"Inuyasha, don't be such a baby," Kagome chided gently.
"Feh," the half-demon replied, tossing his chin defiantly. "I've said it a million times before, but no one will listen to me..."
A few steps ahead, Sango rolled her eyes at Miroku. "Here we go again," she muttered. Miroku chuckled nervously, fully aware of Inuyasha's keen ears.
"I just don't see what we gain from helping humans when we don't even any jewel shards out of it!"
Kagome sighed patiently, understanding that Inuyasha only said such things to appear strong and cold, like the full demon he wished to be. She had learned ago that he did care for humans, especially when it came to a few certain ones. The soft smile of a girl in love spread across her face as she remembered the confession of his feelings to her the night before. Yes he had stuttered, yes he had shuffled his feet, but his words had been backed strongly by sincerity. The threat of Kikyo, Inuyasha's old love, had finally passed. Kagome could have danced right there on the path, but she restrained herself for Inuyasha's sake. Inuyasha was adorable when he was dying of embarrassment, but she couldn't tease him too much. Discreetly, Kagome took Inuyasha's hand into her own. Inuyasha didn't seem to notice, but Kagome thought she saw a small smile behind his long hair.
Suddenly, Kagome felt a yank in her chest. She looked up, surprised. Jewel shards!
"I sense the Sacred Jewel!" She announced.
"What?" Inuyasha replied as usual. Kagome closed her eyes a moment, trying to figure out where they were. They seemed to be moving.
Her eyes flashed open. Pointing a finger to the forest directly ahead, she immediately took the lead.
Moments later, the group of jewel hunters burst into a clearing. A frog youkai crouched in the center, hopping up and down rhythmically. In one clawed hand lay a girl in her early teens. Blood dripped steadily from a deep wound in the girl's stomach, ending its journey by plopping into a growing red puddle at the youkai's feet. This by itself may not have served as damning evidence, but the blood smearing the frog's face certainly was.
Inuyasha's face darkened alarmingly. "Bastard," he whispered. While he unsheathed Tetsuiga, Kagome glanced around, confused.
"Inuyasha," she began, "I don't sense the shards anymore..."
"Doesn't matter!" Inuyasha yelled, running towards the youkai with a war cry. The frog sneered and leaped away from the first swing with ease. When the giant youkai landed again, the ground shook violently.
This time, Sango tried her luck. Running forward, she launched her boomerang towards the frog's head. The youkai shocked them all by spitting yellow liquid over the weapon that was still flying towards him. Sango watched in horror as her favorite weapon melted in the acidic spit before it could reach the target.
Inuyasha swore violently. "Get back, Sango," he said gruffly. Eyes wide with horror, the young youkai exterminator obeyed, retreating to the side of the lecherous monk.
"Get back, Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted, starting to release the beads holding his purple robe over the lethal sucking hole in his hand.
"No!" Kagome shouted, pointing to the frog's hand, where the girl lay still. "The girl may still be alive!"
Inuyasha ignored the useless chatter and leaped at the youkai's eyes. The sword plunged deep, passing through the eye socket easily and penetrating the brain behind. The frog let out one last pained howl, before falling to the ground. Inuyasha managed to grab the girl before she was crushed beneath the dead youkai's body.
Back on solid ground, Inuyasha lay the girl gently on the ground, cradling her head in his lap. All but Sango crowded around the two.
Kagome knelt down quickly, ignoring the blood staining her knees. Recalling health class, she put a gentle finger to an artery in the girl's neck. Expecting the worst, she was ecstatic to find a pulse.
Grinning at the others, she was about to relate the good news when the air was robbed from her throat. Frowning in confusion, she cocked her head at Inuyasha. He seemed very upset all of a sudden. His mouth was open in a yell, but why was no sound coming out?
And then the pain came. A stabbing, unforgettable pain in her stomach. Looking down, she was surprised to see a long-bladed knife protruding from her abdomen. Attached to the handle was a white hand, coated with two people's blood. Kagome's blurring eyes followed the arm to find her attacker was the girl they had just rescued. But the girl's eyes... completely black but for a ring of cruel yellow around the pupil. A demon? The last thing Kagome saw was the purple glow of a jewel shard in the demon girl's wound.
Unaware she was even speaking, she whispered "So that's where the shard went..." And then her head struck the ground and she thought no more.
"Priestess!" A man cried, pain wrecking his voice. Kikyo turned quickly from one patient to another. What a mess. Less than an hour ago, a giant frog youkai had passed, no, trampled through the small village she happened to be living in for the week. Most buildings were now piles of splinters on the ground, making simple tasks such as walking quite dangerous. Houses could be rebuilt... eventually. But most the people were in no shape to help remake their village. Ten were dead, and a young girl had been taken by the youkai. Who could say what had happened to her? As most of the men were burdened with grave, and possibly life-threatening injuries, no one had gone after the girl. Kikyo could have gone after her, but she had kept her power quiet, not wishing to draw attention to herself. It was sad, but it was what Kikyo had decided long ago: she would look out for herself this time around in life.
Besides, she was helping out here wasn't she? Pushing her guilt aside impatiently, she busied herself applying a splint to a screaming patient's shattered arm. The splint was just for show; the arm would be useless for the rest of his life.
Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from behind. Afraid the frog youkai had returned to finish the village off, Kikyo turned quickly. A gasp of pain lodged in her throat, choking her.
"I-Inuyasha..." she whispered. He and his little gang were emerging from the forest, running quickly towards them. They were all covered in blood and looked terrified. They must have met the frog youkai, Kikyo thought beneath the numbness spreading throughout her body. Wait a minute... Kikyo squinted against the glare of the hot sun. There was the demon slayer... the monk... the little demon child that always tagged along with them... that cat... and of course, Inuyasha. Where is the wench? Then Kikyo's breath caught once more. Her reincarnation was so covered in blood that Kikyo had thought she was part of Inuyasha's red fire-rat kimono.
Against her will, Kikyo found her clay legs running towards the group. Inuyasha's faced didn't changed its horrified expression as she came closer. Kikyo realized he was so scared for Kagome that he didn't even recognize who was in front of him.
Pulling him to a stop, she regarded Kagome carefully. The girl wasn't dead. But she wasn't going to live much longer. Blood was streaming steadily from a stomach wound. Pulling the two jagged edges of Kagome's blouse apart, Kikyo eyed the cut. Clean with straight edges. A knife blade. Somebody had tried to kill the girl. Kikyo drifted off a moment, finding it humorlessly funny that both she and her reincarnation had been murdered with blades. And both had not died instantly. Kikyo winced as she remembered the cold bite of steel ripping muscle apart.
"K-Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked, dazed eyes sharpening a little. Kikyo felt a chill wrap her dead heart as she registered the grief haunting his eyes. They had been the same when she had shot him all those years ago. What would it feel like to watch helplessly as two women he had loved bleed to death?
Kikyo blinked back tears and motioned for Inuyasha to follow her. Entering one of the few buildings still standing, she instructed Inuyasha to place Kagome on one of the bloodstained futons inside. Kikyo had preformed more than one surgery here today.
"I need you all to leave," Kikyo instructed coldly, beginning to unbutton Kagome's blouse.
Inuyasha glared at her. She had never seen that look on his face when it was directed at her. It startled her, but did not change her mind.
"I can't work with people hovering over me," she snapped impatiently. Get out of here, traitorous bastard, she hissed silently.
Inuyasha opened his mouth, clearly ready to argue, but the priest pulled him from the hut before he could say anything. Outside, Kikyo heard his companions trying to calm him down.
Ignoring all sounds around her, Kikyo concentrated on the task at hand. Kagome had lost too much blood... why was she even bothering? She could stop the bleeding, but the chances that would be enough were very, almost impossibly, slim. Nevertheless, she reached for a small jar. She dipped her fingers into the hole in the girl's stomach. This mixture would help the blood to clot. But stitches were also necessary. A few quick pulls of a threaded needle, and the wound was closed. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the girl to die. Noticing she had over-estimated the necessary length of thread, Kikyo reached inside her kimono and extracted a small knife. Grasping the thread in one hand, she prepared to cut it.
It's amazing what holding a knife can do to a person. Such a small object, but nothing else gave the wielder such a sense of power. Old hatred flooded through Kikyo, enhanced by the fact that she could easily kill Kagome right now. After all, the girl was going to die anyway... what harm was there in killing her now? It would certainly help Kikyo get rid of some of the anger she had been bottling in since she saw Kagome in Inuyasha's lap...
Kikyo dropped the thread. Raising the blade slowly, she angled it at Kagome's throat. Taking a deep breath, she was about to plunge the knife downwards... but then a pair of golden eyes flashed in her mind. Kikyo froze. The knife quivered in her pale hand.
Shaking her head, a bitter laugh escaped her lips. She couldn't do it. Whether she wished to admit it to Naraku or not, she still loved Inuyasha. And she couldn't do this to him. Let cruel nature be the bad guy.
"KIKYO!" Inuyasha's voice screamed from the doorway. Kikyo spun, wondering what his problem was now? Then she realized the knife was still raised about Kagome's throat.
"No, Inuyasha," she started, pleading, but it was no use. Inuyasha had her pinned up against the wall in an instant. His face was so twisted with hatred that she hardly recognized him. She had blown it. He would never believe her, or forgive her, again.
"Inuyasha!" The priest shouted from behind Inuyasha. "Kikyo stitched Kagome's wound!"
Doubt flashed in Inuyasha's beautiful eyes. Then he snarled. "It's a trick," he hissed.
"Let me go, Inuyasha," Kikyo said quietly. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, thinking.
Then, with a vicious growl, he threw her towards the door. The priest sidestepped quickly to avoid a collision. Kikyo landed in a painful heap. Looking back, and seeing Inuyasha huddling over Kagome, Kikyo's broken heart broke again and she ran, unable to bear looking back.