Oh my god! I was so shocked at the feedback that I got! I never expected this many reviews after only a couple hours of having the story on the internet! It really made me happy. As promised, here is the next chapter.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha
Love; In the Heartbeat of the Day
Chapter 1: Sacrifice
By Lady Persephone
/You know love is everything you say
A whisper, a word, promises you give
You feel it in the heartbeat of the day
You know this is the way love is
"Fix her."
"InuYasha." She acknowledged faintly, her eyes softening. "It has been a while hasn't it? Since you have come to visit me." A shadow of guilt flickered over his eyes but was instantly replaced with determination. "I have been here every night for the past two moons and you never came to me once." Her gaze fell to the girl in his arms. Slowly, she padded through the brush until she was standing only a few feet away from him; in arms reach…if he wanted to reach. "We have some things we need to talk about." Her pale skin glowed as blue soul dragons weaved between the trees around them. A smooth strand of beautiful ebony hair caught in the cool midnight breeze and danced playfully around her. She was so peaceful.
"Kikyo I need you to cure her. I know that you have the power, the youth, everything that Kaede doesn't have. Now please, fix her." He pleaded desperately.
"Oh InuYasha…" she nearly sounded sympathetic. "Can you not see? Her soul is already leaving her. It will take some time, until morning I suppose. She is dying. There is no amount of healing that could cure her now." He searched her eyes and found no lies.
"Impossible." He told her simply, disbelief clearly evident in his eyes. She was smiling ever so slightly, turning up the corners of fiery red lips. "Do you find this amusing! Do you find the fact that she will be dead by morning entertaining?" he demanded, failing to notice tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.
"Do not accuse me of such harsh thoughts." Her voice cautioned, but her eyes were not wary, nor spiteful. She looked almost…kind.
"Kikyo, please," he stepped closer. "I'm begging you." His face was fierce with resolve. "I will do anything that you ask of me."
"We were never in love." She informed him softly ignoring his pleas. "The bond that we shared was nothing more than a need for companionship." He opened his mouth to object. She stared at his wistfully. "True love cannot be so easily tainted." From the stunned expression written across his features Kikyo could tell that he was thinking of the same day that she was. The day they had died. She stared at Kagome once more. She was panting heavily as her deadly fever climbed. "You are in love now, InuYasha. Aren't you?" He did not answer. She sighed heavily, almost in exhassperation. "You haven't changed at all. You need to make up your mind."
"She's my best friend. But she doesn't understand. She doesn't know what it is like to be alone. You always did."
"Would you wish that loneliness upon her?" she asked.
The cherry blossoms drifted carelessly on the late spring breeze. The grass on the hill was soft and lush beneath their feet as they walked together.
"When we are married, things will be different." She informed him.
"How? I will be me and you will be you. That is all that matters." She shook her head as he spoke and he stared at her.
"I will no longer be a priestess. You will no longer be a hanyou." His face turned grim as she continued. "We will have children…and a hut in the village. We will grow old and die together."
He could not look her in the eyes. He gazed up at the late afternoon sun that was sinking slowly into the mass of trees beyond the village. His forest. InuYasha's forest. It would not be his forest after they were married. He would no longer be able to protect Kikyo from harm; he would not be able to smell demons from miles away, or even to detect what she had added to the rice to create a subtle zesty flavor. He sighed
Kikyo glanced at him. He was doing it again. Whenever she brought up life after marriage he would be silent and gaze into nothing until he could forget it. She knew that he didn't want to change; to become normal. But that was what she needed from him. A normal life. Just like he needed her companionship.
They did not speak the rest of the afternoon.
"Never."
"Put her down." She told him gently. "You are aggravating the wound." At first his hold on the young woman tightened but he hesitantly complied and laid her down on a soft patch of grass in front of the Goshinboku.
"You are willing to sacrifice anything?" she asked tentatively.
"Anything." His resolve was absolute.
The forest was quiet save for the lonely whisper of the evening breeze lacing between the stiff amber leaves still clinging to life.
Finally she spoke.
"Would you sacrifice me?"
The alter was dimly lit with nearly one hundred candle surrounding the statue of the goddess of healing. Three figures kneeled with their foreheads touching the cold grey stone. They remained absolutely still, sending their prayers for their dearest friend.
"I got some flowers." announced a small voice from behind them. They turned. A teary eyed you boy with coppery hair clutched a small bouquet of wildflowers tightly in each hand. His nose ran and he wiped it with the back of his sleeve. "Kagome's gonna be okay. Right?" He asked quietly.
"Oh Shippou!" The woman at the end of the alter rushed to her feet and enveloped the small boy I a tight embrace. He hugged her back fiercely and began to wail. The flowers floated to the floor of the alter, forgotten. "It'll be alright. Everything will be fine." She cooed softly as she rocked him. She gazed down at him sadly. He was only a child!
She looked up when she sensed a presence behind her. She met Miroku's pained amethyst eyes and felt like crying herself. She choked back a sob. She lifted a sniffling Shippou into her arms and stood. "We should check on Kagome."
Kaede rose from the temple and went to join them.
"What?" he asked bewildered.
"I can cure her at the price of my own life."
"How is that possible?" he asked, dazed.
"Her soul has already begun to leave her body. No amount of physical treatment could cure her now."
"Then how? How can it be done?" he demanded.
"The day that I was resurrected. I was given part of her soul to sustain my own life. I can return that to her body but I will die."
"Your soul collectors?" he found himself asking.
She shook her head solemly. "They are only to preserve my strength. They cannot keep me alive."
He was silent for a moment. The world stood still.
"Kikyo," he walked up to her and grasped her small delicate hands. His eyes glittered passionately. "There is no way that I can live without her."
She smiled sadly at him. "So be it." She turned her gaze to Kagome. "However, I will warn you. There will be consequences. The portion of her soul that I have retained will have stayed with me too long. There will be changes."
"What kind of consequences?" He asked, dismayed.
"There will be physical changes, Perhaps even some emotional alterations at well. I cannot be certain."
"Emotional changes?" he asked worriedly.
"I do not know for certain, InuYasha." She stared at him hard. "This is her only chance for survival."
"Then please. Save her." He pleaded once more.
"She will not be completely healthy." Kikyo cautioned seriously. "The wound will still require several months to heal." She glanced at Kagome. "Also, my soul might not be enough to sustain her life while she is still wounded." She gestured to her soul collectors. "They will serve her when she requires it."
He nodded grimly.
She looked almost desperate now. "Please InuYasha. Take heed to my warnings. Her stare softened "Try not to forget me. Goodbye InuYasha." Before he had time to react. She pressed her lips against his then quickly pulled away. "Now I must ask you to leave us." He nodded bleakly. He spared a last glance at Kagome.
He started back for the village but turned and walked back to Kikyo. He enveloped her in a great embrace free of any form of intimacy. "Goodbye Kikyo."
"What in the hell!" Miroku ducked under the flap to the hut only to find it completely empty; devoid of all traces of InuYasha or Kagome save the lingering stench of blood.
"What's wrong?" Sango asked from outside the tent, a slumbering Shippou in her arms. When he did not answer, her voice became panicked, "Has something happened to Kagome! Where's InuYasha!" Shippou was startled awake and became alarmed. Was something wrong? He wriggled from Sango's grasp and dashed through Miroku's legs into the medicinal hut.
"Where's Kagome!" He cried.
InuYasha dragged his feet out of the forest. He was in shock. Kikyo, the woman he had loved for more than fifty years was going to die because he asked her to.
"You bastard!" Suddenly InuYasha found himself slammed up against the wall of a hut. Miroku glared at him with pure hatred. "Where is she? How could you go to Kikyo at a time like this!"
He shoved the enraged monk off of him who instead of calming down, roared with fury and charged at him again.
"Miroku!" Sango grabbed the monk and held him back before he seriously hurt anyone. "Miroku calm down!" She cried, though she could barely contain her own rage.
"I did not…" then he stopped. He had gone to Kikyo, but not for the reason that they were accusing him of! He would never abandon Kagome like that!
"Well!" Miroku demanded, temper barely under control. "She's not in the hut. Where did you take her! Sacrifice her to Kikyo so that she might consider taking you back!" he taunted.
"Miroku!" Sango cried as he fought her restraints. "Calm down." Slowly he relaxed and resorting to clenching and unclenching his fists as he grounded his teeth together.
"Now InuYasha, tell us what is going on!" she demanded.
"I…" He stared hard into the forest. Was that a person?
"Answer the damn question InuYasha!"
Yes it was a person. A woman. Clad in traditional miko garb and carrying a bow and quiver in her hand. It was Kikyo.
"Kikyo! What the hell have you done with Kagome!"
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that people enjoy my work.
BlueBlood: YAY! First reviewer! (showers confetti) thank you so much! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the suggestion, however I had already written this chapter in advance and it would have been way too much of a hassle to change haha. Thank you anyway! I'm ALWAYS open to suggestions
Hearii-Sama: I'm so glad that I've got you hooked! I really appreciate that you took the time to review my story! Thank you!
Aku-Neko: Thank you for appreciating the difficulty of that beginning passage. I hope I didn't butcher it too badly. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Kitty1989: haha thank you so much for reading! And but of course there is more! I won't go back on my word! Here's another chapter!
Fire-Tiger-C: Thank you so much for reviewing! Haha I'm so glad I got you hooked.
Simonkal of Inuy: I'm so glad you asked! You're the first one to ask about that! Well you'll find out in a couple chapters I'm guessing as I reveal exactly how she got hurt in the first place! No one has asked that either. As for the Sesshomaru thingy, well, I never really even considered putting that in the story because they weren't really just gonna wait around for her to die. Also, InuYasha can't exactly beat Sesshomaru up haha Oh and about your last concern - that I might not update, I PROMISE that I will finish out this story no matter what. I cannot however guarantee that I will update every day. You see, I have an extremely busy schedule with final exams, sports, and things like that getting in the way. But I promise I will do my best.
Young Kagome: Thank you so much for taking the time to review! I really appreciate it!
Inumyhomeboy: I'm so glad you enjoyed the beginning. And by the way, I really like your name! haha
Siren of Sorrow: Thank you for reviewing! It means a lot to me!
Alyssa: Hi I'm sorry that I wasn't able to email you! My email is down. I have to check my reviews through my profile. Thank you for reviewing!
Magna Dreams: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Lil-Neko-Child: Thank you for your review! I hope you enjoy this new chapter.
Kawii inu'no 45: Well I hope that answered your question somewhat. You're just going to read the next chapter to find out what happens next!
Woohoo! Cliff hanger! Haha I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that all you readers enjoyed this story. Same rule if you wanna read more your gonna have to review! Thank you! By the way, I'm sorry to disappoint any Kikyo haters out there. There are just too many stories out there turning her into some bitchy slut-bag. Sure, she isn't my favorite character, but I think that I should try my best to keep her original character. However, I am aware that her whole sacrificing herself may be a tad unlikely so I apologize for that minor detail. REVIEW
Persephone