Inu-Yasha

A Feudal Fairy Tale


Disclaimer: This episode of Inu-Yasha is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Inu-Yasha. "Inu-Yasha" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1998-2003 Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc. Inu-Yasha is a trademark of Viz Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.


A Change of Heart
Scroll Three:
The New Quest


Kagome and Sango stare in shock at Inu-Yasha, who they just found sleeping in a tree with Kikyo. Both have their arms wrapped around each other and look very calm and content. The taijiya and her faithful neko youkai Kirara turn to Kagome, who is now walking backwards and looking hurt.

'Why am I feeling so bad?' the reincarnation of Kikyo thinks to herself. 'I mean, Koga and I are mates. Inu-Yasha did have his chance to be with me in the past, but he never took it. I'm sorta glad that he's found somebody so when I tell him everything he won't feel so bad, but why does it hurt so much?'

Suddenly, a separate voice in her head responds, 'You still love him. You tried to get him to love you back, but he was too stubborn and too much of a baka to notice.'

'No, that's not right,' she shoots back. 'I love Koga now. I'm his mate.'

'You're a fool,' the other voice chuckles. 'That is a lie and you know it. Inu-Yasha knows what is going on with you and the ookami. It was he who was screaming earlier and you know it.'

Kagome sinks to her knees. "No...it...it can't be..." she whispers out.

Sango places a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Kagome...are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay." She stands up and turns around, tears stinging her radiant blue-gray eyes. "Come on," she beckons to Sango and Kirara, "let's go back to the camp and tell everyone we found Inu-Yasha."

"But what about Inu-Yasha?" the taijiya questions. "What do we do about him?"

"Leave him alone," she responds in an emotionless voice. "He'll come back if he wants to." And with that the three leave Inu-Yasha and Kikyo alone in the tree, alone with each other.

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The inu hanyou begins to stir in the miko's arms due to the now rising sun directly in his eyes. He leans his face into her neck and inhales deeply, ignoring the small of grave soil and relishes in Kikyo's calm, alluring scent. He discards all of the bad memories of the two of them in the past and focuses all on the good ones, including last night where she comforted him in a great time of need. He mutters a quick, "Kikyo," before planting a kiss on her neck.

The miko moans lightly and pulls Inu-Yasha closer onto her. She begins to giggle as the hanyou moves to her ear and begins to kiss there. "Stop Inu-Yasha, I am ticklish there."

He lets out a deep throaty chuckle before moving back down to the woman's neck. Kikyo raises a hand up on top of his head and rubs his right ear, causing Inu-Yasha to purr loudly while kissing her neck. She smiles in remembrance of the times she used to massage his ears for him when she was in her real body.

That last thought brings a frown to her face despite the pleasurable feelings she is getting from Inu-Yasha's lips on her neck. 'When I was in my real body,' she thinks again. The miko moves her right hand off of the hanyou and looks at it. 'This body, this shamble of dirt and bone, how much longer will it last? What will become of it and me if I ever run out of souls to reenergize upon?' She then notices that her skin is paler than usual and she is suddenly feeling weak. She needs more souls and she needs them now.

The miko summons her Shinidamachuu and they are immediately flying gracefully around the tree both she and Inu-Yasha are in, all holding the soul of a deceased young woman. The hanyou hears and smells the youkai come in and looks up in surprise. Kikyo nods at him and he hops off of the tree, but still holding the hilt of his legendary steel-cleaving fang, the Tetsusaiga, in case something goes wrong.

The Shinidamachuu let go of the souls that they are carrying and they float around Kikyo for a few seconds before going inside of her, regenerating her power and life. After she is fully regenerated, the miko leaps off of the tree she and Inu-Yasha slept in and lands gracefully on her feet on the soft earth. The first thing she notices is the hanyou she loves, who is walking a few feet in front of her and sniffing the air. "What is it Inu- Yasha?"

"Kagome was here," he responds, his dog-ears drooping slightly in memory of what he witnessed last night. "So were Sango and Kirara."

"So they now know that we were with one another last night. Will you go back to them?" she asks, her eyes betraying her and looking sorrowful.

Inu-Yasha sighs deeply. "Not right now. I...I just need some time away from them...from her," he finishes in a whisper.

Kikyo hears however and leans in for a warm hug. "There is no need to feel depressed now Inu-Yasha, for I am now here with you."

The hanyou returns the hug, glad that she is with him. "So...what do we do now?"

"There is one thing that I now desire," Kikyo starts.

"What is it?"

"I...I wish to have my body, my old body of flesh and blood back. I grow tired of this shamble of a body made from dirt and bone and from stealing the souls of young maidens and using them so I may stay here on this plane of existence. I want to be alive and have a full soul of my own."

Inu-Yasha takes one of Kikyo's hands and places it over his heart. "I'd like nothing more than to help you with that, but how can we do it?"

The miko leans back and gazes deep into the hanyou's golden eyes. "We can accomplish this task with the Shikon Jewel." Inu-Yasha's eyes go wide. "If we can gather all the shards and make the jewel become whole again, you could wish for me to have my old body back and a soul of my own. However," she adds, looking hesitant, "by making such a wish, the sacred jewel would become purified and disappear. I would not be able to wish for you to become human."

"That's alright Kikyo," he responds. "Besides, I think it would be better if I stayed a hanyou anyway. I have a lot of very powerful enemies and if I were a full human, I wouldn't be able to protect you as well. My Tetsusaiga would be useless. I've lost you once before...I...I don't think I could ever bear to again."

"Oh Inu-Yasha," Kikyo starts, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She leans up and kisses the hanyou full on the lips. He is startled at first, but quickly returns the kiss hungrily. Two former lovers have finally reunited their hearts.

______

Kagome, Sango and Kirara have just returned to their campsite. Everyone is very tired from being up most of the night. Myôga has done his famous disappearing act for the moment. It seems that he feels even more uneasy if his Lord Inu-Yasha is nowhere around. "So, have you found our dear Inu-Yasha?" Miroku asks.

Kagome quickly finds a seat a little ways off from the group, making sure to face away from them. The houshi and kitsune watch her, astonished. "We found him," Sango meekly replies.

Shippô hops onto Miroku's shoulder. "So? Where is he? I don't see him or smell him nearby. Didn't he follow you guys back here?"

"I...I'm not too sure when he's coming back," the taijiya says, looking downcast.

Miroku walks up to her, while still eyeing Kagome suspiciously. "What is going on?" he questions in a low voice so Kagome doesn't hear him. "What do you mean you do not know when Inu-Yasha will be coming back? Did something happen that we should know about?"

"Let's talk about it after we've had something to eat."

"Yeah!" Shippô loudly adds in. "Its morning and I'm really hungry!"

______

Kagome sits nearby, brooding in her thoughts. 'Do I really still love Inu- Yasha?' she questions herself.

'Yes,' comes a simple reply from another part of her mind.

She stops for a moment and thinks about another question. 'Do I love Inu- Yasha more than Koga?'

Once again, the other voice speaks up. 'Did you really love that ookami in the first place?'

'What's that supposed to mean?' she tartly shoots back.

'Think about it...' the voice responds before disappearing.

The reincarnation of the miko Kikyo sighs deeply inwardly. 'What am I going to do?' she asks herself. She waits for a reply, but one doesn't come. 'I must have done this to Inu-Yasha,' she thinks darkly. 'That voice was right. He...he saw me going behind his back, going to Koga. That was him screaming, I'd recognize his voice anywhere.' Tears begin to fall from her brilliant blue-gray eyes. 'Oh Inu-Yasha, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you so much. I didn't mean to push you into Kikyo's arms.'

She suddenly looks up, her face a mingle of shock and horror. 'Oh no, Kikyo! What if she tries to do something to him? What if...what if she tries to bring him down to hell with her? Inu-Yasha needs my help!'

Kagome quickly gets to her feet, surprising the rest of the group a short distance away, who were quietly discussing how to cook Kagome's ramen noodles. She grabs her bow and arrows and sprints off to where she last saw Inu-Yasha.

"Kagome!" everyone else shouts as they hurriedly grab all of their things and quickly follow the young woman. After several minutes of ducking and dodging through the thick forest, they all finally enter the clearing with the large tree in which Kagome and Sango found Inu-Yasha, but to her dismay, there is no sign of the hanyou or of Kikyo.

Kagome sinks to her knees, muttering, "Am I too late? Did she...did she already drag Inu-Yasha down to hell?"

Shippô walks around the clearing, sniffing around and catching the occasional scent here and there. He suddenly stops in his tracks as his fluffy tail perks up slightly. "Inu-Yasha was definitely here," he proudly proclaims. He takes in another big whiff of air. His eyes go wide with concern as he looks over to Kagome. "Um...so was...Kikyo."

"Kikyo?" Miroku questions. He directs his gaze over to the lovely taijiya. "Tell me Sango, did you and Kagome find Inu-Yasha and Kikyo together here? Is that why Kagome is looking so depressed?"

Sango is about to answer when the little kitsune runs towards the edge of the clearing. "Yep," he says out loud, "Their scent is everywhere, but I can tell that they went north. Their scent is much stronger over here."

Kagome looks up, a feeling of hope beginning to dawn in her heart. "So...Inu-Yasha's still alive?" As another thought occurs to her, her heart begins to plunge once more. 'But he's now traveling with Kikyo,' she thinks sadly.

"Well," Miroku begins, starting to walk off to the north, "we were planning on going north anyways to inspect that village and the bat youkai. Perhaps we will run into Inu-Yasha on our journey there." He pauses for a moment to look at all the sad faces all around him. The hanyou was an integral part of the group and it just doesn't feel the same without him. The houshi sighs deeply. 'Inu-Yasha you baka,' he thinks to himself, 'you had better return to us soon so I can whack you over your thick head with my staff for upsetting everyone else so."

______

Kikyo holds on as Inu-Yasha carries her on his back while leaping on top of the trees. She leans back and allows the wind to blow freely through her long dark hair. The miko can't remember when she has ever felt so...free. While riding on her youkai soul collectors, they move slowly yet gracefully. Inu-Yasha's movements are so fast, wild, untamed and so incredible to go through. She regrets not having ridden on him before, for it is such a joyous experience.

Suddenly, they enter a large clearing where the village they were looking for is. The hanyou lands with great ease and kneels down so Kikyo can remove herself from his back. She gets off and rubs one of his dog ears gently, eliciting a slight purr to escape him. Kikyo smiles lightly and begins to walk towards the village. "Good morning," she says to one of the villagers. "I have heard rumors that a local koumori youkai has suddenly become quite a nuisance as of late..."

______

It is now around noon and the odd assortment of humans and youkai decides to take a small break for some lunch. Miroku and Shippô go hunting for some good firewood as the two young women dig through Kagome's abnormally large yellow backpack for some bags of chips and some drinks and a few bowels of ramen noodles. Kagome pulls out a few extra bowels for Inu-Yasha, but she suddenly remembers that he isn't with them at the moment, so she places them back in her pack, all the while looking depressed.

Sango notices and places a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry Kagome, I'm sure Inu-Yasha will come back soon. You know he doesn't like to leave you alone for too long."

The reincarnation of the miko Kikyo sighs sadly. "But that's just it Sango. Inu-Yasha found out that I'm not really alone so he ran off."

The taijiya stares blankly at her friend. "What are you talking about? What do you mean you're not really alone?"

Kagome is about to respond, but a deep voice from behind her does. "What she meant was I, her mate, will always be around her to keep her from harm."

Sango's eyes widen as the tall ookami youkai emerges from the bushes. "Koga!?"

______

It is now a short while before nightfall and Inu-Yasha and Kikyo have disposed of the annoying koumori youkai. The youkai itself wasn't that difficult to defeat, it was the fact that it's entire family of hundreds inside the cave in which it dwelled didn't go too well with the fact that a hanyou and a miko destroyed their leader.

So a few hours, and many, many koumori youkai corpses later, the duo have taken hold of the Shikon Jewel shard. For Inu-Yasha, it was a strange experience fighting alongside Kikyo. Her skills with the bow are unmatched. She nearly took out as much youkai as Inu-Yasha did with the Tetsusaiga. Though Kagome's miko powers do seem to be more powerful than Kikyo's, it still will take her some time to gain the control and precision that Kikyo has.

By the time they make it back to the village, the sun has nearly set. Inu- Yasha's eyes narrow in remembrance. He jumps over to one of the village elders. "Hey you," he begins, "since we took care of that koumori youkai for you, can we have a place to stay in for the night?"

Kikyo shoots the hanyou a curious glance, but doesn't say anything. For disposing of their long time nuisance, the villagers happily offer room and board for the two of them. Inu-Yasha quickly gets into the room and starts a fire. After that is complete, he backs off and resumes his normal sulking position.

"Inu-Yasha," the miko starts, "why are you acting so odd all of a sudden? I thought that you would be happy that we were able to get a shard of the sacred Shikon Jewel."

"Just wait a little bit and you'll see why I'm not in such a good mood," comes his reply.

So Kikyo sits down across from the hanyou and waits patiently. After a few minutes, the sun's last few rays are disappearing below the horizon. Just as it completely leaves, Kikyo's eyes go wide as Inu-Yasha begins to transform before her very eyes. His pointy dog-ears seemingly melt down the sides of his head and turn into normal human ears. His claws and fangs shrink into normal size. His golden eyes darken until they are now a deep violet shade. Last, but certainly not least, his long silver hair all shimmers for a moment before changing colors to midnight black.

The miko places a hand on her now rapidly beating heart. The hanyou she fell in love with over fifty years ago has just turned into a human. "Inu-Yasha?"


To be continued...

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Translations (in order of appearance):

No new translations ~ sorry, I don't know a whole lot of Japanese words!

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Author's notes: Things are beginning to pick up. I've always wanted to show more of Kikyo's warmer kind-hearted side. It usually seems that Inu-Yasha brings it out of her. Also, since I figured that the hanyou never fully trusted Kikyo before Naraku deceived them, he probably never showed her his transformation on the new moon. Needless to say, she is quite surprised.

Oh yeah, I just noticed that I got sent the same review like five times. The same thing happened for my 'The Darkness Within' Tenchi series but the person had the same review down over a hundred times! Though it does make my number of reviews look nice and bigger, I'd rather have it done by the traditional, honest way. Call me old fashioned.

Also, I am a little disappointed in the television series. It likes to portray Kikyo as being more evil and such than the manga. I like Kikyo, stop making her so bad! -- lighthawkdemon

Questions or comments? E-mail me at: lighthawkdemon@yahoo.com