The men hauled Kikyo into the village, pulling so hard the priestess felt like her arms were going to rip out of their sockets. Kikyo's eyes swept each hut they passed by, hoping to find Kaede. Her sister was the only person that could possibly stop this madness. But she had no such luck. Suddenly they came to halt. Kikyo was so concentrated that she didn't even realize that they had walked the entire stretch of huts and were now on on the outskirts of the village.
"You will stay here until further notice" said one of the more muscular of the men, yanking Kikyo by the wrists towards a single tree that stuck out of the ground. He then took a thick rope and tied her hands together, then wrapped the excess rope around the tree. After fastening Kikyo firmly with her back to the trunk, the man walked off, and the rest of the men followed.
Kikyo glared angrily after them, tugging at the ropes that bound her wrists behind her. This is ridiculous! She thought. Normally ropes were not enough to hold the priestess hostage, but she was in fact weak from the lack of dead souls within her. Godammit! What am I supposed to do now? Where's Kaede? What did they do to Sesshomaru? Kikyo's mind was filling up with questions, and it was driving her insane. So many things were happening in a matter of days, and Kikyo just couldn't keep up. She needed to know what the heck was going on before her head exploded.
The afternoon heat was kicking in, and Kikyo found herself feeling lucky that it had been a shady tree she was tied to, and not a pole or something else. A thin breeze swept through the leaves, making a rustling sound that was almost soothing to the priestess's ears. She knew that eventually her legs were going to wear out from standing, so she hoped that someone would come before that happened. Hours dragged by, and random villagers passed by the tree without even looking at her.
"Hey, excuse me sir! Would you be so kind as to cut these ropes for me?" Kikyo asked an old man as he hobbled past. But the man completely ignored her. Thanks a lot, geezer Kikyo thought irritably. Then she saw another person and her face brightened somewhat.
"You there!" she called to a young woman. "Could you please…" but there was no use finishing the request, for the lady strode away quickly. Kikyo was becoming very frustrated, especially since the people seemed to be purposely avoiding her. "Fine! If no one will help me, then be that way!" she shouted to no one in particular.
Then, unexpectedly, a young girl walked out of one of the huts and turned her little dark haired head in Kikyo's direction. Is she looking at me? The priestess wondered. Nah, she's probably no different than everyone else in this village. But she was completely wrong. The girl began to wander towards the tree, her big brown eyes glued to Kikyo's face. As she drew nearer, Kikyo immediately recognized her.
"Aiko!" she gasped, relief sweeping over her.
Hearing her name, the girl ran up to Kikyo and hugged her tightly. "Priestess Kikyo" she mumbled into her kimono.
"What are you doing in this village?" Kikyo asked, wishing her arms were free to hug the little girl back.
Aiko lifted her head. "I don't know. My granma said we had to move, but I didn't want to because you never came back and I wanted to wait for you. That guy you were talking to looked really mean."
Kikyo grinned at the mention of Sesshomaru. He appears mean, but once you get to know him…
"What happened to you Priestess Kikyo?" Aiko asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"It's a long story" Kikyo replied. "Listen, do you know where the wise woman of the village is? She's old and wears a patch over her left eye."
Aiko nodded obediently.
"So she is here!" Kikyo thought aloud. She shifted herself against the tree to get into a more comfortable position. "Do you think you could run and get her?"
"But don't you want me to cut your ropes?"
"It's alright. I can bear it for a little while longer. Just run along now and come back as quickly as you can."
Aiko nodded again, pulled away from the priestess and hurried away. Please be quick Kikyo thought, watching the girl disappear into the village. The priestess waited as patiently as she could for Aiko to return. Her wrists were starting to become sore, but Kikyo ignored it. Just when she thought that the young girl was not coming back, two figures emerged from the town. They came in a hurry; one obviously Aiko, and the other a slumping, old woman…
"Oneesama!" Kaede cried as she and Aiko reached the priestess.
"Thank god" Kikyo breathed, staring down at her sister.
Kaede whipped a dagger out of her robes and immediately began cutting at the ropes. "I am so sorry, sister" she said, shaking her head with frustration.
"Kaede, what is going on here?" Kikyo demanded as the ties loosened around wrists.
"Shhh! We'll talk in a more private place" Kaede said, throwing the pieces of rope aside and leading Kikyo away from the tree.
Kikyo was relieved to have the binds gone, and she rubbed her sore wrists. Aiko tagged along with the two elder women as they walked hastily back into the village to one of the more run down huts in the area. Kaede lifted the bamboo curtain and Kikyo ducked inside. The old woman followed immediately afterwards. This hut was much more beat up than the one Kikyo had visited Kaede in the last time she was here, and this confused the priestess even more. The air inside was dusty, and the walls were cracked all the way up to the roof, which had holes large enough to see the blue sky up above.
"Please sit" Kaede said, moving hastily about the hut in an attempt to clean it up a bit. "I'm so sorry about all of this. I didn't mean for any of it to happen."
Kikyo sat down and looked at her sister with eyes full of worry. "Please elaborate Kaede! What is wrong with the villagers? Is Sesshomaru dead?"
"I'll explain everything" Kaede said, kicking up more dust into the air as she swept the dirt floor.
Aiko peeked her head into the hut, and Kikyo motioned for her to come in. The little girl ran inside and sat very close to the priestess.
"They raided our village…" Kaede began, keeping her eyes aimed at the floor.
Kikyo's eyebrows narrowed. "Who…?"
"The men from the East."
"How dare they….but why?"
Kaede shrugged and put down her broom. "They've always seeked power, and now I guess they have it in their senseless brains that they can dominate all of Japan."
Kikyo bit her lip and thought about this for a moment. But in the group that ambushed us…there were men from this village…
"Are they trying to convert our people into them?" she questioned.
Kaede lifted her weary, old eyes to meet Kikyo's and nodded solemly. "I'm afraid so" she replied. "As for Sesshomaru, he has not been killed. He is merely unconscious, but the eastern villagers have him confined in a room sealed with all sorts of demon-proof spells. I was there when it happened…I saw everything. Forgive me for not coming to you sooner."
The thought of Sesshomaru stuck in a dark room alone, bleeding to death and unable to move was painful to Kikyo. "He needs a healer" the priestess said, her tone of voice stern yet slightly trembling.
"I know. I could hardly bear to watch them carry him away with the blood dripping off his body, staining the ground behind them as they walked…but we cannot get him a healer. All our people are being carefully watched, and there is no way that we could sneak someone inside that room. The easterners refuse to help him."
"Then why do they keep him alive?" Kikyo bursted out angrily. "Why make him suffer? It's torture to him as well as me!"
Kaede could sense the passion her sister felt for the youkai lord. She never felt it so strong before…
"I'm sick of death. People are always dying and getting killed…I've seen death and even died myself. I just can't take it anymore."
Aiko laid her head against the priestess's side and her eyelids slowly began to close.
"Please don't get yourself into any trouble, oneesama" Kaede pleaded. "I don't want you to end up like Sesshomaru."
Kikyo's lips tightened into a thin line. "Don't you worry. If that damn Kagome comes anywhere near me with that retched weapon, I'll rip her head off."
"Kagome was involved in this?" Kaede asked, completely stunned.
Kikyo did not answer. She was too infuriated to say anything at the moment.
"Did Kagome inflict damage upon Sesshomaru?" Kaede urged her sister.
The priestess simply nodded.
"I never would've thought that Kagome of all people would do such a thing…she has always been such a sweet girl."
Just then, the sound of men's voices and footsteps could be heard outside their hut. Kaede stood stock still, listening. As the sounds came closer, she quickly motioned Kikyo into a corner, hiding her behind pots and random objects that she found. Aiko snapped awake as her human pillow was taken away.
"Don't move" Kaede whispered to Kikyo. "I'll take care of this."
The footsteps halted outside the old woman's hut, and then a man's head came through the curtain. It was one of the Northern villagers. Kaede breathed a sigh of relief.
"You are needed, Kaede" said the man.
Kaede nodded. "You two stay here" she said to Aiko and Kikyo, who had come out of hiding once she knew there was no danger. Then Kaede followed the man out of the hut, and the bamboo curtain swayed shut behind her.
author's note: sorry to end it there! im trying to stretch out this fanfic...don't worry, next chapter will be more exciting :-)