A1969: I'm launching a take-over-the-world-and-own-Inuyasha-in-the-process project…wahaha!
Sango: she's lost it.
Miroku: yeah.
Sango: I'm still not talking to you, pervert.
A1969: aww…how sweet! Lover's quarrel! Always loved it, I have. Anyway, while they argue it out, until I accomplish my take-over-the-world-and-own-Inuyasha-in-the-process project, I still don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, logos, phrases, weapons…guys…darn, I wished I owned the guys.
Miroku: --eye twitch—
A1969: just joking, sheesh, guys in the Feudal Era can't take a joke. Oh, and, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! Those reviews just cured my mild case of Writer's block.
Chapter Fourteen: Choices
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"Clara!" Kikyou shouted as the strange, ghostly demon reared above Clara.
Clara scrambled to her feet and tried to make a run towards Kikyou, but the demon's strange tentacles wrapped themselves around Clara's waist, holding and preventing her from escaping. It was strange. It was as if mere smoke held her back.
"Lady Kikyou!" Clara shouted, trying in vain to struggle against the tentacles that held her. It was useless and, in Clara's opinion, a bit unfair due to the fact that even though she tried to hit the tentacles with her fists, her fists seemed to go through them as they would smoke; it was an unfair fight.
Kikyou took an arrow from her quiver and notched to her bow but as she did so, a sharp pain—which was strange, since she never felt pain nowadays—seemed to surge through her shoulder, all the way down to her chest. She dropped the bow and the arrow to the ground.
"What's happening?" she whispered to herself as she slowly lowered her haori to reveal her bare shoulder. Her eyes widened. Her right shoulder, all the way down to her chest, near the area where her heart had once been, looked as if an extremely dark bruise lay beneath the surface.
No, Kikyou thought. Not now, the miasma cannot spread now. Clara is in danger.
She tried to take her bow and arrows, but it was useless. The miasma within her seemed to weigh as much as a horse.
At the peripheral of her vision, Clara could see Kikyou struggling to lift her arrow and her bow. Lady Kikyou can't fight, she thought. I'll just have to try and get out of this one on my own! She looked at the demon and tried gripping the tentacles that held her, hoping to send a blast of her spiritual energy through it, but it was useless. It was as if she were trying to grip smoke.
She felt the demon squeeze her tighter. She gasped, trying to draw in a breath. "Revenge," a voice, distant, cold and echoing, said. Clara's eyes widened and she looked at the demon in surprise. She didn't know it could talk. "You…you are her," it went on. "You are Midoriko! The accursed priestess!"
The tentacles around her waist squeezed even tighter and it was all Clara could do to keep from shouting out in pain. "Look at me, Midoriko! I want to see the light fade from your eyes when you die!" Clara looked at the demon and realized, with a sudden jolt, that it was not the demon speaking, but it was the man who was embedded into the area where the demon's heart should have been. Now that she could see his face fully, she could make out what he might have looked like. In life, he must have been handsome, but his obsession with Midoriko made his features look grotesque and twisted.
"Y-you," Clara groaned. "But…I thought you love Midoriko." She gasped as the demon squeezed her even tighter. Clara felt that her head was about to burst from the lack of air.
"I loved her!" the man snarled. "Do not think that I still do!" The demon gave a final squeeze. Clara gasped as she felt the constriction on her waist. Her head slumped forward; she was unconscious.
"Clara!" Kikyou called out as the demon dropped her to the ground in a heap.
The demon now turned its attention to Kikyou. "Oh? Another miko?" the man said with undisguised disgust. "This world would be better off without all of you!"
Kikyou stood up with great difficulty, placing a hand on her shoulder. But the pain she was feeling did not appear on her face—she wore an icy look. This demon, the man who had given up his soul to the countless number of demons, reminded her so much of Naraku and Onigumo that she felt her anger bubbling close to the surface.
The demon reared itself in front of her, its ghostly snakelike body uncoiling itself from the cave walls. "You priestesses would be better off dead!" It struck at Kikyou with its smoky tentacles. The miko dodged it with great difficulty, owing to the buildup of miasma in her chest and in her arm.
I cannot use too much spiritual power in this fight, Kikyou thought with dismay. Spiritual energy is the only thing keeping me alive from the scourge of the miasma. To use too much would mean certain death…
"Why don't you kill me, miko?!" The demon lunged towards Kikyou, intent on taking her in its jaws. Kikyou managed to step back. The demon missed her by inches, ramming itself into the ground. The force with which it hit the ground was strong enough to send Kikyou stumbling backwards as rock and dust rose in the air. The quiver of arrows fell from her shoulders, falling to the ground with a clatter and spilling its contents on the ground.
The demon reared its head again and lunged towards Kikyou. With difficulty, Kikyou rolled to one side, avoiding the spray of dust and rubble that the demon sent flying into the air. She had to do something. Clara was out cold and she herself was weakened due to the miasma.
Kikyou picked up her fallen bow and an arrow, notched it to the bow and released the string. The arrow suddenly glowed with her spiritual energy and sped towards the demon. It hit the demon in the eye. The demon in screamed in agony and writhed against the walls, its serpentine body lashing heavily against the rocky ceiling of the cave, causing stones and boulders to fall.
Kikyou's eyes widened as a stalactite narrowly missed Clara by a few feet. Damn, Kikyou thought bitterly as she felt her body weaken. Even using a mere holy arrow was enough to weaken me…
Clara groaned as she slowly began to open her eyes. The sound of falling rocks and stalactites made her open them without a moment's hesitation. She sat up and her eyes widened. The demon was writhing in agony. She could see that a holy arrow fired by Kikyou was lodged in its eye, but the demon did not bleed.
"Clara!" Kikyou called out, beckoning Clara to run to her.
"But the sword—!"
"Never mind!" Kikyou snapped.
Not wanting to aggravate Kikyou even more, Clara dashed towards her. But before she could even reach Kikyou's side, the demon's strange tentacles wrapped themselved around Clara's foot, causing her to trip again. Tentacles wound themselves around Clara's waist, raising her off the ground so that she was eye-to-eye with the demon.
"I won't let you live!" it snarled as it began to squeeze even harder than the last time. This time, it was determined to kill her.
Kikyou's eyes widened. She had to save Clara. She had to help her—even if it meant…
Kikyou picked up another arrow and took aim at the demon.
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"Sango-chan, I'm afraid," Kagome admitted to the taijiya sitting beside her in the grassy fields just outside Kaede's village. "Inuyasha hasn't come back yet and I'm afraid that…I'm afraid that I've gone too far…"
Sango looked at Kagome. It was the first time Kagome had spoken like this. The first time she admitted that she might have hurt Inuyasha. "You shouldn't worry too much," Sango said, giving her foster sister a smile. "You know Inuyasha…he doesn't take things seriously. He'll come back soon enough."
"Still," Kagome said softly. "I shouldn't have said those things to him! How stupid could I have been?!" She inwardly berated herself for saying what she had said to Inuyasha. She had been foolish. She had been so jealous of Kikyou when she shouldn't have…
After all, Kagome thought with slight bitterness. What right do I have to be jealous? Inuyasha isn't mine…he belongs with Kikyou…there's just…no place for me between them…
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Naraku's eyes were narrowed. He was staring into Kanna's mirror, at the battle going on in Midoriko's grave. He had been watching them. He was—he admitted—afraid. Kikyou had planned for Clara to take Midoriko's sword, Shinsei. He frowned. It must not happen. He watched now, with eager interest, as the demon in the cave took hold of Clara again. He watched as Kikyou raised another arrow—her final arrow—at the demon.
He smirked. So, Naraku thought. You are so willing to use the last amount spiritual energy keeping you alive, Kikyou? You are willing to risk your life for Midoriko? I doubt she is worth it. But anyway, you have my thanks. If you so choose to save her and die yourself, who will finish training her? With you gone, Kikyou, everything will fall into place…
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"Let her go!" Clara heard Kikyou shout threateningly at the demon that held her. Her arrow was pointed at the area where, instead of a heart, a man's head protruded…
The demon ignored Kikyou and fixed its eyes on Clara's. A dull pain racked her head as memories of a life once lived flashed through her mind…
The running…
The demon…
The cave…
The pain…
…the jewel…
"No!" Clara shouted, shaking her head violently as though determined to get rid of the memories that were not supposed to come flooding back. She could hear the demon laughing; she could hear the man who had lusted after Midoriko laughing manically in her head.
The running…
The demon…
The cave…
The pain…
…the jewel…
"Your last moments on earth, Midoriko." The demon seemed to have brushed the words against her mind.
The running…
The demon…
The cave…
The pain…
…the jewel…
"Enough!" Kikyou shouted. She enchanted her arrow with all the spiritual energy she had left and released the string. The arrow sped towards the demon with strong spiritual energy. The arrow soared through the air, speeding towards the head that protruded from the demon's chest.
The demon's eyes widened in shock and rage as the arrow made contact. It writhed and thrashed even more violently. It released Clara, who fell to the ground in a heap. The cave shook as if an earthquake had struck, sending stalactites and stone falling from the cave ceiling. Clara dodged a falling stalactite which landed at her feet with a loud crash. The ground shook with a fierce intensity beneath her feet, causing her to stumble against the cave wall. She leaned against the cave wall and watched as the demon screeched and writhed, thrashing its serpentine body against the cave walls…
And then, it stopped. The ground stopped shaking and the demon vanished as thought it had just been nothing but smoke. It was as if no battle had taken place at all. The crystallized body of Midoriko and the demon looked untouched and unchanged. Only the fallen stalactites would have confirmed that some sort of fight had taken place in the cave.
Clara let out a sigh of relief. It was over.
Behind her, she heard Kikyou groan and then the dull thud as her body fell to the cave floor. "Lady Kikyou!" Clara exclaimed with worry as she quickly spun around and approached Kikyou's side. Kikyou was lying unconscious on the ground, her eyes were closed and there was something about the way she was unconscious that made Clara panic.
She gently helped Kikyou to a sitting position. The undead miko opened her eyes weakly and looked at Clara. And then, she did something that Clara had never seen her doing, something that she would never forget until the day she died…
Kikyou smiled at her.
It was a different smile. Kikyou sometimes smiled, but it was devoid of the warmth that only a true smile brings. When Kikyou smiled before, it was a taunting and cold smile. But now, the smile she gave Clara was warm and open—the way one smiles at a friend.
"So, you're safe," Kikyou said in a relieved voice.
"Lady Kikyou," Clara said, worry in her voice. "You saved me."
Kikyou did not respond. Instead, she closed her eyes as if she would rather sleep than talk to Clara. Clara lowered her eyes and they strayed to Kikyou's hand that was still clutching her bow. "L-lady Kikyou," she said in horrified voice. "W-what happened to your hand?"
The skin on Kikyou's hand had darkened as if a giant, black bruise was steadily forming beneath the flesh. "What's happening to your hand?" Clara asked, horrified.
"When I fired the arrow," Kikyou said. "I used too much spiritual energy. And now, the miasma inside is—"
She stooped in mid-sentence; she shuddered as though in pain. "No," Clara said softly. "You shouldn't have…you shouldn't have risked your life…"
"I am dead," Kikyou said flatly. "I just had to find out how I wanted to die this time…" Her voice trailed off and she gave Clara a small sad smile.
"No," Clara said. "You can't die! What about Inuyasha?!"
"Ah," Kikyou said as she opened her eyes, which were misty and had a faraway look in them. "My time with Inuyasha has long since passed…"
Clara was silent. "The reason I brought you here," Kikyou went on, "was so that you can take Midoriko's sword. However, I did not expect the demon to awaken…"
"But I don't understand why—"
"My time is drawing to a close, I'm afraid," Kikyou said as if she were merely talking about the weather. "The spiritual energy sustaining me has weakened."
"And it's because of me that it's even weaker," Clara said forcefully, trying to be angry at the fact that Kikyou saved her. "You shouldn't have saved me. You should have left me for dead!"
"To what purpose?" Kikyou asked, her voice low. "I…I can no longer fight Naraku the way I fought him. That is why I had Kagome and Inuyasha find you—so I could train you and you would fight in my stead. So don't say that I should've left you for dead, Clara."
"But I'm useless," Clara said softly, eyes downcast. "Sesshoumaru always used to say that I was weak…"
"You shouldn't listen to what he says," Kikyou said flatly. She attempted to stand but was too weak. She would have fallen to the ground had Clara not caught her. As she caught her, Clara caught a glimpse of Kikyou's neck. The skin there was a dull-grey hue, not the usual ivory color.
Kikyou saw her looking. "Let us leave," the undead miko said as she attempted to stand. Clara wound an arm around Kikyou's waist and helped her to stand. "You can come back for the sword later."
Clara nodded and as they left the cave, she glanced back at the crystallized form of Midoriko.
CoCoCoCoCoCo
Naraku's eyes were still narrowed at Kanna's mirror. So, Kikyou, he thought with apparent relish. Time is running short for you now, isn't it? With you gone, who will be there to protect Midoriko?
He smirked. "I see you're happy," a voice said.
Naraku turned his gaze to the far corner of the room where a young woman was crossing her arms haughtily across her chest, a look of utmost boredom on her face. "Ah," Naraku said softly. "Riyara."
Riyara promptly stepped out of the shadows, the bored look on her face replaced by a look of contempt. "So, you've been watching those two priestesses for quite a while now," she commented. "Why?"
"How would you like to have one of the Shikon shards, Riyara?" Naraku asked, holding up the jewel and completely ignoring the demoness's question.
Riyara eyed the jewel for a moment. "How?"
A nasty smile crept up Naraku's lips. "Do you see those two priestesses in the mirror?" he asked, tilting his head at Kanna's mirror.
Riyara approached Kanna's mirror and peered into it. "Ah," she said. "Midoriko and…?" She grimaced when she said Midoriko's name.
"Kikyou," Naraku said. "She is weakening. In fact, she is dying. She won't be able to protect either herself or Midoriko."
"Oh? What do you want me to do about it?"
"Kill them both."
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Clara silently supported Kikyou through the cave. The long, dark narrow passages seemed endless and the longer they stayed in the cave, the more Clara panicked. Kikyou was weak. There was a possibility she was dying—all because of her. If she had been more vigilant, if she had been more alert, if she hadn't been so foolish as to let the demon get hold of her, Kikyou needn't have saved her and they wouldn't be in this predicament right now.
"Kikyou," Clara said, somewhat timidly.
Kikyou, who had been closing her eyes, slowly opened them. "Hm?"
"Um…thanks for saving me," Clara said softly.
"Hm," Kikyou said.
Clara glanced at Kikyou, at the fingers of her hand that was hanging limply at her side. The skin on her hand was an even darker color than a while ago. "You shouldn't have saved me," Clara said yet again, guilt and sorrow rising.
"You should not worry," Kikyou said. "I will be fine."
"Can I…can I purify the miasma?"
"No," Kikyou said. "You are not yet fully trained and besides…Naraku made is so that spiritual energy purifying his bones from my body will also purify mine." She sounded bitter.
Clara sighed. While they had been talking, the passage seemed much more illuminated by light. Soon, they came to the mouth of the cave where the barrier pulsed serenely. Clara hesitated before stepping over it. Would she remember anything else from her past life?
She took a step over the barrier. Surprisingly, no memories seemed to surge through her mind and she was quite grateful for it. Sunlight greeted her eyes and she blinked. Beside her, Kikyou tensed.
"What is it?" Clara asked.
Kikyou did not answer. She was looking straight ahead, at the woods that surrounded the cave where a woman was leaning contemptuously against a tree. "You," Clara said.
Riyara smirked. "Me."
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Her scent was close by.
Sesshoumaru tore away his gaze from Rin and Jaken, who were up to their knees in the stream, where they were catching fish. "Look, Lord Sesshoumaru, I caught one!" Rin's voice forced him to turn his gaze to his young charge who was proudly holding up a wriggling fish in her little hands.
"Very nice, Rin," he said as he stood up and turned to Jaken. "Jaken, I am leaving for a while. If anything happens to Rin, I trust you know what shall befall you." Leaving Jaken stunned, he turned on his heel and stalked off.
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"What do you want, Riyara?" Clara asked, still supporting Kikyou.
Riyara raised an eyebrow. "Truly," she said mockingly. "Are all humans as blunt as you?"
Clara glared at her. Beside her, she could feel Kikyou tense, as though readying herself for combat. Kikyou can't fight, Clara thought. A feeling of dread seemed to sink in her stomach. I guess, I'll have to take care of her myself…Kami! I can't fight her! She's too powerful. I thought Sesshoumaru was supposed to be after her or something.
"Clara," Kikyou said quietly. "Leave me and run."
"What?" Clara asked, turning to Kikyou. "I can't do that!"
"How courageous of you," Riyara mocked, silently unsheathing her dagger, "It won't do you any good, I'm afraid."
"Clara," Kikyou said, more forcefully.
Clara ignored her. She silently leaned Kikyou against the cave entrance and returned to glaring at Riyara. "Funny, isn't it?" she asked.
Riyara raised an eyebrow. "Funny," Clara said again. "Whenever Sesshoumaru's around, you just run and hide and when he's not here, you're brave…is that a coincidence?"
Riyara gritted her teeth angrily. "You'll pay for that, Midoriko!" She charged towards Clara, her dagger gleaming brightly in the afternoon sun. Clara hurriedly dodged to one side and fell to the ground with a grunt.
Riyara laughed. "Pathetic," she said. "Are you even Midoriko's reincarnation?" She headed towards Clara again. Clara managed to avoid the dagger by a hair's breadth. Darn, Clara thought. I need a weapon…any weapon! Even a bow would do!
"So, Midoriko," Riyara said. "Do you want me to kill you…or do you want to kill yourself? It would be more honorable for you to kill yourself, you know."
"You can think like that because you're a coward," Clara snarled. "I'm different from you, got it?"
Riyara was about to open her mouth to retort when she closed it. Clara saw her tense and before she knew it, Riyara jumped into the air and landed at the far side of the clearing, her eyes narrowing at something coming from the forest.
Clara followed Riyara's gaze and her eyebrows shot up in surprise as Sesshoumaru emerged, his sword drawn, his cold gaze fixed on Riyara. "So," Riyara said. "Here to help Midoriko?"
Sesshoumaru did not answer; instead, he charged towards Riyara, sword pointed dangerously at the demoness's heart. Riyara jumped into the air and at the same, drew out her dagger. Sesshoumaru leapt up into the air and their weapons clashed, sending sparks flying. Both of them fell back to the ground, landing with the same grace on their feet. Clara watched as Sesshoumaru aimed a deadly blast of energy at Riyara, who jumped into the air and cursed as the blast hit the sleeve of her kimono, incinerating it.
Now would be a pretty good time to run, don't you think? a voice in Clara's head said. "Oh, right," Clara muttered as she headed back towards Kikyou. Before she could reach her, however, Riyara jumped in front of her, blocking her way. Riyara smirked at her then grabbed her roughly by the arm, pulled her close and pressed her dagger against Clara's neck.
Clara's eyes widened as she felt the warm sharpness of the steel pressing against her flesh. "So," Riyara was saying, smirking at the youkai lord before her, upon whose features a look of cold annoyance slowly crept over.
"What's it going to be, Sesshoumaru, my freedom or Midoriko's head?"
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A1969: yay! I'm done!
Miroku: tell us, dear readers, is it really that hard to review?
Sango: we don't think so. So review please!
A1969: thanks to those who reviewed, by the way!