A/N: Okay, okay, I was wrong. Apparently, my source that said episode 147 was going to be on the 10th lied. Apparently, it's going to air either the 17th or the 24th, and 148 the next week.
Adult Swim, can't you EVER make up your mind?
However, I'm most likely not going to watch those episodes, because I'm a little bit nervous about the dub. For one, Inuyasha attacks with "Sankon Tessou!" alot, so it's two hours of "Iron Rever, Soul Stealer!" which makes me, a hardcore Japanese dub fan, want to scream. I don't mind the other attacks that they translated, but...gah. The English dub of that annoys me.
Also, I'm worried about the English performance. I think this may be Kappei Yamaguchi (Inuyasha) and Noriko Hidaka (Kikyou)'s best preformance. After all, I wouldn't have liked the episode so much without the beautiful voice acting. So...yeah, just warning you Viz, if you screwed this up, you shall face my wrath.
Chapter 5: Enemies
The next morning when Kagome awoke, she found herself happier than she had ever felt in a long time.
Inuyasha's finally here! An uncontrollable smile was plastered on her face. I can't believe it! He's finally here!
Unfortunately, she didn't know where he was. He had fled the night before, and it was anyone's guess to where he was now. Even how Kagome knew him, Inuyasha wasn't one to stick around like this unless he had a good reason.
Yet, Kagome knew she could find him, if he was close. She would be able to sense his youki, as Kikyou had. She had hope that she would be able to find him again, and perhaps talk to him. Kagome wanted to know what Inuyasha was like before she met him.
I never had the chance to learn his past, since he never really told me about this time. Kagome had to admit that she was curious as to what happened between Inuyasha and Kikyou. She wanted to know how they had met, how they fell in love, how much they had loved each other, and so on.
And now that she was Kikyou, that thought didn't go away. I know it's not right to pry, but I want to know about this before I go back.
Though, she had to remind herself once more that it was still an 'if' situation. She didn't know how to get herself back, and she doubted sitting around like this was going to help.
Sighing, she decided to get up, since Kaede had already left. Judging by the light, it seemed that she had overslept quite a bit due to her ordeal the night before. Though sleep had helped lift some of the exhaustion, she still felt slightly fatigued.
Before she left the hut, she grabbed her bow and arrows for good measure. There was no telling if there was going to be yet another youkai attacking the village today. Kagome hoped not. Though it was slightly selfish of her not to want to defend the village like this, she didn't care. She was tired.
I wonder if Kikyou ever wanted to stop this life. Kagome thought grimly, staring up at the clear blue sky. I wonder if she just wanted to stop being a miko and be an ordinary woman, and never have to fight constantly and living a life of bloodshed.
Sighing, Kagome wandered away from the village, and allowed herself to think of other things. I had always thought it was because of what Kikyou had gone through that made her so cold and unwelcoming, but…it could have been this as well. I don't know if I could stay happy doing this all my life…
Stopping in the middle of the woods, Kagome closed her eyes, seeing Kikyou as she knew her in her mind. Kikyou…perhaps…I'm starting to understand you…
"Hey, Kikyou!"
Kagome's eyes snapped open, having heard her—Kikyou's name being called. She turned around, and Kikyou's dark eyes went slightly wide at seeing Inuyasha standing there, a forced smirk on his face.
"So, the Shikon no Tama is a mysterious jewel that can increase a youkai's power, right?" He asked, still keeping the grin on his face, as if he held the upper hand in some game they played.
Kagome could only stare at him, trying to get her heart to calm down, fighting the urge to run into his arms and let him protect her. But this Inuyasha was different; this Inuyasha didn't know her, and at the moment, didn't like Kikyou. He's not the Inuyasha I know! She mentally screamed, getting herself out of the brief moment of weakness.
Like always, she was forced to set 'Kagome' aside and let 'Kikyou' emerge. What would Kikyou say? I—she doesn't know him yet! "That voice…" she said, putting the sound of trying to remember in the miko's voice. "I remember hearing it before…"
Only then did she let recognition and slight annoyance into Kikyou's face. "I see. You're that person that ran and hid before."
That seemed to get him mad. Inuyasha glared at her, his pride seeming to get the better of him. He clenched his fists and readied himself in a battle pose, showing his fangs as he yelled, "Shut up! Hand over the Shikon no Tama!" and then he lunged at her.
Kagome only had a few seconds to make her decision. No…this isn't the Inuyasha I know…he could really kill me!
Arrows flew, and Inuyasha had a mixed look of genuine surprise and expectation as each arrow pierced his arms. "What?" he exclaimed as the arrows pinned him to a tree, growling and struggling against them.
Kagome still held the bow in her hands, the string still vibrating from her fast arrows, as she kept her face Kikyou-calm, though inside, she had panicked. She could have accidentally hit him somewhere else. Inuyasha glared at her, pulling against the arrows, almost expecting her to say something else.
Kikyou would talk to him a bit more… "I understand. I thought your youki was different." She said calmly, making it seem as if she had just learned this. "You're a hanyou, aren't you?"
That got another fierce growl from Inuyasha as Kagome lowered her bow. She knew why he would growl; before she had really gotten to know him, and sometimes even now, he hated being called a hanyou as an insult.
"If you use the Shikon no Tama, you could become a full youkai." Kagome continued, not letting her performance as Kikyou fail now. "To that end, do you desire your own place in the world, hanyou?" she continued, internally wincing as she heard Inuyasha's growls come louder.
I'm sorry, Inuyasha…she mentally added as she finished, "Do you think that is true strength?"
As always, Inuyasha had to have the last word. "Stuff it!" he roared, struggling once more against the arrows pinning him to the tree. "I'll become a great youkai, I've decided that much!" his words carried less enthusiasm then Kagome had expected, but nevertheless, hearing the one she loved say so frightened her.
His voice got lower, deeper, more threatening as he growled, "And when that happens, you'll be my first victim."
That caused Kagome's eyebrows to rise. Inuyasha had actually threatened Kikyou like that? He threatened to kill Kikyou, much like he had threatened to kill her when she first met him? She knew that Inuyasha and Kikyou had been 'enemies' in the beginning, but she had never expected it to be like this.
A small smirk escaped Kagome as she turned away, always aware to keep her deception as Kikyou alive. "I purify the Shikon no Tama." Kagome told him proudly. "As long as I protect it, you can do no such thing."
It was a few seconds before Inuyasha replied, yelling like he had before, "Don't make me laugh! You reek of the blood of youkai!"
Kagome had started walking away, but that statement; that cold, uncaring thing he had said caused her to stop, and remember what she had been thinking right before he had come up on her. It wasn't like she hadn't wondered about it before. How can a miko purify a thing if she continues to kill like this? She had asked herself that question a month ago when the cycle of constantly killing youkai had been starting. Now, however, she had learned not to think of that question, since slaying youkai on a daily basis was a common thing.
But hearing Inuyasha put it that way…
He continued mocking her in a forced tone, his pride causing him to continue, "What's wrong? Did I hurt your feelings Kikyou?"
It wasn't so much the statement now, though that comment previously had stung. But hearing Inuyasha address her like that…just simply calling her Kikyou, was for some reason causing her heart to fall.
She stopped in her tracks, allowing her eyes for only a moment to show their true feelings. Why do I feel sad about this? I know he doesn't know who I am yet, but…
That feeling, plus Kikyou's sharp temper caused Kagome to turn back, glare, and declare, "If you don't want to be killed, don't come near me." in a serious, threatening tone. "You won't get a third warning."
Although, it couldn't escape Kagome's notice that she had just warned him he wouldn't get a second warning the night before…and somehow, she knew that's what Kikyou would have said. Kikyou didn't want to kill him now either? That was something she hadn't expected.
Kagome turned away, hearing Inuyasha struggle once more against the tree, not wanting to give up their match of insults yet. "Keh! I'm not through yet!" he called after her. "If you run, I'll definitely find you again!"
Kagome felt the strong urge to roll her eyes like she usually would in this situation. Once his temper got started, there was no stopping it…
"I'll track down you're intolerable stench soon enough!" he called back as she left him pinned to the tree, leaving that part of the forest.
"Stench, huh?" she muttered, trying to let it slide past her.
Yet that comment stayed with her, causing Kagome to feel even more puzzled than before. Inuyasha had once told her that he hated her scent…on the day they met. He had later confessed on the night of the new moon that he thought she had smelled nice…and that he was lying the day he told her he couldn't stand the smell of her…
"Kagome…you smell nice…" he had told her, when she had first seen his human form, and she was afraid he might die.
"Wh—what? I thought you said you hated my scent!" she replied, flustered, yet knowing for some reason her heart was pounding…
"I…was lying…"
That was perhaps one of the first times she had begun to really fall in love with him. Even though he was more emotional in his human form, sometimes he did say the right thing, and that had been one of the very few times.
I wonder…did he ever tell Kikyou that he liked her scent?
But the moment she thought that, Kagome shook it away. It had been bad enough that she had been jealous of the dead miko when she had been in her own body. It was ridiculous to be jealous of her when she was in Kikyou's body instead.
Now that I'm her…I'm learning a few things about her that I never knew.
And I'm also learning a few things about myself, as well…
A/N: For some reason, I really like this scene. Most of the scenes from now on, I'll like, because I just love these episodes.
And, as you can tell, the new moon episode is one of my all time favorites. I just wish Inuyasha would mention how much he likes her scent a little more often!
