Thanks for reviewing hon.
disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but if I did I would be so loaded. lols.
Days, that was how long it had been since they had started the search for the young priestess' killer. They had found the body without trouble, the carrion were already picking at it which had lead them to her. All had mourned her, and Kikyou was disturbed when she had learned that it had been a priestess that had visited her not a day previously. She had come asking for advice for dressing a wound, she had been following that same advice when she was attacked and killed by the youkai. They had found the herbs that she had been searching for crushed in her lifeless hand. They had gone swiftly to work, wrapping her in a white sheet and then digging her grave, right underneath the tree that she had died upon. They had then lowered her in, using the sheet and buried the body. That had taken a better part of a day to do, plus the marker that they then carved and set over the freshly dug earthand then the flowers that she herself had gone and picked. They had then burned incense and offered their prayers before finally moving on.
The second day they had thought they may have found him, but it turned out to simply be an imitation youkai that was killed in a matter of seconds, revealing a shriveled body that was not that of the youkai they were searching for. The third day they had come across nothing, and now on the fourth it was not looking as though they would be cut any slack by the Gods. They were all tired, but she struggled to keep her eyes opened, searching the shadows always for any lurking dangers.
"We should stop soon for food and rest." She told the rest of the group. They all nodded. They would wait for a glade that would offer some sunshine other than the limited rays that were now filtering through the canopy above their dark heads.
It did not take long and soon they were all resting on the grass, food in hand, eating their meals silently as was the custom. Kikyou's eyes still flitted around the clearing's edge, watching, waiting, it would only be a matter of time before he attacked them, no youkai was that patient...but then there were those that could wait for days on end and never tire, perhaps he was one of those...though they were never said to attack humans without provocation. What will he do? She wondered, fingering the stone laden string that hung around her neck which held the Shikon no Tama.
"Lady Kikyou?" She blinked and looked around at the priestess that had called her name.
"Yes Lady Shizuka?" She asked, not sure whether she had been previously adressed. She chastised herself mentally for day-dreaming.
"Do you think that perhaps we should turn back? None of us see any hope of ever finding the youkai." She told her, small eyebrows drawn down so that there were wrinkles between them. She stiffened.
"Would you have me break my vow to Lady Taka?" She asked indignantly, pride swelling. Once she made a promise it was as good as done, how could these other girls even think of suggesting such a thing. The other girl looked slightly dismayed.
"Surely she will forgive you, it is hopeless, there is no way to find him." She said, taking on a look of resonability. Kikyou sniffed and frowned slightly at them all.
"You are all free to go, but I refuse to leave this forest until I have taken revenge for my fallen sister." She told them, looking sidelong at all the faces. Some of them nodded in agreement, she knew that they would be the ones to stay with her. Shizuka bowed to her. She left right away with many of the others, all of them melting into the terrain as they had on the first day that they had come into these accursed woods. She sighed again. There were limited girls left, but she was pleased to see that they were the best of the girls that had come. There were three in all. Suzume, Rukita, and Tsubasa. All three were expert archers.
"Shall we continue on then?" She asked them. They nodded and all four got up and began their trek once more.
His nose twitched, so did his ears as new sounds and a familiar scent entered the range of his senses.
"Shikon no Tama." He said quietly to himself, his teeth bared in a feral grin. He took off into the air, wind whipping passed him as he traveled through the brush soundlessly. The humans would never know what was coming.
He stopped soundlessly in the brush a few meters ahead of where they currently were travelling. There was no sound from them save their breathing, heavy, though not laboured, and the slight crackling of leaves under their feet. They were moving so as not to make sound. They were hunting. The sweet scent of the jewel of four souls wafted into his nose, stronger than it had been on the girl that he had killed thinking that perhaps she possessed it. He was sure that the one whom carried it was within his grasp. They came into view finally, all were wearing the same outfit as the previous girl, all were female. Priestesses. He thought, finally figuring it out. He must have killed one from their sect. That meant that the one they were hunting for was himself. The corners of his mouth twitched and he cracked his knuckles, getting his claw-like fingernails ready for the carnage that he was about to induce upon this small group of mortals.
He sprang upon them silently, his claws sharp and ready for the kill. The one that he was pouncing on turned and shot an arrow at him. He cursed and wove to the side, sailing into the ground. He righted himself once more and set his sights on the one that had shot at him. He dodged up to the side and around, sinking his claws into the tender flesh of her arm. She cried out, but he had little time to do more damage as three other arrows sang through the air toward him. He dodged again, silver hair whipping his face as he jerked his head around to get a view of all of them. They didn't waist time and shot again without hesitation. One of the arrows glowed purple as it hit the ground beneath his feet. He jumped back. It was purifying energy. She was the one that possessed the jewel. He looked up at her to get a better view of her face.
She was lovely, her midnight hair splaying over her back in rivults of coal black silken threads, her mouth small and full, determined looking as she shot at him again. He dodged and wove, still keeping an eye on her face. Her skin was smooth and creamy, her black brows perfectly formed. She didn't smell half that bad either. He shook his head to snap himself out of it. What was he thinking. humans were weak, no matter how exceptional looking and that was that. That was the reason he saught what it was she possessed anyway, because of human weakness. He launched himself at them again, this time aiming straight for her. She seemed quite surprised as he came down at her and he felt a burning in his side but ignored it as he closed in on her small and insignifigant human form. She went down with him on top of her, ready to rip her throat out and claim his prize but she was quicker than expected and rolled instead of staying flat, usuing her feet to throw him off of her and into a nearby tree. He let out a slight grunt and then crouched, looking up at her menacingly.
She wasn't sure what to do as he came flying at her with a purpose, his golden eyes flashing in a wild and hungry way. It was second nature to her to defend herself and she had flipped him off of her without thought, now she aimed the last arrow at him, satisfied that she would be fulfilling what she said she would. She focused all of her miko energy into the arrow and drew the string tight, wanting him to be impaled to the spot so that he would never be able to move and die somewhere else. Besides, what better fitting place to die than under a tree, just like the little girl that he had killed so cruelly. He was gone in an instant and she blinked again, only to hear the screams of two of the other priestesses. She turned, breath catching in her throat, to see Ayame and Tsubasa fall to the ground, dead before impact, their blood spraying up and then subsiding. She couldn't find the voice to scream with, if she could've then she knew she would be, Rukita was. She had fallen to her knees beside her comrades and was holding one's hand and had the other's head cradled in her lap as she sat there and wept. The youkai twitched his bloody fingers and the claws caught a glimmer of sunlight, making the substance shine a bright ruby colour. She acted without thought then, Kikyou saw it happen, saw the madness enter her eyes as she suddenly stood and took out a concealed knife, charging at him.
"Rukita! No!" She screamed, finding her breath finally. She pluged toward her, trying to avoid the inevitable, but it was too late, just as she made to grab the sleeve of her friend's kimono, her body went slack and her blood sprayed onto her face as she fell to the ground, just as dead as the other two. She found that she was now alone with the mad youkai, his eyes shining in blood-lust as he looked at her from the other side of the priestesses' bodies. Suddenly she was afraid. She was alone now more than ever, and what of the others that had come with her and then left? Had he already done away with them? Her hands shook as she stood there, seemingly holding a staring contest with him. Neither moved, though she would have liked to, would've liked to take an arrow and use it as a knife and drive it through his heart...if he even had one. The sun caught on something that was running down his cheek and it caught her eye momentarily. Was that a tear that she saw. She looked at him in increduality.
"Y-you're crying?" The thought was outrageous, he had just killed three women without batting an eyelid, but he was crying? His brows shot down and he bared his teeth.
"I am not crying, only weaklings and humans cry, and I am neither!" He shouted at her. The sudden outburst shocked her and she stumbled back a few steps out of pure nervousness. His eyes were filled with a haunted rage that she could neither fathom feeling nor describe.
"I saw it." She said, gaining a little more courage. He pounced on her before she could so much as blink, and his hand had closed around her throat, cutting off air passage. She made small choking sounds as she struggled for breath. Was she going to die here? Was she going to die and not fulfill her promise to Taka? She movedher hands up to his thick and pale wrist, attempting to bring it away. He was too strong. Tears were coming to her eyes from the amount of effort that she was putting forth without the help of oxygen, and she could feel her hands beginning to tingle from the lack of circulation to her brain and her thinking was becoming fuzzy.
"L-let...go..." She managed to rasp it out, but it was so quiet that she could barely hear that she had actually said it. His ears twitched forward and she felt the pressure on her wind tunnel lessen but it was still not enough to allow for breathing. She could feel blood and spittle in her mouth as the fluid in her lungs began to come up and drown her. Some spilled from the corner of her mouth and over onto her chin and then his hand. A look of horrification passed over his face for only a moment before it became what it had been before, but he let go.
She gulped the air in, a hand at her hurting throat as she hacked and coughed. She swayed where she knelt, trying her best to keep her balance. She clutched at her own hidden knife and drew it with lightening fast precision, slashing across his chest. The momentum sent her now weak body to the ground and all she saw from that point on was darkness.
She had called a name, she wasn't sure what it was, but the man turned and she saw the youkai that had attacked her and the other priestesses. She did not hesitate, though her body seemed heavy with griefe as she loosed the arrow and it plunged itself into his heart, pinning him to a tree with a binding spell. He would never move from that spot again.
Kikyou woke with a start, shooting up from where she lay. A fire was crackling merrily, the ceiling above her was all sky, stars, and moon and an owl hooted his mournful song in the distance while crickets chirped all around her. She didn't remember this place, she was in a field. The last place that she had been was the forest where everyone had been... She couldn't finish the thought, and it brought tears to her eyes. She realized that there was a red piece of fabric covering her and on closer inspection she found that it was a kimono. She ran her hands over it. It was soft and closely knit together, red like her own hakama. A twig snapped and she brought her bow about, ready to shoot whomever it was that was intruding upon her nighttime resting place. The silver haired youkai came into the firelight and she hardenend her gaze, drawing the string tighter and aiming straight for his heart...just like in her dream. Only, this time she did not say anything for she did not know what to say to the man that had killed four of her sisters and then hesitated in taking her life. She would kill him, had to kill him. He stopped and eyed the arrow that was pointed at him before uttering a small "Keh." then moving passed her, yanking bow and arrow from her grasp without any trouble at all. She gasped in surprise.
"Shut up and sit down mortal." He told her dismissively. No one talked to her like that.
"How dare you say such a thing to me!" She cried. "You killed them all and you just expect me to do your bidding?" She glared at him as he sat cross-legged across the fire from her and glared back.
"Yeah, I do, besides, wouldn't that give ya' all the more reason to listen to what I have to say?" He asked her. His voice was oddly annoying, but it suited what she had seen of his personality thus far. She crossed her arms across her chest defiantly.
"No." She answered simply. He blinked, looking as though he had not expected her to react in such a way. It would seem that her host was used to getting things done his way. He scowled at her and stood, stepping toward her once. She didn't flinch. His scowl deepened and he sat down heavily once more. She realized that his gi was gone and then remembered the bright red cloth that had been layed over her as she slept. It was the kimono he had been wearing earlier. She was even more confused now. He was a blood thirsty beast and yet he had taken the time to make sure that she was warm and realatively comfortable? What was wrong with him? She too sat down after a few moments of standing and she stared at him. He looked across at her, ears twitching.
"What're you starin' at?" He asked her darkly. Her left eye twitched but she stayed realatively calm.
"You killed my friends and another priestess not so long ago as well...but you made sure that I was comfortable." She stated matter-of-factly. "Why?" He made a grumbling sound in his chest.
"The others aren't dead, and I didn't mean to kill that little girl." He muttered.
"What!" She asked, dumbfounded. He seemed to remember that she was there and he jumped.
"I saidit's none of your business ugly!" She was taken aback. Ugly? Had he just called her ugly?
"Excuse me!" She yelled at him.
"You heard me!" He yelled back. She found herself speechless. This man was pysco. She turned her head away and looked in the other direction, refusing to face him any longer. The indignaty of the whole situation was enough to make her scream. She should be killing him right now, but found that she couldn't, she was too interested in this gods forsaken man. Why had he suddenly burst out like that, it seemed that he was prone to such fits. She shifted her gaze in his direction and regarded him from the corner of her eye.
"I have an obligation to kill you, you know." She told him.
"Keh." There it was again. It seemed to be his favorite word. She knew that he was scoffing at her, knew that he believed that she would never be able to hurt him above the scratch of an arrow over his skin as he fled faster than she could shoot.
"Go back to sleep." He ordered her. She sniffed in indignance, but laid down anyway because she was tired. The kimono that he had left for her was warm and she snuggled into it against the cool spring night. Should she really fall asleep here, he could kill her while she slept, he could be waiting for that. But he had said that he hadn't meant for that young priestess to die, though it was so quiet that she could have been hearing things...but she doubted it. She fell into a fitful sleep.
As soon as her breathing had become deep and even he knew that she was asleep. Foolsih girl. He thought, now she was all the more vulnerable. It disturbed him that he had said his thoughts outloud earlier, he was allowed to show emotions to no one. No one should know what he was thinking or feeling. It made him all the more weak. He waited as she slept, when he thought it was safe he would go over and steal it from her. Its scent was heavy and sweet, making his mouth water with longing for its power. Soon he would be a full demon, not some measly half-demon that could do little against any foe. He was an outsider to both races, humans and demons alike. After his mother had died he was chased out of their village by the men, calling him names and cursing at him, throwing rocks at him even. He had never met his father and when he had finally met his brother he had disowned him without so much as a blink of his stony and heartless eyes. He would show him at least, become a full-demon to equal him in skill and lethality. Then surely he would be accepted by him, and humans would fear him too much to pelt him with rocks and the like.
He could wait no longer and he crept forward, making no sound as he closed the distance between himself and the priestess. Closer, closer, closer... He felt his heart beating faster as his excitement grew. He reached her sleeping body, it was beautiful and serene in the moonlight. He felt his breath catch at the sight of her and then shook his head. What was wrong with him, those that loved humans were weak, just as his father had to have been weak. He reached his hand out slowly, carefully parting the front of her gi slightly, and reaching for the stone embeded string that he knew held what it was he was looking for. He gave a surprised yelp as his wrist was grabbed in an iron-like grip pushed against his pressure point causing him to let go. He found that he was on his back on the hard ground, the priestess over top of him, her eyes wide awake despite the sleep that she had been in not two minutes before. He quickly blinked the surprise from his face and began to fight back. He knew that he was stronger than she was, he knew that he would dominate. Not without a fight it would seem.
He turned the tables quickly enough but did not stay on top for long, she used the same manuver that she had earlier that day and sent him flying away, skidding across the ground on his back. He got up quickly and found that she was fleeing back into the forest. He cursed and picked up his gi as he started after her. He found that the cloth smelt like her after having covered her slender body and he grimaced despite the fact that it was not an unpleasent scent. It was a human smell afterall and all humans smelled bad...all except his mother. He was already gaining on her as she entered the forest. He wasn't at all sure how she traveled so fast. It must have beena human thing, he had noticed that they seemed to be able to run faster if their lives were on the line. He gained momentum and lept up into the air, hoping to land infront of her, but she was in the forest already before he made his landing. He skidded and then got up again, following her in. He would catch her sooner or later. His feet, light against the ground made little more than a rustle as a sign of his passage. He could hear her heavy footsteps up ahead, despite the fact that he could not see her. He lept ahead and she came into view, white gi livid against the cold dark-green of the forest at night. He smirked and started his excursion forward. He lept upon her, tackling her to the ground as he grabbed her by the waist. She didn't stop for breath in her struggle for freedom and he struggled hard to keep her where she was. She reached back and hit him over the head with her fist.
"Ow!" He cried. She managed to kick him away and started to crawl back to her feet but he gained height and pushed her down by the shoulders, rolling her over and pinning her hands at her sides. They both panted hard as they stared one another down. He had finally won the advantage, but her eyes were still defiant as she looked up at him.
