Chapter 3: Purity for Evil's Sake

With a blinding flash, Bankotsu felt his body dissolve into nothingness. He felt Banryu escape from his grasp and everything was so bright. Cold air wafted around his him, carrying him.

Shit, now I have to gather my body together. Bankotsu tried to pull himself together and feel the area around him. I really have to get that guy in my group. Everything was so cold around him. And why is it so damn bright?

To his utter amazement, Bankotsu opened his eyes. He had eyes. It was even brighter.

"Shit!" he slammed his eyelids closed. He gasped, opened his eyes again, then quietly cursed for doing it. I can talk too... Maybe that guy wasn't as powerful as he looked...

Bankotsu's eyes fluttered open. The light was lessening in its intensity. He tried to move.

His hand touched his face. I have hands... my body, it's fine. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Bankotsu found himself trapped under piles of debris. It was mostly rocks and wood. He shoved it off. His kimono was filthy. It had dust all over it and some tears in the fabric. He stood up. He was fine...

Bankotsu still couldn't look up at the sun because his eyes weren't fully adjusted, but looking at the ground he couldn't help but stare. Around him was rocks, soil, timber, and a small stream flowed in the distance. The air was clean. Trees were reduced to charred twigs and ashes in the debris he had pulled himself out of.

"I'm..." he said, trying out his voice again, "I'm on earth..." But how? He stared around in amazement. Something shiny caught his attention out of the rubble. He walked over to it and threw some rocks off. There, in pieces, was his Banryu.

Bankotsu's face contorted. He picked up the handle and looked distantly at it. He let it fall to his feet. He was on earth... Damn that Inuyasha. He'll pay for this.

Bankotsu paced out of the rubble and down to the stream. It was clear and beautiful. He stared at his reflection. There was dirt and grit all over him. He washed his face and hands. The water was cool and refreshing. He slapped some water down his back and redid his hair into its normal braid.

Then without a smile or frown, Bankotsu exited the wreckage. He would discover what this was all about.

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Kikyo felt the ground disappear beneath her feet. Her body was fading. With a last confused last glance at the beings around her, she evaporated.

Am I ascending? No, that doesn't make sense. What is going on?

Suddenly she could feel again. She was wet, very wet. Her body was floating in some sort of fluid. Kikyo tried to swim, but her clothes were heavy and she felt very weak. For some reason she did not need to breath. She managed to pull herself out of the water onto another bank. She opened her eyes. She was by a small river. The sky was blue and the grass was green. She touched her arm. It was... clay.

Kikyo blinked several times in shock. She was back on earth. She sat up and looked about, confused. The ground around her was cracked and covered with rubble. Dead trees were shriveled up on the ground before her. The embankment she was strewn on was actually below ground level and Kikyo dragged herself up. She felt extremely weak.

Looking around her, Kikyo saw the remains of what looked like a great rock or mountain. She turned around. Her eyes glued to something resting on the ground.

Her broken bow lay on the other side of the stream. She fell to her knees from sudden loss of strength and partial shock. She slowly turned around again. This was what was left of Mount Hakurei.

The place was completely desolate. She stood up with great difficulty and started walking to the base of the mountain. It wasn't very far.

This explains it, why I'm here. After suffering devastating corruption, the mountain must have released its own last bit of purity to try and pay for the evil. It is likely that everyone who died at the mountain was reawakened.

Kikyo found a steady walking stick and began pulling herself to the base of the mountain. Kikyo felt her vision fading. It seems the mountain has given me my life back, but I have no souls left.

She reached the base. It was easier to move here because the purity of the mountain saturated the air. Only her own tiny piece of soul resided in her and it was easier to stay here, but she had used too much energy getting here.

Kikyo collapsed to her knees on an incline. She dropped the stick. Her head dropped as she tried to rest.

"Hey! Suikotsu, there you are!" a feminine voice called out. Kikyo forced herself to look up.

"Sui..kotsu.." she whispered with suspicion. Kikyo saw the feminine member of the Band of Seven trot over to doctor Suikotsu with his snake-like sword in hand. Kikyo was just below them on a rock foundation. If they turned around they would clearly see her, but neither noticed.

"Who-Who are you?" the doctor stuttered.

"Oh come on Suikotsu, don't do this to me again. Stop pretending to be a saint."

"What are you talking about," Suikotsu sounded frightened.

Kikyo was totally powerless. She sat there and watched. She tried to move her limbs, but only slid further down the incline.

"Snap out of it," he hit Suikotsu across the face. Kikyo's eyes glared at him. Her face lost it's anger as she saw another member step out from behind them. Neither seemed to be paying attention. He was the fire spitter and had an ill intent in his eyes. Kikyo's brow furrowed as she watched him.

He picked up his gourd from around his belt and took a long swig. Kikyo's eyes widened dramatically as she called out to doctor Suikotsu, but she was drowned out as a torrent of flames engulfed both doctor Suikotsu and Jakotsu. He never even heard her.

Kikyo heard their horrible screams shattering the peace of the defeated mountain. She stood up and threw her stick like a spear at Renkotsu. His gourd split and poured out a strange fluid all over the rock. He stopped and looked at her.

"Fool!" he yelled at her and blew the fire up off the rock with the remaining fluid and hurled a wall of fire at her. Kikyo braced herself with her arms, but it singed her clothes and scorched her face. She was thrown a few feet down the mountain.

Kikyo sat up in frustration. Renkotsu grinned as he issued one last gush of fire at his two victims. Jakotsu had let out a horrific scream and dropped his sword while Suikotsu gasped before both fell to the ground still smoking. Their bodies looked like charred mutilated pieces of flesh.

Kikyo forced herself to her feet and stumbled over to them. Renkotsu had disappeared up the mountain. Kikyo panted, trying to get up to the downed murderers. She fell at their sides. Kikyo bit her lip as she warily raised a hand to touch Suikotu's face. He was dead. There was no mistake. She touched his cheek and he didn't move. His eyes were glued shut in pain and his mouth was open.

Kikyo felt the agony break loose in her chest. He didn't deserve this. She clenched a fist and bit harder down on her lip. A tear slowly slipped down her cheek. After a moment, Kikyo bowed her head and prayed for him. May you finally find peace my friend.

Then she turned to see Jakotsu. She scooted over to him and observed his vast burns. His back had received most of the damage. She pushed him onto his back to look at his face. Her eyes widened. He was.. still alive!

Should I help him? He is a vile murderer. He is human. He is... like me.

She pulled his head up onto her lap. He moaned in pain. She tore her sleeves and wrapped the severely burned areas up. She removed some more material as a cold cloth for his head since her clothes were still wet from the river. Half way through her ministrations she realized that no matter what she did, he would die. His fried blood caked onto her hands. She tried to wipe off his face.

"Don'ttt b-both-ther," he slurred, "wom-man.." His face contorted and he pinched his eyes shut. He was in great pain. Kikyo put her hand to his forehead. Jakotsu opened his eyes weakly and looked up at her.

"If you want to make your..ssself feel good, don't do it at... at my expense," he stabbed at her with is attitude. His breathing was labored and his eyes were like daggers.

"I'm sorry it ended this way," she said, sadly looking at him. "Try to rest, it will be over soon." Jakotsu's eyes widened a bit. His eyes were no longer stained with hatred, but regret. He coughed up some blood, that Kikyo wiped away, and then smiled. He closed his eyes.

"See you later," he whispered bitterly before giving into death.

Kikyo felt his head turn and rest like dead weight on her lap. She rested his head back on the ground and folded his hands on his chest. She sat there a long while. The air sifted through her hair and clothes until she was only damp and not wet.

Kikyo kneeled and prayed for a long while. Her head was bowed and her eyes shut. When she looked again upon the warrior sprawled before her, she couldn't help but frown. His soul was batting about confusedly inside his body. Kikyo put a hand above his chest and withdrew the hesitant orb of light. She cupped it in her palms. It's white glassy light bounced on her face, arms, and torso. It did not make any effort to leave her grasp. It's lingering presence was agonizing to Kikyo. A part of her wanted it to go, but another selfishly flared in her gut to keep it. It may be the last chance she had to survive and get off the mountain. Suikotsu's soul had already ascended; she had seen it. She was tired of taking souls, living a lie, not even living. She did not belong here, and even if hell wasn't the most inviting place, she couldn't fight the inevitable. Still, the primal desire for life clawed at her heart. A survivor, that's what she was, in the most ironic way. So should she cower now, submit, do the right thing?

The approach of footsteps drew Kikyo's attention slowly to the side. A man stood in range of her. He had stopped in his tracks at the sight of the bodies and her holding the soul. His eyes revealed nothing. It was him, the leader of the Band of Seven: Bankotsu.

For a long moment he just stood there. He looked at her, the bodies, and considered the scene.

A deep disturbing gut feeling made the hair rise on the back of Kikyo's neck. He was intense. His posture, his resolve, his eyes were commanding. The cocky youth (even though Kikyo was probably the same age as him in terms of their ages at death) who had taunted her and challenged her reasoning of life looked so serious. He appeared aged and wise in a resolute wrathful way. It was scary... His aura, she gathered, was something close to fury. His eyes flashed the maddened aching rage that only those who have experienced first hand can identify and feel.

Kikyo's eyes returned to the soul that simply bobbled gently in her hands. Bankotsu carefully tread over to the spot where Renkotsu had stood minutes ago. He paused and peered at the ground, then turned to Kikyo.

Kikyo began feeling light headed. She wouldn't be able to remain conscious much longer without a soul. She almost passed out, but caught herself. She brought her hands close to herself, but with a simple breeze, the soul decided to leave. It floated peacefully up into the air and then disappeared.

Kikyo dropped her hands to her thighs. She watched it as long as she could, but then her vision clouded and everything became black. All sound faded into silence and she felt herself falling.