Chapter Eight: Kidnapped

Well…the next chapter is up. I guess I've to speed up more before my school term begins. Anyway just enjoy this chapter!


Chapter Eight

An arrow shot at a wild boar. It screamed as it fell down dead. As it shrieked from its injury, a certain violet jewel fell out of its mouth. Kikyo walked over to the dead carcass of the wild boar demon. It was yet another demon that had attempted to steal the Shikon Jewel again. Inuyasha the half-demon watched her from a high tree branch as he sat on it with his arms folded.

For the past weeks, he had tried to attain the sacred jewel but always ended up being pinned to the tree. The hanyou regretted not taking the precious item for himself during the night of the ninja's attack on the shrine. Inuyasha scowled as the priestess turned behind to look up at him.

"Inuyasha," she shouted up to him. "You should be doing more sensible things."

"What do you mean?" He jumped down to the ground, sitting in a dog position.

"You're practically wasting your time," she became critical of the dog demon. Kikyo held up the Shikon Jewel in her hand. "Simply by just a silly desire to acquire this item."

"Give me that gem and I'll stop wasting my time," he snapped back at her.

"You're just wasting your time," Kikyo repeated her sentence again. As soon as she was done talking, the priestess in red and white made her way past Inuyasha. "I'm returning to the village, farewell."

"Hey! Wait…" It was no use. The priestess had walked briskly and was too far to hear his shouting. "Stupid priestess," he cursed.

"There's a way to get that jewel," Inuyasha heard a voice from nowhere. It seemed to echo in the deep forest where he stood beside the dead demon's body.

"Who're you? I demand to know!"

His reply was to be answered. A mysterious apparition appeared before the inu-hanyou as it began to form into the shape of another woman in red and white. She was another miko. "I can help you to get the jewel," she replied in a sinister way. Her eyes showed a sign of great darkness in her heart. Surely, this was a fallen priestess from the grace of the Shinto religion.

"Another priestess?" He looked at the fallen miko.

"You long to be a youkai," she sniggered evilly. Her face was of an evil human, and did not seem to look like a priestess at all. Inuyasha took a step back, shocked at what was before him. "You desire the precious jewel."

"Shut up, you wench!" Inuyasha realized that this was a force of evil before him.

"I can sense the strong desire in your heart," she continued her unmoved tone. She continued to give an evil stare at Inuyasha, whose dog ears have moved into a state of fear. "Join me in getting the Shikon Jewel and I'll grant your wish."

"How can you prove it to me?" Inuyasha replied back suspiciously, but knew he was associating with evil which made him tremble within. "I don't believe you."

"Oh, you shall," her words continued to carry a sinister tone. "Will you kill Kikyo if you have to get the jewel?"

"I…I…" He trembled at her question. Inuyasha had never killed a human before, which made him confused at giving an answer.

"She and her sister are bastard children," the fallen miko informed the half-demon who was in a state of shock. "Their father is somewhere far away, and was seduced by their hussy of a mother."

"Why you stupid bitch!!" Inuyasha used his claws to attack the fallen miko, but failed as his hand fell through her. Of course, it was an apparition only. The evil priestess continued to laugh at his futile attempt.

"It seems that you do harbour some feelings for that wretch Kikyo," she spoke critically. Before she vanished, a few churchyards laughs were heard as she made her disappearance. Inuyasha simply stood there, shocked that he had been exposed to a part of Kikyo's past.

I was a bastard child too…that's what the people called me…

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Kikyo enjoyed the summer evening as she sat on the green grass again. The evening wind blew against her as she wiped her sacred arrows at the metal tip. They had to be cleaned for they reeked of the scent of demons' blood. At the moment she could sense someone was nearby.

"Inuyasha," she spoke out as she continued to wipe her arrows with a certain cloth. "There is no point in hiding." The half-demon quickly came, sitting on the grass beside her again. She continued to make her arrows.

"Nice sunset, isn't it?" She knew what he was going to say next. There was silence unexpectedly. She lifted her head to turn to the half-demon who was looking at the setting sun. "Do you want to join the obon festival?" She noted the expression that Inuyasha was going to say that he would not be accepted.

"That night is a new moon," she replied back before he had a chance to speak. "You can come undetected." Inuyasha was still silent.

"Something on your mind?" The priestess questioned the hanyou as he continued his look at the orange sky. Inuyasha looked back at her, without those eyes of aggression that would demand the Shikon Jewel. "You're a little strange today, aren't you?" She continued to clean her arrows as she brought her focus back to them.

A bunch of bellflowers held by an unlikely hand shot in front of Kikyo's gaze. Shocked by the action, she turned to look at a red-faced Inuyasha who had suddenly given her the flowers. The priestess stopped her work. "What is the meaning of this?" She questioned.

Great…my plan seems to fail…

"I always heard human girls like flowers," he spoke quickly trying to get over it. "So…I…I…"

"Well…thank you," she took the bunch of bellflowers from Inuyasha's hand, and placed them on the grass. "So you do have some humanity inside you."

"Kikyo…" The priestess turned her head up to hear that Inuyasha was first calling her name. "…I heard about this human matter called love."

"It is meaningless to tell me that," she replied coldly while returning to cleaning her arrows. "it doesn't exist in my world. But I'm glad that you first called my name." Looking at the half-demon again, she saw that his face was as red as his own clothing. "Is there something wrong?"

"Er…nope…forget what I asked you!" He snapped back to his usual attitude. He knew that Kikyo was a serious person, and yet he was of a more naïve individual. They belonged to different worlds. "And the night is coming soon."

"I know," she responded calmly. "Why don't you return back to the forest first? I will be completing my work soon." Inuyasha, without giving a signal, jumped back to the forest as Kikyo remained there, clearing the last trails of blood on her arrows.

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Nightfall had come. The sky was now pitch-black, with only the crescent moon to light up the sky. The priestess sitting on the ground had finally completed her cleaning of the arrows. Ready to return home, she got up and picked her weapons. As she was about to make her first step, she felt a few arms grab her.

"Kikyo-sama," one of the ninjas spoke. "I'm afraid that you may have to come with us instead."

"What do you want?" She replied back angrily. "You'll never get the Shikon Jewel as long as I'm alive."

"We don't want the Shikon Jewel," another ninja replied. "Someone wishes to see you."

"Let me go!" Kikyo spoke fiercely as she tried to struggle. Before she knew it, a wooden stick hit her on the head, making her unconscious. She fell to the ground where the group of masked men carried her away into the dark forest.


Mmm…another boring chapter. Never mind, I'll try my best to write a chapter that has some rescue inside. See ya all soon!

Glossary:

Obon : Japanese festival in Summer