Inuyasha closed his eyes and waited for the arrow to hit. He knew that
soon that he would be in hell, possibly with Kikyou. Although it sucked
that he hadn't done everything that he had wanted to do; there was no way
that he could avoid Yakani's arrow.
And he waited. After a few moments, he realized that something must have gone wrong; the arrow should have hit him by now. In the distance he heard Yakani cursing under her breath.
He opened his eyes and was surprised. A few feet in front of him, Hikaru was standing there with the arrow clutched in her outstretched hand. She had on her quiver and her bow was in her other hand. A little ways behind her, a giant wolf was at the edge of the clearing, a low growl coming from its throat. The hanyou guessed that it was Juanyu in his other form. His guessed was confirmed when a fog overcame the wolf and Juanyu emerged.
"Juanyu, free Inuyasha," Hikaru said. He nodded and quickly went to work prying the arrows out of the tree. The hanyou noticed that he wrapped his hand in a rag before touching the blessed arrows. Inuyasha was surprised at Hikaru's voice. There was an edge to it that he hadn't heard before. It frightened him.
"What do you want, girl? And what business is it yours to decide that this hanyou should go free?" Yakani demanded.
Hikaru straightened up, making sure that Inuyasha was behind her. "I'm Hikaru. And by what right do you decide that Inuyasha should die?"
Yakani looked shocked. Then she recovered and grunted. "I don't expect a simple girl like you to understand. He is a murderer. He is responsible for the death of the miko Kikyou from fifty years ago," she replied.
"I don't believe you."
"You should, you know," Inuyasha said from behind. "I did know Kikyou from that time long ago. But believe me when I say that I didn't kill her."
She looked at him and smiled. "You I do believe," she said gently. "I won't let her kill you for vanity's sake."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean by that, bitch? He's a monster that should be destroyed!" Yakani yelled. She was fumbling for another arrow. How could this girl catch her arrow like that? Something else as well. The girl's houriki was very strong, but it couldn't be stronger than her own. It was impossible.
Hikaru shook her head. "You only know him through old rumor and filtered gossip. You truly know nothing about him. I have been traveling with him for almost a month now; and I have yet too see this 'monster' that you refer to. And I meant that you aren't trying to kill him because he is a menace to anyone. You want to him dead to prove how strong you believe you are. You think that by destroying the one responsible for Kikyou's death, you'll be stronger than her. But I'm afraid that power doesn't work that way."
By now, Juanyu managed to get the arrows out from Inuyasha. "He's free, Hikaru. Let's go," he said.
But she shook her head. "No, I can't."
"Why not?" he asked.
"If we run now, she'll only come after us. This woman won't stop until either she is stopped or Inuyasha is killed by her hand. I don't want that to happen. This whole things ends tonight," she said.
"Then let me fight her!" Inuyasha insisted. He straightened up and took a fighting stance. He was pissed that this bitch just wanted to kill him to show that she was stronger.
Hikaru shook her head. "You don't stand much of a chance against her. I do. Juanyu, take Inuyasha and get out of here."
Now Inuyasha was really pissed. He wanted to hit Hikaru over the head. She was human, she didn't have any power. But.he sensed something from her, what was it?
"Get him out of here now. I will handle this woman on my own," Hikaru growled.
++I'm doing this indicate when Hikaru slips into another language.
The others stared at her in confusion. Juanyu recovered first and took advantage of the situation, grabbed Inuyasha by the sleeve, and started to drag him away. After a few moments, the hanyou also overcame his confusion and struggled against the other man.
"Hey! What are you doing? We can't leave Hikaru alone back there," he said.
Juanyu stopped and turned around to look at him. "Listen, Inuyasha. I have heard Hikaru speak like that once before. I don't think that it would be a very smart idea if we stayed. Before we left to find you, she went and saw Yogensha-Tamashii. I don't know what they talked about in there but she seemed different when she came out. Let's get away from here."
Inuyasha was silent for a moment but nodded. When Hikaru was talking strange, she seemed scary. Being away from them would be the sensible thing to do. They rushed deeper into the forest.
But like most males, the prospect of a catfight was too a chance to pass up. When they thought that they were a safe distance away, they found a tall enough tree and climbed into the branches. Mid way up, they found a comfortable place where they were offered a clear view of the clearing where Hikaru and Yakani were.
******
Hikaru was thankful that Juanyu got Inuyasha out so quickly. She didn't want either of them involved with this. Her best bet was to finish the fight fast.
Yakani was seething. How dare this bitch intrude like this? And what was she speaking? It wasn't like anything she had heard before. Enraged, she drew back another arrow and aimed. Her opponent did nothing but stick the arrow she already had in her hand into her sash.
The arrow flew swiftly; but the energy infused into it wasn't the same. Yakani had turned dark and the power on the arrow was now a curse. Hikaru sensed the energy shift and dodged the arrow easily. It struck the tree behind her, the bark surrounding the impact site grew black and sickly.
Yakani cursed openly and began firing again. In response, Hikaru dodged the arrows with the grace and swiftness that her teachers had taught her. To Inuyasha and Juanyu up in their tree not far away, it seemed that Hikaru was almost dancing amongst the arrow, missing them as she went. The hanyou and the shadow-half were impressed.
Eventually the arrows stopped flying and both women paused. Yakani was low on arrows and Hikaru was getting tired. If she wasn't human right now, her endurance would be higher; but not tonight. The fight needed to end soon, or her strength would give out.
Her controlled her breathing and composed herself. "My turn," she said and notched an arrow. Yakani glared, preparing herself to counteract it. This girl should be no match for her strength.
Hikaru let loose her arrow and prepared another. Yakani smiled and easily caught it. The arrow disintegrated in her hand. "Huh. I knew it. You are no match for me."
The second arrow flew at her and scratched her cheek. The dark miko laughed at this. "I can't believe it! Is that the best you can do?" she yelled and charged forward still laughing.
Hikaru ran to one side and began to move to where the miko was. She found her fallen arrow and smiled. It would be over soon. Yakani had seen where her opponent went, turned, and followed. Hikaru jumped into the tree above her, out of reach.
Yakani continued smiling as she glared up into the foliage. "Mmm, do you really think that you'll be safe up there, little girl? Well, you're not. I can easily kill you from down here.ugh," she grunted, clutched her stomach and collapsed to the ground.
From far away, the men were wondering what was going on. So against their better judgment and Hikaru's advice Juanyu got on Inuyasha's back and they leapt from tree to tree back to the clearing.
When they reached the site, they were surprised to find Yakani curled up on the ground like an infant. Her eyes were wide open and staring at nothing. Sweat covered her face and inched its way down her neck. Her breathing was quick and irregular. The whole thing frightened the two men.
"Don't worry about her. She can't hurt anyone anymore," Hikaru called down from within the branches. She climbed down far enough that when she dropped the rest of the way down, she wasn't injured too greatly. In her left hand was a lock of black hair with twine wrapped tightly around it. In her other hand was her arrow.
"Huh? What do you mean, Hikaru?" Inuyasha asked.
She held up the hair. "Because of this," she said, "I used a spell my teachers taught me to bind her from harming anyone for any reason save self- defense. This girl will never be able to use her powers again."
They stared at her speechless. Juanyu gathered the fallen woman in his arms and together they all made their way back to the village. No one was still awake and up when they returned; so Yakani was given a bed in their hut and they fell into an uneasy sleep.
******
Morning dawned like always the next day. The night cool faded away with the sun's warmth. With the cock's crow villagers woke up and began their day as they normally would. The party that had arrived the previous day began preparations to make the trek back to their village.
But Yogensha-Tamashii couldn't see any of it. Her eyes only saw the energies that flowed within each individual person. Otherwise, the world was a dark blue-black haze. A soft cough outside her door announced that breakfast had arrived. Because of her talent, the youkai woman was given breakfast first from one of the families in the village; the duty was rotated from one to another.
"Oh, come in, darling. I'm not violent, not anymore. I won't hurt you," she cried out.
A small child nervously walked in carrying a tray. The boy managed not to touch her as she took it from his hands. Yogensha-Tamashii could smell steamed rice and fish and some tea as well. She smiled and sat down to eat.
As she ate, the boy knelt down in front of her barely able to stay still. It got to the point where the youkai decided that she couldn't finish until she knew what was pestering the boy.
She sat down her bowl and faced him. "All right, tell me. What is bothering you?"
The boy gulped. "Well, I was wondering. Weren't you mad when you became blind? Were you always able to see the houriki?"
She laughed softly. "I was mad at the miko who blinded me, boy. But only at first. Eventually my anger burned out and I learned to deal with it. All youkai have some minor ability to read a priest or priestess' powers. My blindness forced that sense to overdevelop to compensate."
She finished her food and returned the tray. The boy took it and left. She noticed that he wasn't in as much of a hurry as when he entered. Yogensha-Tamashii giggled and settled back on her cushions. And she felt a little guilty at what she told the boy. He was expecting the whole truth from her; children at his age invariably do. But she didn't. She had told him part of the truth, just not all of it.
Her smile faded as the thought of winged Phoenix came to her mind. That one had shown up shortly after Yogensha-Tamashii had lost her sight. At the time, the youkai was angry enough to lash out at anyone. But the Phoenix quickly showed her that the stranger was not one to mess with if you valued your life. After the demonstration, the youkai was told things that she was not to repeat to another living soul until the time was right.
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes for the first time in generations and she quickly wiped them away. Damn it, why was she reacting this way? She should have been glad that she met Hikaru last night. It meant that the prophecy was coming round. But she wasn't glad at all. Maybe it was because after all this time amongst the humans, she had grown soft. It surprised her that she didn't mind the softness even though at one time it would have.
Yogensha-Tamashii closed her eyes and bent her head in prayer. She prayed that it wasn't the girl and her brother that the prophecy was meant for. But she knew that there was little chance of that. Hikaru had the necessary youki and houriki powers the prophecy called for. "Those poor hanyou," she whispered, "Neither of them know the truth about their destiny. And now there is no stopping it."
******
Yakani awoke late that morning feeling groggy. Her head hurt and her whole body ached. At first she couldn't remember what had happened last night. Then suddenly it all came back to her with crystal clarity. Inuyasha and that damn bitch Hikaru. She had done something to her and now Inuyasha had gotten away!
She shrugged. Well, she just have to track him done again and make sure that the job got done this time. Carefully she stood up and almost fell before she regained her balance.
Her bow and arrows were leaning against the far wall and next to the fire was a steaming bowl of rice porridge. Her stomach growled at its present state. Yakani decided that she could eat and gather supplies before setting out.
After she greedily ate her food, she got her equipment and went outside. Her path took her past the youkai's hut. On impulse, she went to the door and demanded to be shown in. The guards were reluctant to let her pass but the youkai allowed Yakani to enter.
"Good morning. How are you this morning?" Yogensha-Tamashii said politely. She could sense Yakani, but there was something strange about the houriki. When she figured out what it was, she couldn't but help to smile.
"I thought that I would come here and say good bye to you that's all," Yakani said. Suddenly she pulled out a small dagger and lunged forward.
The youkai deftly caught the wrist and stopped the attack. The young woman summoned her powers and tried to force the youkai to let go. But nothing happened. Yakani looked surprised at this development. With her level of houriki, the old youkai shouldn't have been able to touch her.
"How? How can you do this?"
"Because, young lady, you have no power now. I don't know what Hikaru did to you. But you've lost your power. You are a normal young woman now," was the reply.
Yakani's eyes widened and she began gasping. A few minutes later, the villagers could hear screams of despair coming from the hut.
******
Hikaru stretched out her arms in the morning sun. Her youki blood had reasserted itself and she was a hanyou again. She felt better now than she had before. Maybe it was the revelation about her powers that did that, she didn't know. Behind her, Inuyasha and Juanyu followed her lead a few steps behind. None of them had gotten a good nights rest; not after what happened in the forest. Although they were sure that Yakani would not awake until morning, wards were drawn around her body and erased before they left.
Inuyasha looked at Hikaru with new eyes. This girl certainly wasn't like anyone he had known before, hanyou or miko. Actually she was both if you thought about it. A youkai miko. There was something odd about, but it sounded impressive. Thinking of miko.
"Hey Hikaru. How can we be sure that Yakani won't undo your binding after we leave the village? If she does, she'll come after both of us," he said.
Hikaru stopped and faced them both. "No she won't, Inuyasha. Trust me."
"I'm sorry, Hikaru-san. But I have to agree with Inuyasha. How can we be sure that we're safe from her now?" Juanyu asked.
Hikaru shook her head. This must have been in both their thoughts since she told them what she did. "Don't worry about it. I used the hair to symbolize Yakani's power. Before I left the hut, I tossed the lock into the fire. Hopefully, the spell will react accordingly and burn the houriki from her."
Both men openly stared at her in amazement. Neither of them had expected anything like this. Inuyasha finally grinned and began walking again.
"Impressive, Hikaru," he said.
"Are you sure that you should have done that, Hikaru-san?" Juanyu said. He looked disturbed and in need of reassuring.
Hikaru turned around and continued walking. "If I had done nothing, she would have used her power for selfish reasons. I didn't want to kill her, only her power. Now she will live out the remainder of her life as an ordinary woman."
As they walked, Inuyasha knew at least one miko who wouldn't have minded having her power burned out. Then he realized that there was a lot in common between Hikaru and Kikyou. He was just glad that they were on good terms with each other.
And he waited. After a few moments, he realized that something must have gone wrong; the arrow should have hit him by now. In the distance he heard Yakani cursing under her breath.
He opened his eyes and was surprised. A few feet in front of him, Hikaru was standing there with the arrow clutched in her outstretched hand. She had on her quiver and her bow was in her other hand. A little ways behind her, a giant wolf was at the edge of the clearing, a low growl coming from its throat. The hanyou guessed that it was Juanyu in his other form. His guessed was confirmed when a fog overcame the wolf and Juanyu emerged.
"Juanyu, free Inuyasha," Hikaru said. He nodded and quickly went to work prying the arrows out of the tree. The hanyou noticed that he wrapped his hand in a rag before touching the blessed arrows. Inuyasha was surprised at Hikaru's voice. There was an edge to it that he hadn't heard before. It frightened him.
"What do you want, girl? And what business is it yours to decide that this hanyou should go free?" Yakani demanded.
Hikaru straightened up, making sure that Inuyasha was behind her. "I'm Hikaru. And by what right do you decide that Inuyasha should die?"
Yakani looked shocked. Then she recovered and grunted. "I don't expect a simple girl like you to understand. He is a murderer. He is responsible for the death of the miko Kikyou from fifty years ago," she replied.
"I don't believe you."
"You should, you know," Inuyasha said from behind. "I did know Kikyou from that time long ago. But believe me when I say that I didn't kill her."
She looked at him and smiled. "You I do believe," she said gently. "I won't let her kill you for vanity's sake."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean by that, bitch? He's a monster that should be destroyed!" Yakani yelled. She was fumbling for another arrow. How could this girl catch her arrow like that? Something else as well. The girl's houriki was very strong, but it couldn't be stronger than her own. It was impossible.
Hikaru shook her head. "You only know him through old rumor and filtered gossip. You truly know nothing about him. I have been traveling with him for almost a month now; and I have yet too see this 'monster' that you refer to. And I meant that you aren't trying to kill him because he is a menace to anyone. You want to him dead to prove how strong you believe you are. You think that by destroying the one responsible for Kikyou's death, you'll be stronger than her. But I'm afraid that power doesn't work that way."
By now, Juanyu managed to get the arrows out from Inuyasha. "He's free, Hikaru. Let's go," he said.
But she shook her head. "No, I can't."
"Why not?" he asked.
"If we run now, she'll only come after us. This woman won't stop until either she is stopped or Inuyasha is killed by her hand. I don't want that to happen. This whole things ends tonight," she said.
"Then let me fight her!" Inuyasha insisted. He straightened up and took a fighting stance. He was pissed that this bitch just wanted to kill him to show that she was stronger.
Hikaru shook her head. "You don't stand much of a chance against her. I do. Juanyu, take Inuyasha and get out of here."
Now Inuyasha was really pissed. He wanted to hit Hikaru over the head. She was human, she didn't have any power. But.he sensed something from her, what was it?
"Get him out of here now. I will handle this woman on my own," Hikaru growled.
++I'm doing this indicate when Hikaru slips into another language.
The others stared at her in confusion. Juanyu recovered first and took advantage of the situation, grabbed Inuyasha by the sleeve, and started to drag him away. After a few moments, the hanyou also overcame his confusion and struggled against the other man.
"Hey! What are you doing? We can't leave Hikaru alone back there," he said.
Juanyu stopped and turned around to look at him. "Listen, Inuyasha. I have heard Hikaru speak like that once before. I don't think that it would be a very smart idea if we stayed. Before we left to find you, she went and saw Yogensha-Tamashii. I don't know what they talked about in there but she seemed different when she came out. Let's get away from here."
Inuyasha was silent for a moment but nodded. When Hikaru was talking strange, she seemed scary. Being away from them would be the sensible thing to do. They rushed deeper into the forest.
But like most males, the prospect of a catfight was too a chance to pass up. When they thought that they were a safe distance away, they found a tall enough tree and climbed into the branches. Mid way up, they found a comfortable place where they were offered a clear view of the clearing where Hikaru and Yakani were.
******
Hikaru was thankful that Juanyu got Inuyasha out so quickly. She didn't want either of them involved with this. Her best bet was to finish the fight fast.
Yakani was seething. How dare this bitch intrude like this? And what was she speaking? It wasn't like anything she had heard before. Enraged, she drew back another arrow and aimed. Her opponent did nothing but stick the arrow she already had in her hand into her sash.
The arrow flew swiftly; but the energy infused into it wasn't the same. Yakani had turned dark and the power on the arrow was now a curse. Hikaru sensed the energy shift and dodged the arrow easily. It struck the tree behind her, the bark surrounding the impact site grew black and sickly.
Yakani cursed openly and began firing again. In response, Hikaru dodged the arrows with the grace and swiftness that her teachers had taught her. To Inuyasha and Juanyu up in their tree not far away, it seemed that Hikaru was almost dancing amongst the arrow, missing them as she went. The hanyou and the shadow-half were impressed.
Eventually the arrows stopped flying and both women paused. Yakani was low on arrows and Hikaru was getting tired. If she wasn't human right now, her endurance would be higher; but not tonight. The fight needed to end soon, or her strength would give out.
Her controlled her breathing and composed herself. "My turn," she said and notched an arrow. Yakani glared, preparing herself to counteract it. This girl should be no match for her strength.
Hikaru let loose her arrow and prepared another. Yakani smiled and easily caught it. The arrow disintegrated in her hand. "Huh. I knew it. You are no match for me."
The second arrow flew at her and scratched her cheek. The dark miko laughed at this. "I can't believe it! Is that the best you can do?" she yelled and charged forward still laughing.
Hikaru ran to one side and began to move to where the miko was. She found her fallen arrow and smiled. It would be over soon. Yakani had seen where her opponent went, turned, and followed. Hikaru jumped into the tree above her, out of reach.
Yakani continued smiling as she glared up into the foliage. "Mmm, do you really think that you'll be safe up there, little girl? Well, you're not. I can easily kill you from down here.ugh," she grunted, clutched her stomach and collapsed to the ground.
From far away, the men were wondering what was going on. So against their better judgment and Hikaru's advice Juanyu got on Inuyasha's back and they leapt from tree to tree back to the clearing.
When they reached the site, they were surprised to find Yakani curled up on the ground like an infant. Her eyes were wide open and staring at nothing. Sweat covered her face and inched its way down her neck. Her breathing was quick and irregular. The whole thing frightened the two men.
"Don't worry about her. She can't hurt anyone anymore," Hikaru called down from within the branches. She climbed down far enough that when she dropped the rest of the way down, she wasn't injured too greatly. In her left hand was a lock of black hair with twine wrapped tightly around it. In her other hand was her arrow.
"Huh? What do you mean, Hikaru?" Inuyasha asked.
She held up the hair. "Because of this," she said, "I used a spell my teachers taught me to bind her from harming anyone for any reason save self- defense. This girl will never be able to use her powers again."
They stared at her speechless. Juanyu gathered the fallen woman in his arms and together they all made their way back to the village. No one was still awake and up when they returned; so Yakani was given a bed in their hut and they fell into an uneasy sleep.
******
Morning dawned like always the next day. The night cool faded away with the sun's warmth. With the cock's crow villagers woke up and began their day as they normally would. The party that had arrived the previous day began preparations to make the trek back to their village.
But Yogensha-Tamashii couldn't see any of it. Her eyes only saw the energies that flowed within each individual person. Otherwise, the world was a dark blue-black haze. A soft cough outside her door announced that breakfast had arrived. Because of her talent, the youkai woman was given breakfast first from one of the families in the village; the duty was rotated from one to another.
"Oh, come in, darling. I'm not violent, not anymore. I won't hurt you," she cried out.
A small child nervously walked in carrying a tray. The boy managed not to touch her as she took it from his hands. Yogensha-Tamashii could smell steamed rice and fish and some tea as well. She smiled and sat down to eat.
As she ate, the boy knelt down in front of her barely able to stay still. It got to the point where the youkai decided that she couldn't finish until she knew what was pestering the boy.
She sat down her bowl and faced him. "All right, tell me. What is bothering you?"
The boy gulped. "Well, I was wondering. Weren't you mad when you became blind? Were you always able to see the houriki?"
She laughed softly. "I was mad at the miko who blinded me, boy. But only at first. Eventually my anger burned out and I learned to deal with it. All youkai have some minor ability to read a priest or priestess' powers. My blindness forced that sense to overdevelop to compensate."
She finished her food and returned the tray. The boy took it and left. She noticed that he wasn't in as much of a hurry as when he entered. Yogensha-Tamashii giggled and settled back on her cushions. And she felt a little guilty at what she told the boy. He was expecting the whole truth from her; children at his age invariably do. But she didn't. She had told him part of the truth, just not all of it.
Her smile faded as the thought of winged Phoenix came to her mind. That one had shown up shortly after Yogensha-Tamashii had lost her sight. At the time, the youkai was angry enough to lash out at anyone. But the Phoenix quickly showed her that the stranger was not one to mess with if you valued your life. After the demonstration, the youkai was told things that she was not to repeat to another living soul until the time was right.
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes for the first time in generations and she quickly wiped them away. Damn it, why was she reacting this way? She should have been glad that she met Hikaru last night. It meant that the prophecy was coming round. But she wasn't glad at all. Maybe it was because after all this time amongst the humans, she had grown soft. It surprised her that she didn't mind the softness even though at one time it would have.
Yogensha-Tamashii closed her eyes and bent her head in prayer. She prayed that it wasn't the girl and her brother that the prophecy was meant for. But she knew that there was little chance of that. Hikaru had the necessary youki and houriki powers the prophecy called for. "Those poor hanyou," she whispered, "Neither of them know the truth about their destiny. And now there is no stopping it."
******
Yakani awoke late that morning feeling groggy. Her head hurt and her whole body ached. At first she couldn't remember what had happened last night. Then suddenly it all came back to her with crystal clarity. Inuyasha and that damn bitch Hikaru. She had done something to her and now Inuyasha had gotten away!
She shrugged. Well, she just have to track him done again and make sure that the job got done this time. Carefully she stood up and almost fell before she regained her balance.
Her bow and arrows were leaning against the far wall and next to the fire was a steaming bowl of rice porridge. Her stomach growled at its present state. Yakani decided that she could eat and gather supplies before setting out.
After she greedily ate her food, she got her equipment and went outside. Her path took her past the youkai's hut. On impulse, she went to the door and demanded to be shown in. The guards were reluctant to let her pass but the youkai allowed Yakani to enter.
"Good morning. How are you this morning?" Yogensha-Tamashii said politely. She could sense Yakani, but there was something strange about the houriki. When she figured out what it was, she couldn't but help to smile.
"I thought that I would come here and say good bye to you that's all," Yakani said. Suddenly she pulled out a small dagger and lunged forward.
The youkai deftly caught the wrist and stopped the attack. The young woman summoned her powers and tried to force the youkai to let go. But nothing happened. Yakani looked surprised at this development. With her level of houriki, the old youkai shouldn't have been able to touch her.
"How? How can you do this?"
"Because, young lady, you have no power now. I don't know what Hikaru did to you. But you've lost your power. You are a normal young woman now," was the reply.
Yakani's eyes widened and she began gasping. A few minutes later, the villagers could hear screams of despair coming from the hut.
******
Hikaru stretched out her arms in the morning sun. Her youki blood had reasserted itself and she was a hanyou again. She felt better now than she had before. Maybe it was the revelation about her powers that did that, she didn't know. Behind her, Inuyasha and Juanyu followed her lead a few steps behind. None of them had gotten a good nights rest; not after what happened in the forest. Although they were sure that Yakani would not awake until morning, wards were drawn around her body and erased before they left.
Inuyasha looked at Hikaru with new eyes. This girl certainly wasn't like anyone he had known before, hanyou or miko. Actually she was both if you thought about it. A youkai miko. There was something odd about, but it sounded impressive. Thinking of miko.
"Hey Hikaru. How can we be sure that Yakani won't undo your binding after we leave the village? If she does, she'll come after both of us," he said.
Hikaru stopped and faced them both. "No she won't, Inuyasha. Trust me."
"I'm sorry, Hikaru-san. But I have to agree with Inuyasha. How can we be sure that we're safe from her now?" Juanyu asked.
Hikaru shook her head. This must have been in both their thoughts since she told them what she did. "Don't worry about it. I used the hair to symbolize Yakani's power. Before I left the hut, I tossed the lock into the fire. Hopefully, the spell will react accordingly and burn the houriki from her."
Both men openly stared at her in amazement. Neither of them had expected anything like this. Inuyasha finally grinned and began walking again.
"Impressive, Hikaru," he said.
"Are you sure that you should have done that, Hikaru-san?" Juanyu said. He looked disturbed and in need of reassuring.
Hikaru turned around and continued walking. "If I had done nothing, she would have used her power for selfish reasons. I didn't want to kill her, only her power. Now she will live out the remainder of her life as an ordinary woman."
As they walked, Inuyasha knew at least one miko who wouldn't have minded having her power burned out. Then he realized that there was a lot in common between Hikaru and Kikyou. He was just glad that they were on good terms with each other.