Goodbye Solitaire
Chapter One
In The Darkness Of Solitude…
:Kikyo:
I tended to the herb garden in silence, enjoying my quiet time.
" Kikyo-oneesama! Kikyo-oneesama!" I felt the twinge of annoyance all older siblings felt when their alone time was interuppted when Kaede called for me. I stood, two baskets carefully balanced on each hip, one with weed, one with herbs.
" Hai, Kaede-chan?"
" The demon slayers are here," Kaede relayed to me dutifully. My eyebrows shot up. They were two days early.
" Hmm. Arigato, Kaede-chan. I'll go greet them," I smiled gently at my younger sister and handed the baskets to the younger child. Then, I began to walk to the temple, where the taijiya were no doubt waiting. I was notified a few months earlier from my former master that the demon exterminators would arrive soon to give me the Shikon no Tama, a cursed jewel they could not protect as well as they had hoped.
I arrived at the back of the temple and walked around, only to be greeted by a sight of maybe eight demon slayers, all looking middle aged. ' Probably because they have much more experience than others.' I thought to myself.
" Are you Kikyo-sama?" The one in the front asked. I nodded.
" I am Ishinomatari. Please call me Tari. We have come from the mountains to deliver the Shikon Jewel safely to you, in hopes that you could protect it better than us," Tari said. I nodded solemnly.
" I understand," I said. Thunder clapped nearby, and my hairs stood on end as the demon slayer pulled out a box. I stepped forward, my pale hand outstretched to open the wood case. As my delicate fingers touched the wood, rain began to pour down. The box was opened, and I took in he sight of the Shikon no Tama. It was pretty and gaudy at the same time. The jewel glittered pink, and with my sensitive sight, I could see the pink and blue aura that looked like sparkles leap off the trinket. It was attached to a delicate looking chain that looked so breakable.
" The chain is made from demons teeth and fang, priestess-sama. However fragile it looks, it is sure to be very strong, even against youkai," Another taijiya spoke. I glanced at her and nodded.
" Very well. I assure you, the Shikon no Tama will not fall into the hands of evil," I said evenly. Tari nodded, and lifted the Shikon from the box. I cupped my pale hands and the pink jewel along with the youkai chain were dropped into my hands.
" Good day to you, Kikyo-sama," Tari bowed.
" Please, stay and rest up before you leave. I would hate for you to be hurt on your way back," I requested.
" I apologize, miko-sama, but we must leave. We will arrive safely back to our village, we assure you. We pray that you stay safe," Tari smiled. I nodded and watched the group leave me village, leaving me with a terrible, cursed jewel.
:About eight months later, Inuyasha:
My furry ears twitched as I picked up on the conversation going on below me.
" Didn't you hear? The Shikon no Tama is in the village, Edo!" A youkai whispered excitedly.
" Shikon no Tama?"
" It's a jewel that can grant anyone any wish,"
" Mmm. Sounds promising. In the village of Edo you say?"
" Hai, hai. But I would wary…" I didn't hear the rest of it. I was already heading south towards Edo. That jewel would be mine. But it would have been wiser to stay…
" …Afterall, there is a powerful miko guarding the jewel named Kikyo. No demon has ever survived an ecounter against the great miko,"
" A miko? That doesn't sound pleasant for anyone with youkai blood."
:A Few Days Later:
I spied the small village below. It was rather simple and boring. The adults woke at dawn, the wives made breakfast, before everyone old enough left for the fields. The younger ones stayed with those too old to work, or did not run a shop. Those slightly older ran errands and helped look after the young. I growled to myself. 'There is no jewel here!' At least, that what I thought, until I saw a pale miko walk out of the temple with a pink jewel in her hands. My eyes went wide. 'That's it! Dammit, that stupid youkai never mentioned a miko. That jus makes things harder…' The miko approached the woods, coming closer to my perch. My ears laid back and I crouched. In a blur, I had launched myself at the rapidly disappearing priestess. Three 'twang's rang sharply in ears before blurry arrows were lodged into my clothing, pinning me to a tree. I growled. 'How did she do it!' I wrestled around a bit, trying to get out of the hold I was in, though obviously no trying my hardest. The priestess approached me.
" You have been watching me for two days," She said indifferently. I snarled back at her, swiping my claws.
" What is your name?" She questioned. I glared at her.
" Well? Or do you not have one?" I narrowed my eyes, and decided I had enough of hanging off the tree. I violently ripped my arms and leg from the arrows and dashed off ino the woodland, the pale miko looking after my fading figure.
:Kikyo:
I stared after the strange inu youkai with curiosity. Inu youkai were notoriously arrogant, prideful, and tempermental. They also kept to themselves and had great confidence in their own powers. 'So why would one want the Shikon no Tama?' I shrugged it off and returned to the village. Hopefully, the strange inu youkai wouldn't come back. Because for some reason, I didn't want to kill him. I shook the strange thoughts away and went back to my herb garden. I began to weed, the dirt gathering underneath my dull human nails. I put the weeds in one basket. Then, I began to gather the herbs that were ready to be picked. I balanced each basket on my hip, before going back to the temple. The weeds could be used for fire fuel, and the herbs would be useful for healing and potions.
" Kikyo-oneesama?" I turned and looked at Kaede.
" What is it, Kaede?"
" I found this out in the forest," It was a carelessly wrapped piece of parchment, rather old looking. It was no bigger than my palm, and on the front, it had 'Priestess' in an unused scrawl. I unfolded the parchment slowly, so I wouldn't rip it. When it was spread out, I blinked owlishly. All it said was 'Inuyasha' on it. And then suddenly I clicked.
" Dog demon…" I murmured to myself. Then, I smiled softly and gazed at Kaede.
" Where in the forest did you find it, Kaede?"
" Near the Goshinboku," I nodded, and placed the folded slip into my sleeve. It would seem, that the inu youkai would remain near the village for a time.
:Inuyasha:
I wondered briefly as I wrote that small note if I should do it. By the laws of dog demons, I should never give out my name unless I had a great amount of trust in that person. Dog demons were hard to track down, and not knowing their name made it even harder. Still, I figured since I would be trying to steal from her, that she would deserve to know my name. Afterall, I might leave with her blood on my claws. The next thing I wondered about was if she would understand it. I never learned many words, and could write and read a few basic ones. That thought was quickly erased when I thought of what my name meant. 'She probably thinks I'm a full youkai. Keh, yeah right.'
I reclined in the large tree, watching the village with my enhanced vision. Twigs snapped and again, the small girl stepped into the clearing, looking directly at the Goshinboku. I turned my dull eyes on her, wondering what she would do if I decided to jump. Would she scream? I smirked at the thought. Then I remembered how much screaming hurt my ears. Which made me scowl. I knew she couldn't see me, because the thick foilage hid me. I finally had enough of waiting, especially since the girl's brown eyes were becoming unnerving. I leapt down. She gasped, took a small step, and nervousness and a slight tinge of fear entered her scent.
" Inu youkai…" My ears twitched at the soft spoken words.
" What, the priestess didn't tell you my name yet?" I snapped. I sat back on my haunches, gauging her reaction. The tenseness in her shoulders was present, but the fear had faded away. I could tell by the way her legs were positioned she was going to run for the miko.
" Don't even think about running. Dogs like a good chase. What makes you think it would be different for inu youkai and hanyou?" I stood to my full height, cracking my knuckles, neck, and back in the process. I saw her swallow and edge away from me.
" What? I'm not gonna eat ya. For one, only weak demons would feast on humans. Besides, I don't go after children. It ain't right," I snorted. The child seemed to relax a little bit more.
" What's your name?" She asked. I had to congratulate her. Her voice was steady, loud, and clear. If it weren't for my sense of smell, I wouldn't be able to tell she wanted to run from he clearing, screaming her head off.
" Keh. Inuyasha," I crossed my arms over my chest and glared down at the small girl.
" I am Kaede," Kaede held out her small hand. I blinked at it.
" Eh?" Kaede sighed.
" Nevermind," I huffed.
" Hey, kid, so what can you tell me abou that priestess? Age? Name? Any siblings?" Kaede glared at me.
" I could tell you, but you would probably use that information against her," I scowled.
" Look, the only thing I could use against her would be the sibling factor, and I don't do shit like that. I just want the jewel, and then I'm gonna leave ya guys alone," Kaede eyed me carefully.
" Her name is Kikyo. She is eighteen years old. I am her younger sister, and her only sibling."
" Hmpf. You're not half bad…for a human," Kaede huffed and stomped her foot.
" How dare you insult my race like that!" She yelled. My ears flattened themselves to my head.
" Hey! Lower you voice, its hurtin' my ears!" I snapped back. Said ears twitched when I heard the faint whistle of an arrow. I narrowly dodged the projectile and I fled into a nearby tree. I glared down at Kikyo from my perch. I growled at the miko and bared my fangs.
" So Inuyasha, this is where you've been," I wrinkled my nose at her and didn't reply. Kaede looked back and forth between us.
" Kikyo-oneesama, Inuyasha is kind of nice," Kikyo looked down att the child and blinked in surprise.
" I ain't nice. I just don't go around killin' humans or children like other youkai," I grumbled.
" So you can speak," Kikyo said, amusement coloring her tone. I snarled at her.
" Of course I can talk, I jus decide not too. 'Sides, I'm just here for the jewel, and that's it. I'm not here for chit chat. I'd appreciate it if you would lower that weapon of yours too, 'cause I ain't gonna steal the Shikon. At least not right now," I jumped across the clearing to the tall tree I was in previously, and reclined in its lower branches so the human girls could still see me.
" Ne, Inuyasha, do you have any siblings?" I stiffened.
" Yeah, and he's a damn bastard. I suggest you stay away from that subject, since he's a human hater. You so much as annoy him and your guts will be coverin' the ground. 'Course, I don't see him much. He's stuck up, and a pain in the ass,"
" So we can assume that you inherited that from him, no?" Kikyo's lips upturned.
" If I were anything like him, I would've killed ya by now. 'Course he is smart enough not to kill kids. But usually, that's just demon kids. He hates me, and I hate him. That's it. Haven't seen him a couple of decades," I yawned, but inwardly, I was glad that I hadn't seen Sesshomaru in decades. I looked back at the humans and snorted before leaping off into the darkening sky. No reason for them to see my human night. Let them believe I was youkai. Afterall, ignorance is bliss.