Chapter 13

Sesshomaru sat quietly against the tree trunk, mulling over his thoughts. Without even realizing it his eyes began lingering over Kikyo, who had fallen asleep next to the burnt out fire. He couldn't seem to resist looking at her. Her beauty yanked at his heart, and Sesshomaru knew that deep inside he wanted her with a passion. Yet he hid this desire behind tons of locked doors, chaining it inside his heart so that it could not escape. He would continue to deny these feelings, not wanting to find out what would happen if he unleashed them. Sesshomaru watched Kikyo's chest rise and fall with her steady breathing, and he realized that his own eyelids were weighing down. The priestess was the last thing on the youkai's mind before he drifted off into unconsciousness and surrendered himself to his dreams…

Three dark figures stood in complete blackness; their shapes only visible by a small light that had no particular source.

"No! Leave him!" Came a voice. It was that of a female.

"Don't you realize what's going to happen? Are you blind, woman?" Came a man's harsh reply.

"You can't!"

"He feels nothing for you! That heartless bastard.."

"No…"

"You want to die?"

"Shut up! Believe it or not, I…I love him!"

Then the light suddenly went out, leaving nothing butcomplete darkness…

……………………………………………………..

Kikyo awoke, rays of sunlight filtering through the treetops and splashing bright color on everything it touched. She sat up and yawned rather loudly, but immediately closed her mouth. There slept Sesshomaru against the tree trunk, looking more peaceful than Kikyo had ever seen him. What came to even more of a surprise was Rin, curled up under his arm, her face buried in the folds of the youkai's silk kimono. Kikyo couldn't help but smile, knowing that Rin had snuck herself there without his consent to share the man's warmth. Sesshomaru would never have allowed her to sleep with him had he been awake.

Kikyo stood up and walked to the edge of the lake, staring out across the glittering surface. She could see herself there from the day before, the water being the only thing that concealed her naked body from a youkai's piercing gaze. The memory was fresh, so much so that Kikyo felt almost like it was happening again. She quickly looked away, not wanting those same emotions to wash over her. I'll gather some food for a morning meal she thought, desperate to get her mind off the incident.

Kikyo wandered into the immense forest and began searching for fruits and anything edible. She felt like a hunter-gatherer, collecting food to feed her hungry family (except for the fact that Sesshomaru and Rin weren't exactly her relatives). The trees grew more dense as she got further away from the lake, and soon the treetops had completely blocked out the rising sun. After wandering around for what felt like hours, Kikyo abruptly stopped walking and frowned. There wasn't a trace of food in this forest; no small animals to hunt, no fruit bearing trees, no nuts…it was as if some supernatural being had come through and wiped out everything there was. This striked Kikyo as odd, for she was usually able to acquire all sorts of provisions from a forest like this one. Then the most peculiar sense came over her, like she was being watched. She instinctively turned around, but saw nothing. Oh get a grip Kikyo scolded herself. Even if something happens, you're armed. Besides, Sesshomaru is nearby. However even with these reassurances, Kikyo still couldn't elude the feeling that something was lurking in her midst. She reached behind her and drew an arrow from the leather pouch strapped to her back, stringing it across her bow just to be safe. She didn't want to be caught off guard if a demon came lurching out at her.

All of a sudden, Kikyo heard whimpering. It was faint, but quite audible to the priestess's keen ears. She followed the sound, leading her deeper into the mass of tall trees. It gradually became louder, until even a very old man could've heard it perfectly clear. Kikyo ducked under a fallen tree trunk and peeked through a bush. There in the middle of a small, grassy clearing, sat the cutest little creature Kikyo had ever seen. It was a monkey no doubt, and seemed to be lost. Its tiny hands were covering its face and it was crying continuously. Her sense of insecurity gone, Kikyo pushed through the bushes and approached the monkey.

"What happened to you, poor creature?" Kikyo asked as though expecting an answer, even though she knew monkeys couldn't talk. She kneeled down beside it and attempted a comforting smile.

The primate looked up at her with large, gleaming eyes, and though Kikyo was captured by how adorable it looked, she didn't fail to notice the tears that matted the fur around them. This compelled her even more to stay as long as necessary to help the furry little thing. It was obviously not afraid of her…in fact, it began to edge closer to her. Kikyo stared down at it, puzzled. She was this tall scary human and yet it made no difference to the monkey. Maybe it wasn't lost after all. Perhaps there was something threatening out there...

But what? Kikyo wondered. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind did Kikyo discover the answer. Evil, menacing looking eyes began to pop up all around her, creeping out from behind the trees. Overcome with terror, the little monkey grabbed Kikyo's leg and hugged it tightly, its furry arms tickling her skin. Kikyo kept a firm grip on her bow as the demon-like creatures closed in on them. On closer inspection, she realized that these were not demons at all. They were forest animals! Everything from rodents to monkeys to deer to even wolves. All of them made up the huge pack that surrounded the priestess and little primate. However, something was not right. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they had a dark presence. Not until they were a few feet away did Kikyo sense the shikon shards implanted in each of their bodies. What? These shikon shards…where did all of them come from? Kikyo thought, her eyes searching the crowd of animals that circled her. Who on earth could have done such a terrible deed?

"Miss me Kikyo?"

The priestess whipped her head around at the sound of the voice. All the cursed creatures had ceased their movement and held their positions; fangs beared, claws extended, eyes narrowed. A figure appeared amidst them, long white hair gleaming and puppy dog ears perked. Kikyo recognized it at once as Onigumo, still masked by Inuyasha's body. She glared at him, seething with anger. First he consumed her (former) lover's body, then harassed her, and now this? He just kept getting worse and worse.

Onigumo had a smug look as he slowly moved forward. "You and that youkai lord…just the sight of him makes me want to vomit. How dare he lay eyes on your bare, precious body!"

He was spying on me? "You sick bastard!" Kikyo shouted, much louder than she expected.

"You sick bastard!" Onigumo mimicked in a girly voice. "I vowed I would have you one day my Kikyo, and that is not about to change. If I can't gain your love, then I shall take it by force."

Kikyo's loathing deepened at the demon's self-seeking words. "You can try, but I will make sure that you fail" she said.

"I don't see how I could possibly lose, seeing as I'm the one with this army of creatures that obey my every command, and you have only yourself and a pitiful monkey."

The monkey, hearing this insulting comment, stuck its tongue out. Onigumo was now standing quite close, and it took every nerve in Kikyo's body to keep from just letting loose an arrow. She knew that Onigumo had something planned, and that if she reacted then she would only be playing into his evil scheme. Thinking better of making such a rash action, Kikyo lowered her bow slightly. She had to admit, however, that Onigumo was right…by herself she was completely helpless, and she could not shoot at innocent animals that were merely acting under the curse of the shikon shards that poisoned their blood.

Onigumo seemed to be enjoying this very much, as if torturing the priestess was a very entertaining activity. Kikyo looked him in the face, or rather Inuyasha's face, and saw nothing but pure demon. Not even a trace of the original bandit he had once been could be seen through his heavily clouded eyes.

"You've become a monster" Kikyo said, fighting back the tremor in her voice.

"Thank you for sharing" Onigumo replied blatantly, his smile widening across his lips. "If you think of me as a monster, so be it. But without anyone to save you, it is hopeless. Your life is mine."