiny beat. She betrayed no expression, no hint that the lost beat was lost at all. He had been listening, she knew, in the canopies of the trees bordering the village, just as she knew that he would accompany her. Perhaps not in full view- her fellow villagers would never understand- but alongside in the shadows.
Perhaps he knew of a demon that devoured humans and stole away with maidens, she recalled from the villagers' description. Rare indeed was a youkai that did not kill every living person in it's area, and even rarer for any to be attracted to human maidens. Perhaps it is a sign of the changing times, she mused. Youkai numbers had diminished slowly, but surely, and humanity had grown in population, inhabiting areas that were once breeding grounds of thousands of youkai. Kikyou noticed the change in the number of youkai that hunted after her, desperate to take her life and reclaim the lands upon which those she protected resided. Changing times indeed.
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She walked quickly, efficient in travel just as she was efficient in all other things. Inuyasha had no trouble keeping up, hopping with little effort across the higher branches of the trees. He kept a constant eye on her moving form, weary of his surroundings. Kikyou was fully capable of handling herself but it made himself feel better to destroy the threat before she would have to deal with it.
She was, after all, an integral part of him.
And if she ever found out, he'd have to find himself a big, fat hole to bury himself in. He suspected she knew to some extent, but verbally, it would've been extremely awkward. And he liked the arrangement they had now and why change a good thing?
The trip did take about a half a day. When they reached edge of the destroyed village, Inuyasha leapt off the last branch and landed softly a few feet behind her as she surveyed the scene in front of her.
The damage had truly been awesome.
It looked as if a tornado had swept through, tearing and ripping apart the once sturdy wood houses and barns. Farms were destroyed and the corpses of the farm animals suggested a similar fate. Along the edges of the path that flowed through the middle of the destruction, bodies of villagers, mostly older in age and male, were strewn haphazardly on the ground.
She would have to perform a burial ceremony for all the deceased soon, or their souls would be trapped. Her first job was, however, to seek out survivors. She doubted there were many, if any, and glanced over at Inuyasha to confirm. He sniffed the air and shook his head.
And then, all hell broke loose.
Or perhaps the closet thing to hell without being dead.
It came out from under him, the length of its claws double his own height. Caught off guard, he found himself caged like a bird, disoriented and thoroughly pissed when he realized how easy he was captured. The huge claws protruding from the even large hand met together at the tips, forming a makeshift bird cage that effectively imprisoned him.
And he had heard nothing nor smelt anything telling sounds or scents to give off the youkai's presence. One look at Kikyou told him she had had no prior indication either. He slashed his own claws upon the soft flesh of the youkai's palm, and growled when it triggered no reaction. By now, the youkai had emerged fully. A large demon with horns of a bull and fangs that protruded from the top of his teeth and curved around his chin, it was ugly, strong and unforgiving.
Kikyou latched an arrow and aimed her bow.
The youkai smiled at her, as if a joke between friends had been made. Slowly, he closed his hand, curling it into a fist and shoving Inuyasha inside. Inuyasha slashed at the hand desperately, aware of the fingers pressing against him. He would die from suffocation first. He struggled even when his vision started to turn black at the edges, but unconsciousness shoved back at him, persistent and stubborn and he fell to it with the name of his beloved on his lips.
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He found himself wandering the fields not far from Kikyou's village.
All around him, people slept upon the flowers, curled up as if they were balls. Occasionally, he noticed that a bright light would emit from a slumbering form, rising high until it seemed to disappear into the sky and soon, the body would fade and be replaced by another.
Perhaps he had died.
But he was not a sleeping form, he reasoned, and he was fully aware of himself and his environment. Frowning, he traveled between the sleeping- souls, would you call it? - hoping he could find an exit or something of the sort.
That is, until he noticed the face of one of the sleeping souls.
She was young, pretty, with dark hair that framed a gentle face. She seemed more transparent than the others; the contrast apparent when one took in the sleeping souls around her. But he didn't pause for a pretty face. No… not a pretty face… but…
Why did she look so much like Kikyou?
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AN: "WTF?? Finish your other story!!" I know, I know, but I couldn't resist. Yes, my dear readers, it is a confusing chapter. And short. Real short. Whatever. I tried. ) R/R. Oh, and if there are spelling/grammar errors, please disregard those. This whole story will probably be very raw.