Love beyond the Western Lands
Chapter 2: The Fire Child's Visit: Enju
Kikyou awoke groggily from her bed. "…Mmm…" she mumbled. Kikyou opened her eyes. It did not hurt! Whenever she woke up with that strange illness, her eyes stung like hell's fire. She sighed with relief and smiled to herself. "…I'm cured…" she thought. She felt a small pat and looked. A two-tailed neko (cat) was on Kikyou's bed. Her eyes glowed of a dark blue. The pupils shined with the brightest red. Her fur a midnight black and her mane and the tips of her tail a dark purple. Her legs were of the whitest of snow.
"This neko…" Kikyou thought. "…where have I seen it before?" Kikyou racked her mind… when it all came back to her childhood…
Flashback-
Young Kikyou ran frantically through the forest. Her uniform was already torn up. She waved her loose bow about as her quiver was empty.
Suddenly, she tripped over a tree root. Roaring rang out as a giant centipede leapt out in the distance. "…good Lord…" Kikyou thought, frightened. Her eyes shined with fear. Suddenly, a screech rang out… a neko. A gargantuan two tailed cat of the gothic colors. With a slash, the centipede disappeared. The neko turned around. Suddenly, it shrunk to a conveniently sized cat. "Wha… kawaii (cute)!" Kikyou whispered. The neko crawled up to Kikyou and nuzzled her. "Mew! Mew!" it purred.
Kikyou smiled. She took it in her arms. "I will forever keep you by my side… Kaya …"
End Flashback-
"KAYA!" Kikyou exclaimed. Kikyou snuggled with Kaya. "… I missed you …" Soon, a waiting lady came in Kikyou's room. "Kikyou-no-Danna," the waiting lady said, "Lord Sesshoumaru made this medicine for you. It's to help your strength." She handed the cup of smoking liquid to Kikyou. Kikyou took a whiff of the liquid and screwed her face up. "Wah…" Kikyou shuddered. "I know its medicine, but GOOD HEAVENS, that is STRONG." Kikyou reluctantly wolfed down the entire thing.
"Oh, Kikyou-no-Danna!" the waiting lady exclaimed. "There's a girl outside of our gates. She appears to be in pain. She wants to see you and claims her name is… well… she claims her name is… Enju." Kikyou's eyes widened. "Enju? I believe I met her before…"
Kikyou got out of her bed and soared out of the room, her white sleepwear fluttering. Kikyou remembered one thing. "Ah, that's right," Kikyou thought. "I'm a youkai now. She'll be astonished when she sees me…" Kikyou ran her finger over her blue stripes, but feeling her X-scar as well. Anger riveted through her heart. The scar caused by that Naraku…
Flashback-
"Kikyou," Kanna said softly. "For the pain and grief you have caused me… if I could only cause all that to you." Spirit tentacles spouted out of the mirror once again, grasping Kikyou's arms and legs. "What-aah-NO!" She cried. The Ni Hon dropped to the floor. But, something snapped in her head. "That's right! I have the power of a dragon youkai!" she thought. She shut her eyes. With deep concentration, her stripes reappeared on her face and body once again.
With great difficulty, Kikyou blasted Kanna off her feet with her palm. She grabbed a hold of the Ni Hon once again and locked the door Kanna resided in and ran down the corridor.
A katana swung at Kikyou's head, narrowly missing it. "Nara…!" Before Kikyou knew it, Naraku sliced an X on her face. He began to cackle. "Make that a scar that will not fade!" he cackled. Hatred bubbled in Kikyou's heart… a hatred no one had ever had. Blood slid down her face. The cackling drove her crazy until she flipped. "NARAKU, BE DAMNED!" She screamed. She raised the Ni Hon and drove it through Naraku's heart.
Naraku's cackling began to decline, until it became a raspy breathing. "Why won't he die!" Kikyou thought. "Oh… I see. All of his other detachments must fall first before he can die himself." Soon, she heard agonized screams. "Kikyou…" Naraku said scratchily. "…I shall see you…in the bowels of hell…" His soul left his corrupted body. "I won't be going towards the bowels of hell," Kikyou said. "I may be ascending to the clouds of heaven."
End flashback-
It was snowing lightly once again as Kikyou reached the gates. Two waiting ladies were at them. "OPEN THE GATES!" Kikyou screamed. The waiting ladies pulled the gates apart. A girl laid outside as Kikyou rushed to her side. Her crimson and orange garments were stained with blood. Her mahogany hair was matted with perspiration and mud. "Enju…" Kikyou said lightly. "…Enju! Wake up!" Enju tossed lightly. "Mmhn…" Enju opened her shining scarlet eyes painfully. "Tai-Miko (I had a hunch that Tai meant great, so that probably meant great priestess. ") Kikyou…" Enju closed her eyes again. "Ladies," Kikyou began, "take her to the sick room. Fill a bed with the hottest water possible and coat it with a light layer of menthol." "Hai, Kikyou-No-Danna," they said in unison as they lifted her body.
Kikyou ran back in the house. "Sesshoumaru!" Kikyou called. She found in the medicinal room with another doctor. "Sesshoumaru! Doctor Satsuma!" Kikyou exclaimed. "There's a girl at the gates and she's very sick. Can you make a medicine for her?" Satsuma bowed. "Hai, Kikyou-No-Danna," She said, "but first, I must examine her." "Of course, she's in the sick room. Go three doors down and then make a hard right." Satsuma veered out of the room. "There's a girl in here?" Sesshoumaru exclaimed. "Yes, her name is Enju," Kikyou said. "She would not be here unless there is something urgent." "Let's go see her." The couple raced out of the room.
As Kikyou and Sesshoumaru entered the room, Enju was sipping the medicine that Satsuma made for her. Satsuma got up, his long ponytail of blue shining. "She'll be fine," he said. "She shouldn't move very much or shake her head too much; it will disrupt the medicine from working." "Arigato," Kikyou said as the doctor walked out of the room. "Enju," Kikyou began. "What brought you all the way here to the west of the Koragari Prefecture?" "Tai-Miko, our lands of lava are being terrorized…by….by the Shichinintai!"
"SHICHININTAI?" Kikyou screamed. "Aren't they dead?" Sesshoumaru exclaimed. "No, they are alive and well," Enju said. "All seven of them: Mukotsu, Jakotsu, Bankotsu, Renkotsu, Suikotsu, Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu (Sp?)." She sighed hopelessly. "My volcanic home in which I rule over are now in ruins. Tai-Miko, please, you must kill them!" "Don't worry, Enju," Kikyou said. "All I need to know is what are powering them." "The fragments of the Black Gem." "Black Gem?" Kikyou said, quizzically. "It is like the Shikon no Tama," Enju said. "Only, it was not made by Midoriko. It was made by a Kuro-Miko (Dark priestess) named Reia (Pronounced: Ray-ah). In her battle with endless mikos of good, her and her armies of demons were overcome by Midoriko's descendants. In so doing, Reia's hate, rage, anger and jealously created the Black Gem. It is exactly like the Shikon no Tama, only it is evil. Ones like Naraku can re-fill its Jaki." "Enju, don't worry," Kikyou said. "I'll be going immediately." "I'm going with you," Sesshoumaru said. "No," Kikyou said. "I need to go alone. Don't worry, Sesshoumaru. I'll be fine."
Kikyou ran up to her room. She pulled out a bright red miko out fit and put it on. She filled her quiver with holy arrows and swung her bow and quiver over her back. She slid her trusty Ni Hon in her belt and her golden Ameterasu at the back of her obi.
Kikyou kicked open the window and flew out into the night, dropping down a scroll of bamboo down.
It said:
"Sesshoumaru, Riko, Tomo, Rin, Jaken, Satsuma, Enju, everyone…
I don't know how long I would be gone. If I don't return for at least one full moon, come seek me.
I love you, minna (Everyone)!
Kikyou
Meanwhile, out in the plains…
A scream exploded out in the snowy plains. Suddenly, a man exploded out of a cave. His messy black hair obscured his face, but his blood-red eyes shown.
A fan snapped open. "Naraku," Kagura said. "Now that we have awakened once more, what do you need to do?" A mirror reflected water off the panel. "Naraku…" Kanna said softly. "…should I seek out the whereabouts of Kikyou?" Chains clinked. A sword shined with blood. "Lord Naraku," Kayorei said, "would you like me to remove the chains off of Aoi?"
"Kikyou," Naraku hissed. "You Chi-Wah… this time, I will not forget to slay you!"
To be continued…