Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Still no reviews...but I shall prevail! Or at least finish the story.
Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome. No flames.
"Here you are, miss," the driver told her, "This is the hotel I was told to drive you to."
"Thank you," Kyoko paid him, and strode into the small building. After she had checked in and left her bag in her room, she decided to go for a walk around the town, and visit the now-off-limits cemetery where the shrines of her two ancestors were.
"So, this is where the bodies of Kikyo and Kagome lay," Kyoko thought, peering through the locked gate. The cemetery resembled a small park, with trees and ponds abundant. "Well, it could be worse, considering all the great mikos rest here," she thought wryly, and turned her back to the place.
Stiffening, she spun back around when she had gone several feet from the gate. Behind her stood Toshiro, with a smirk on his face.
"So, Kyoko, it's taken me a long time to find you again," he began, "I should have known that fall didn't kill you. I intend to finish the job now, however."
As she stood in shock, the youkai transformed into a huge gray dog, surrounded by a yellow glow. Kyoko turned and ran, but the demon was too fast for her.
Panting, she dived into the bushes, and gathered her miko powers around her. Envisioning a means of escape, she felt her body pulse as she transformed into a willow tree, appearing to always have been there.
Snarling, the inuyoukai clawed at several areas, but couldn't find her scent again. After several minutes, he transformed back and faded into the shadows.
"Too close…" Kyoko thought. Having spent the remainder of the night as a tree, she received odd looks as she stumbled into the hotel at dawn. Ignoring the murmurs, she locked herself in her room and crawled into bed fully dressed.
Falling into a deep sleep, she was plagued by nightmares, where Inuyasha and Kaede were dead, and Toshiro was hunting her down. As she ran, Kyoko thought she could see a shadowed figure in the distance, but woke up just as she reached it.
After a cold shower and hot breakfast, the miko decided to remain indoors for the rest of the day, and prepare herself for purification by meditating. She and Kaede had decided that early dawn was the best time to bathe in the springs – the morning sun, early dew, and crystal-clear waters was the best thing for her body and soul at this point.
Casting a glance at her bag, where the Shikon no Tama was resting in a steel case, Kyoko sighed, and returned to her meditations.
"Are you planning on coming back soon, Lady Kyoko?" the manager asked hesitantly, as Kyoko opened the front door to the street. She glanced at him, and shook her head.
"I shall be out all night. Do not wait up for me. I shall return in morning, don't worry. I shall be fine," she said absently, and shut the door behind her.
The manager peered suspiciously after her, but decided not to question the doings of a miko, and went to bed.
Slipping into the cemetery was a simple task for Kyoko, and she soon found her way to her ancestors' shrines, which were side-by-side. In front of Kagome's shrine was a deep pond, and connected to the other by a small stream. In Kikyo's pond, there was a small waterfall leading to another pond, shallower than the first two. Above the third part there was a small fenced-in area, where Kikyo's shrine was located.
"I wonder how Kagome would have felt, knowing that Kikyo's shrine is higher than hers?" Kyoko thought wryly, and then wondered if her ancestor would have even cared. Laying the small steel box that contained the Shikon no Tama in front of Kagome's shrine, Kyoko shrugged out of her long black duster, and covered the box with it.
Standing in the moonlight, which was almost nonexistent since the moon was only a slim crescent, Kyoko appeared to glow, dressed in a pure-white gown that clung to her slim figure.
Kyoko first knelt in front of Kagome's shrine, and murmured several prayers to her ancestor, and then stood. Placing a foot cautiously in the water, Kyoko took a deep breath and immersed herself in the water.
Coming up for breath, she gasped and shook her hair back. Completely wet, the dress was almost transparent, and appeared almost like a second skin.
"You must immerse yourself in Kagome's pond first, dressed in the robe," Kaede had told her, "Next, stand in the middle of the second pond, and undress. Discard the gown – it's purification powers will have been used by then. Let the waterfall carry you into the last pond, and recite these prayers aloud as the sky lightens to gray."
Kyoko recited them in her head as she made sure she had been completely soaked by the waters of the first pond, and made her way into the second part.
"Remain in the pond until the sun breaches the mountains, and then kneel in front of Kikyo's shrine and recite the prayers to her," Kaede had continued to instruct her, "Return to where you started, and hold the Shikon no Tama in your hand. Once you are both purified, dress in a second change of clothes you must bring, and return to Kagoshima as quickly as possible."
Standing in the middle of the pond, Kyoko slid the gown off her slick body, and tossed it on the bank. As her hair clung to her back, and the moonlight caused her skin to shine, she was completely unaware of a presence nearby.
"How dare this woman trespass, and bathes in sacred waters!" he inwardly raged, but decided to withhold revenge until she had finished.
Floating on her back, Kyoko allowed the waterfall to carry her into the last part, and waited for the sky to lighten. She didn't have long to wait, and immediately recited the prayers aloud.
Water dripping off her curves, Kyoko calmly waited in the water until the sun had risen past the mountain's line. Unfortunately, the presence decided not to wait further, and leaped down from the cliff where Kikyo's shrine was located, landing on the bank in front of Kyoko.
She gasped in shock and anger, and attempted to cover herself with her hands.
"The purification ritual is ruined!" she thought, "No one was allowed to see me until it was complete! I will have to wait until the next time the moon is almost gone to attempt it again! I can't wait that long!"
"Who are you?" the stranger growled, his silver hair brushing the back of his knees. Grabbing her by the wrist, he pulled her toward him roughly. Peering at her frightened face, a strange look crossed his face, and he dropped her unceremoniously back into the water.
Glaring at the man – whom she was positive was an inuyoukai – Kyoko's shame of being caught naked fled, and prepared to defend herself.
Regaining his composure, Sesshomaru bent to help her up. Looking at him, Kyoko saw that his hand looked as if it came from heaven, to support her with some yet-unknown burden.
"Who…who are you?" she demanded angrily, once she had dressed in a black skirt and pale-pink top she had brought. The great lord gazed at her calmly, attempting to dispel the images of her bathing out of his mind.
"I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands," he said formally, "I have a right to know who you are, human."
"I am the Lady Kyoko, a fully-trained miko, and keeper of the Shikon no Tama," she replied haughtily, "The Ladies Kikyo and Kagome were my ancestors, and I have every right to be here."
"As do I."
"You're Inuyasha's older brother, aren't you?" she asked suddenly, and he looked at her sharply.
"How do you know of my family?"
"I'm a descendent of his – in a way," she told him, "I'm a descendent of Kagome. And what right do you have to be here? These shrines are off-limits to all except mikos."
"Kikyo was my mate," he snarled, and she looked at him in shock. Apparently, Inuyasha had left out several important facts when he had told her about leaving Kikyo for Kagome. "I come here often…to visit her," he continued, his face softening.
"Leave, before I am forced to make you."
"You dare to order me?"
"Yes," Kyoko replied, her anger returning, "I had almost completed the purification process, in order that I may purify the Shikon no Tama. But as it is, I now must wait until the next cycle of the moon."
"It would have been void, even if I hadn't revealed myself," he replied mildly. Kyoko flushed, understanding that he must have been there from the beginning. "If I may ask, why is a miko in need of purification?" he asked, slightly mockingly.
"You may not – it is none of your business," she said shortly, "Suffice it to say that a powerful enemy is after myself and the jewel, and I must do everything in my power to stop him."
"Who is after it?"
"Toshiro," she replied, waiting for his reaction. She believed Inuyasha, but decided that verification from someone who had no possible reason to lie to her wasn't such a bad idea.
"Toshiro…I had believed that Inuyasha had taken care of that bastard," Sesshomaru growled, and cast a glance at Kyoko. "And why is he after you?"
"To end the curse that Kikyo placed him under," Kyoko told him, "The Shikon no Tama is an added bonus, I believe."
"Skilled as you are, you are no match for Toshiro, no matter how weak he is," Sesshomaru said firmly, "I will accompany you until he is destroyed."
"That's a rather rash decision, isn't it?" she asked, gathering her belongings.
"You are descended from my mate, and from my brother's mate," Sesshomaru said firmly, "I am under obligation to you – for as long as you need it, however. Once you are safe, my debt will have been repaid."
"What debt?" she asked curiously, as the odd couple left the cemetery.
"Kikyo weakened Toshiro, saving my life," he said, "As powerful as I am, Toshiro had made a pact with another powerful youkai, and drained the power from him in order to kill Inuyasha and myself. Kikyo was…destroyed, before I was able to repay her."
"So, she placed the curse on Toshiro after she was reborn?" Kyoko asked thoughtfully.
"When Inuyasha rejected her, she and I fell in love," he informed her, "I am sure you have heard of Naraku, correct?"
"Of course," she nodded, "I knew that Kikyo's clay body was destroyed, and that her soul was sent back among the dead, but I didn't know of your involvement, Lord Sesshomaru."
"I forced Inuyasha to swear to keep my part secret," Sesshomaru nodded, "Apparently, he kept it well. I wonder, why is he protecting you?"
"He is Lord of the Southern Lands, now," she replied, "Although I am the only remaining descendent, Inuyasha owes me nothing except what I ask of him. And I will ask nothing of him."
"Full of pride," he snorted, "So like a human, Kyoko."
"Inuyoukais aren't the most humble creatures that I've encountered, Lord Sesshomaru," she retorted, "And I would appreciate it if you addressed me as Lady Kyoko."
"I will call you what I wish," he snorted again, "Remember, you hardly contain enough power to destroy me. Kill me, and Toshiro will surely end you as easily as I can at this very moment."
Kyoko fell silent, acutely aware of the powerful youkai beside her as they strode down the street, newly-lit by the sun's rays.
"Lady Kyoko…what is this?" Kaede gasped, meeting the pair on the shrine steps, "Youkais are not permitted inside shrines! You know this!"
"This is Lord Sesshomaru, mate to Lady Kikyo, and my self-appointed guardian," she finished dryly, glancing at the stoic demon. The presence of so many mikos, and so much purifying powers, seemed to hardly affect him.
Kaede examined him sharply, and nodded.
"It appears that he is who he claims to be," she said finally. Leading them into the shrine, she continued. "Why have you not completed the ritual, Kyoko?"
"I was…interrupted," she stammered, flushing angrily, "Lord Sesshomaru believed I was a trespasser, and stopped me before I could complete the ritual. But he had…seen me from the beginning, so it was, unfortunately, void from the start."
"Hrm…" Kaede muttered something. Picking it up with his sensitive hearing, Sesshomaru growled softly at her, displeased by her comment.
Kyoko glanced between the two, unable to understand what was going on. For all of her power and training, her mind was still innocent in several aspects of human nature.
"Unless you wish to be purified, you would do well to stay close to Kyoko," Kaede warned him, her black hair pulled back, "She is the only one that will not be tempted to purify your presence."
Sesshomaru looked sideways at Kyoko, who appeared startled at Kaede's warning. Smirking slightly, he inched closer to the young woman until their arms barely touched. Aware of an odd sensation running through his body, the lord decided to remain as close to the miko for as long as possible.
I know, I know...Sesshomaru mated to Kikyo? Descendent? Middle brother? No flames - you were warned.