Blanket Disclaimer: The writer does not own any characters created by Rumiko Takahashi but like everyone else wishes she did. All original characters or concepts are the author's Inuma Asahi De's (with the exception of historical figures).
*UNEDITED*
Chapter Fifty-Three
The Bow
"Get inside now Shiori," The bobcat demon commanded as he lightly but still forcibly shoved Shiori back into the rather large building, the motion not appearing to be intentionally over forceful but still enough to cause Shiori to stumble and nearly lose her balance from the vigor. "Stay here till you're called." He commanded once more as he looked at her with not a hatred in his eyes but instead a form of mild disapproval that didn't look quite normal upon his face.
"Called for what?" The girl questioned back softly, her eyes appearing timid and scared along with the tone of her voice.
The man frowned at her and opened his mouth as if to reprimand her but closed it before he could say a word. Instead, he offered her a mild shrug and a pointed glace to the gem that flicker in her hand. "You know what girl." His voice came across as harsh but his body language appeared nothing more than indifferent. "Just be ready, got it?"
She nodded her head without another word and lowered herself to the floor, bowing her head in a way she knew was appropriate and necessary. Satisfied the man turned back to the outside stepping over the threshold of the door quickly before slamming it closed.
"Shiori!" Shippo cried out as he ran towards her, having been left to wait while she had been outside. "Are you okay?" He asked as he came to stand beside her, his bright green eyes looking over her small body as she sat on her knees looking out the door that still remained cracked opened her eyes almost blank as she did so.
"Yes." The small girl managed to whisper but didn't say anything else as she clutched the orb to her chest as it shimmered and glistened in the dim candlelight the room had to offer as she often did—always did.
Shippo frowned at the sight and turned his head to the side as he blinked slowly once, then twice. He had seen her holding the orb the whole time he had been with her, it had never left her hand in the three—no, four days he had spent in the care of this pirate horde. Why he wasn't sure, all he knew was that the object must hold some great importance if the way she clutched it tightly to herself or if the way her uncle Adahy preached about its great value were any indication.
Shippo winced at the memories of Adahy the leader of this farce of men. He was mean, violent, and short tempered reminding him greatly of his first Captain's brother Manten. Manten had been a lot like Adahy just seemingly mean spirited—
The small kit frowned at the conception, something feeling slightly off about it as he pictured Manten in the back of his mind. The memories of the evil man who had killed his father were already starting to become clouded, disguised by new images of the crew he had come to know over the past couple of months. But still, he could see the smile that never faded, the smirk that was always present as Manten raised his hand to hit and punish Shippo.
The kit shivered at the memory before his mind went to Adahy, a man he had only known for three or four days but who had never hit him even once.
"That's different than Manten." Shippo rectified as he watched the pretty orb sparkle in the light. "Manten treated me like dirt—treated everyone that way, he was a murder," Shippo felt his lip tremble at the thought as visions of his mother and father ran through his head. He could almost see it, Manten raising a hand to strike down his father that wicked grin on his face as the blood of a once proud fox demon splattered across his pasty white skin. "Evil," Shippo let the word slip out quietly so Shiori wouldn't hear. "Manten was evil completely but Adahy—." Shippo's thoughts trailed off, even he wasn't sure what Adahy was.
The man was horrible, a murderer, a killer but only to adults. He would beat them, yell at them—Shippo had seen that in the past couple of days but was he as cold about it as Manten? "No, he's more like Captain Hiten." The small fox frowned at the thought surprised to think any good about the man who had stood beside Manten and watched as his father died. "Manten did the horrible things, Hiten—he always just watched."
Shippo scowled at the thought, his heart gripping in his chest as a feeling of horrible guilt overwhelmed him. He felt like he was betraying his father and mother, telling them that the man who had been inadvertently responsible for their deaths was actually decent in a strange way. But in a bazaar way, it was true. Hiten had verbally abused him, yelled and cursed even hit him, kicked him, treated him and other beings like dirt but when it came to any torture that happened on that ship, when it came to killing virgins or women Hiten never got his hands too dirty—Manten had been the one to execute every incident.
It was a realization that angered Shippo and of course filled him with guilt but at the same time, even as young as he was, Shippo knew that the exclusion of participation does not a good man make. Still, Hiten didn't seem to get the same sick fascination out of the act that Manten had, he seemed in it for the money, women trafficking was a money making endeavor after all.
Shippo's young mind froze with his thoughts, not understanding where they were taking him. He hated Manten and Hiten, they were horrible people, killers, murderers, they had no regard for human life at all and yet here he was looking at Hiten at least in a different light just as he saw Adahy in a different light.
While Adahy had lead the attack that destroyed the Shikuro and then claimed it as his own, had delegated to his own men to torture her crew for information and threaten their lives so they would work for him—he had not yet killed a soul, he had not yet touched a soul with his own hands. "Maybe, he just doesn't want ta get his hands dirty." Shippo reasoned, in the case of both Hiten and Adahy. Yet, there was something about Adahy that was very different than both Hiten and Manten.
There had been moments, silent moments in the dead of night that told him so.
He remembered laying on a bed next to a soundly sleeping Shiori as his large eyes looked out the small window next to them, taking in the sight of a pretty waning moon. "I can't sleep." He had muttered into the thick night air.
This had only been the second night he had slept in this strange bed next to the sweet girl that was practically his own age. He knew even then that he liked Shiori well enough, she was nice and kind however, that had not changed the frustration, the sadness, the heartsickness associated with the family he had been ripped from.
"Kagome, Sango." He remembered whispering into the dark, his eyes washing with tears that he couldn't help to prevent as he had looked out at the now watery moon. "Captain—Mr. Miroku." He had closed his eyes tight, the sting of tears making him angry as he wiped them away. "I'm a boy," He remembered telling himself. "I shouldn't cry!"
He had then wiped the last of the tears away before closing his eyes tight and hardening his chin, forcing himself to be brave and go to sleep as Shiori had some time ago.
Suddenly, the door to the room had opened, the floorboards and the doorframe creaking as someone tried to enter as silently as possible. Shippo remembered the way his whole body had stiffen at the noise, memories of his past and what doors opening at night could mean hitting him hard. "I should have hidden." He had thought as his heart rate increased exponentially. "Why didn't I think to hide? I always hid on the Thunder, always." He had closed his eyes tightly as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the bed, quiet and lacking boots—barefoot. "Oh god, oh god, oh god."
He remembered the way the bed had shifted as the unknown person sat down on its edge, the fabric creaking just as the door had done as the weight of the individual came down on it. He remembered the way his whole body had tense, prepared to attack if the need arise. He had known that at all cost he had to protect himself and, of course, protect Shiori.
"Don't be afraid."
He remembered how he froze at the voice, recognizing it to be Adahy.
"I don't hurt children."
The small kit's eyes had snapped opened at the words, inhaling instinctually to confirm that the voice matched the scent he now knew. Sure enough, the same rustic smell of the forest had permeated his pain and oddly, it had calmed him.
"Adults are different." The man had continued to speak, his voice soft and careful as if he didn't want to wake the other child. "They've lived their life, fucked up, done what they were put on this earth to do. If they die what's the loss?"
Shippo had thought to turn around, to look at Adahy so as to see his expression, to know what he was really thinking but fear stalled all movement and he continued to lay, frozen and unsure.
"But a child—you gotta protect children, at least till they're of age." He had whispered and Shippo had thought he heard the distinct sound of a hand lifting and then hair being ruffled. "Protect 'em, give 'em a shot at life, even if they are squandered by human blood." His voice had sounded distasteful. "When she's old enough, if she hasn't learned her place then—." He remembered the way the voice trailed off and the way the bed had moved again and then he froze.
Shippo remembered the gentle hand he had felt on his head warm and almost fatherly in an odd way.
"Doesn't matter," Adahy had spoken with a soft undefined chuckle on his lips. "Sleep kit—you've got the world, you know it?" He had paused for a second, his hands ruffling the feathers light red hair just as Shippo remember his father and the Captain and Miroku had all done before.. "Full demon blood, that's some lucky shit."
And then, as quickly as Adahy had entered, as quickly as he had sat down and talked, Adahy had stood the bed shifting from the weight lifting and quietly had walked out of the room, leaving Shippo frozen, wide awake, and deeply confused.
"It's all so weird." Shippo thought as the memory left his head his mind going to other strange instances of Adahy being kind, petting his head or Shiori's while he gave them food and spoke in an actual kind voice but just as suddenly as that kind voice would come to fruition, it would disappear and in its place an angry, violent man would come to stand. He would yell and scream and upend tables because of little things like something being spilled or Shiori speaking at the wrong time or addressing him in the wrong way.
Shippo shivered at the thought and shook his head back and forth, unsure of what to make of the man Adahy. He was odd, extremely odd, a kind of odd Shippo had never truly met although Hiten had been close.
Just outside the sound of another cannon firing rang causing Shippo to jump, squeaking terrified in panic. Still sitting in front of him Shiori raised her head from her own unknown thoughts giving Shippo a completely baffled look as if she couldn't understand why he was afraid of such a common noise. "Shippo?" She whispered as she tilted her head questioning him. The look on her sweet face making Shippo grimace and blush with embarrassment.
"I'm not scared!" He told her quickly while crossing his arms over his small chest his face a bright red fitting of his own hair.
"Okay." Shiori agreed but didn't quite look convinced.
Shippo catching the look tried to smile and force himself to look taller and braver. "I've been on many a ship," He declared in his best impersonation of Inuyasha he could muster, arms crossed and eyes closed as he attempted to smirk. "With many 'annons, I fear not a one!" He told her while standing up from the ground, his hands going to his hips and his chin raised high as he had seen Mr. Miroku do several times when he was watching the crew.
Shiori shook her head but a smile formed just for him nonetheless. "Shippo, you're funny." She whispered with her soft sweet voice, the smile still on her pretty tan face.
Shippo laughed self consciously before rubbing the back of his head the way he had seen the Captain do before in front of Kagome. "Yeah um—," He tried to think of anything to say to get the attention off himself, his eyes darting all around, looking for a proper topic. Finally, his green irises landed on the small orb that rested in her hands giving him an idea. "The orbs sure pretty today." He told her as he pointed at the orb before bringing his hands back to worry together as he shifted his weight from side to side.
Shiori spared him a glance with a solemn expression before nodding her head, her naturally pink lips drown in a tight line. "It is." She conquered before shaking her head slightly, a lone silent tear running from her bright black eyes to the tip of her chin where it hung for several seconds before falling and landing against the smooth surface of the strange orb. "It's very pretty but—." Her sweet voice faltered and she brought one hand up to rub at her eyes. "It's not very nice."
Shippo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he took a seat in front of her with his legs crossed. "What'd ya mean, Shiori?"
The little bobcat Halfling looked up at him, the tears still brimming in her eyes as she gave him an obviously shocked expression before glancing back at the orb. "Well, it—it does look pretty." She spoke softly, her eyes focused on the orb studying it as she had many times. "But, even if something is pretty outside—doesn't mean it is pretty inside."
"You've seen inside it?" Shippo gave her his most innocent of grins as he rebutted her comment.
The girl shook her head back and forth but did give a slight smile at the joke. "No," She giggled softly. "It would have to break for anyone to see inside silly." She giggled slightly and brought one hand up to her face to hide the gesture.
Shippo gave her a wide grin, showing off his milk fangs. "Yeah," He agreed with a shrug, continuing to give her the largest grin he was able, hoping that her smile would stay upon her face as well. "And we wouldn't want 'hat ta 'appen?"
The young girl's smile disappeared at the suggestion and she opened her mouth just slightly as if about to make a suggestion of her own before snapping it shut.
"Shiori?" He whispered when she didn't say anything, his wide green eyes filled with fear that he had upset her. "Are ya okay?"
"Yes," She told him but her face still looked oddly detached from the world around her as she slowly allowed herself to droop. First her shoulders and then her back hunching, as her arms went limp and her chin finally bowed to touch her chest. Her shoulders shook for a second and then the soft cry of a sob escaped her throat. "I'm sorry." She whispered out as she brought her hand up once again to wipe her face.
"Don't be!" Shippo spoke his voice practically frantic as he wrung his hands and debated what to do. Should he touch her, hug her, give her a light tap on the shoulder or a pat on the head? "How do you handle crying girls?" He waved his hands frantically in front of him, attempting to think of anytime he had seen another 'man' handle a crying girl with ease—no one came to mind. "Shiori?" He drug out her name, his voice pleading with her to help him out, to stop crying.
She raised her head at the sound, her face a little blotchy from the salt in her tears as she gave him an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry Shippo, really I am." She whispered out once more, her voice so young and soft that Shippo felt his cheeks heat up.
"Don—." He started to speak once again but she stopped him with a quick shake of her head.
"It's really ugly." She whispered out as she clutched the orb tighter to her body, not making any eye contact with her young companion. "This orb is ugly on the inside, it's a curse upon my family." She wiped at her face once again, one hand clutching the orb while the other tended to her puffy eyes.
"How is it a curse?" Shippo spoke out a pure curiosity, his fox like nature sneaking up on him as he leaned forward and took a truly good look at the orb that Shiori had kept with her at all times since the onslaught of his captivity with her.
It was small, surprisingly, fitting into the palm of a grown man's hand easily without the use of any fingers as well as perfectly round. It's color was hard to determine as it seemed to have two distinct colors within it. On the surface it was white, beautiful clear crisp white, which shimmered in the light but deep within its core another color seemed to make its home shifting from white to pink and then sometimes even lavender or purple. It was beautiful and looked nothing like any cursed object that Shippo had ever seen.
"It don't look cursed." He told her honestly, as he looked from the orb to the tiny Shiori before him who was gazing at the orb with still wet eyes.
"It's a curse," She whispered as she gazed at the object, her dark eyes almost seeming to reflect its beautiful whiteness. "Because of what it does."
Shippo blinked and crossed his arms, looking at the orb with surprise. "What's it do?"
"Barrier." She whispered out as she touched the surface of the orb with the hand not clutching it. "It makes a barrier that no one can get though but we can send things through."
"Wow." Shippo whispered out as he stared at the object. "Kinda like Kagome."
"My great grandfather was the one who found it—," She continued speaking, her bright eyes staring at the gem as if it would bite her for speaking. "They said the god's gave it to him in order to protect his sons and daughters. That he could use the barrier to stop his enemies arrows and spears." She bit her lip and frowned before shaking her head hard and bringing a hand to her eyes to wipe at them. "It was supposed to protect us but it doesn't!"
"What'd ya mean?" Shippo inquired as he scooted closer to the small girl, his eyes darting between the orb and her.
"This orb," She tried to continue but her voice caught in her throat as she thought of all this orb had done. She knew of its power, she knew that he had once been used by her great grandfather and grandfather in battle. It had protected the village from raids and even mother earth herself at times. But it had also sparked something, changed something, darkened something in a way she couldn't quite yet understand. But she knew from stories, she knew from watching, she knew from experience, that this orb could change people and not for the better. "It—," She tried to speak again, swallowing several times in order to gain control of her voice. "It protects us from everything," She knew the words to be true. "But each other.
"Shiori?" Shippo whispered as he looked at her young pained face.
"If this orb never would have existed," Her face contorted into tears of sorrow and anger. "Then we wouldn't be here now," She looked at Shippo, her eyes dark and clouded. "My mother wouldn't be dead and I would still be at home—," She closed her eyes tightly and brought the orb closer to her body, unable to let go. "I would still be safe!"
"What?"
"It does things." She continued as she opened her eyes and looked at the orb with distaste. "I don't know, it just—I can feel it." She shook her head slowly back and forth. "When I used it at the village when my father was teaching me it was different, it felt different but now," She tried to pull her hands away from the orb but found she couldn't, found her was stuck. "It's changed—the orb has changed, it feels different. It acts different."
Shippo blinked a few times completely confused. "How can 'un orb act different?" He questioned as he looked at the inanimate object.
"I don't know." Shiori told him honestly. "But I remember my father once told me that the orb," She frowned darkly. "It's not like other jewels or gems, its special." Her voice trailed off as she looked at its surface, her eyes seeming to become lost in the darkening center of the orb. "He said—the orb is alive somehow."
"What!"
"Yeah, he said it's alive in a way." She brought her hands to encompass the orb more completely. "Like it's a piece of something that once was alive." She frowned darkly. "Maybe the god's are in it or some of their life is in it." Her hands began to shake. "If it's alive or has a spark of life in it," She whispered out before turning her eyes upon Shippo, pleading with him to agree. "Then couldn't it—like people—couldn't it change?"
"Aa—," Shippo tried to speak but his voice failed him.
"It used to feel happy you know." She whispered out as she shook her head. "Now, it's different it doesn't feel happy anymore." Her voice seemed to teeter as if she was about to fall off some great edge. "This orb," Shiori looked down at the orbs now almost purple center. "It feels dark."
-break-
Inuyasha's hands held onto the back of Kagome's thighs as he sailed down the cliff face, his body free falling towards the chaos. Behind him, holding onto his back as tightly as she could Kagome closed her eyes, one hand stringing around his neck for support while the other held tightly to the bow, knowing that she could not risk letting it go. Her body jolted as Inuyasha hit the ground, stopping and looking this way and that before leaping once more, this time next to a small hut that appeared to be unaffected by the devastation around them.
For several seconds he stood there, turning to look this way and that as his hands tightened and loosened against her legs. In front of them, a man yelled as a knife was stabbed into his stomach. Kagome immediately closed her eyes to the sight of blood and intestines spewing onto the ground, the bile rising in her throat sickening and acidic on her tongue. "Dear lord." She thought to herself as she clutched Inuyasha tighter, burying her face into the back of his hair as the man's screams penetrated the cove. "Oh dear lord."
Underneath her fingers she felt Inuyasha's muscles tighten and then suddenly experienced the odd sensation of his legs bending down causing her body weight to plummet before he sprang upwards, the inertia of the experience making her stomach flip flop in the most unpleasant way.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." She told herself as they landed on the roof of the very hut they had been standing next to.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice calling her name ceased her thoughts momentarily, allowing the sickening feeling in her stomach to be tricked into peace.
Gulping and blinking her watering eyes Kagome nodded into his back despite the fact he couldn't see her, hoping that the movement would tell him to continue on.
He shifted his weight forward in response, pulling her tighter to his back, jarring her slightly. "I'm gonna jump from the roofs," He informed as he adjusted her position even further, pulling her thighs forward so she could more easily wrap her legs around him. "It'll be faster." He continued as he glanced back at her looking at her pale face. "You okay?"
Kagome gulped at his words but forced herself to smile. "I'm fine." She spoke her voice and her words surprisingly honest.
"Okay," He spoke slowly, one golden eye managing to look at her critically as he craned his neck at an odd angle. "Then—just hold on tight!" He commanded before turning his head around quickly as he dug the balls of his feet into the ground before shooting upwards, landing on a nearby hut's roof before springing forward once again to land on another only a few yards away.
Kagome tightened her grip on him as they sprang up before plummeting down the motion exhilarating, terrifying, and nauseating all at the same time. She closed her eyes tightly to block out the motion, her stomach almost knotting as she was jostled up and down. "My god," She thought to herself as her mind nearly went fuzzy. "Just hold on tight," She coached herself as she held onto him as tight as she could. "Just hold on to Inuyasha." She was positive at that point that her complexion had gone from pale to green. "I'd be fine," She tried to reason to herself. "If it wasn't for the blood—and—that poor man." Her internal voice sounded positively annoyed.
She bit her lip hard as they landed on another hut that's roof was not as stable, the wood crackling underneath as it threatened to give way. She felt the scream bubbling up in her throat as their combined weight lurched downwards swiftly, her heart galloping in her chest as a momentary sensation of helpless overtook her heart. Quickly, with speed she hadn't realized Inuyasha possessed, the weightless sensation disappeared as he managed to find one small stable foothold that gave him just enough stability to push off of. Accelerating forward, the Captain pushed away from the roof in one giant leap before flipping them in the air slightly in order to gain balance his body contorting in ways no one's body ever should contort before landing on the ground once more.
"Fuck." He cursed nearly silently to himself as he barely managed to leap into the air once more, dodging a spear that was being thrown right towards his head.
Kagome's heart immediately lodged itself in her throat at the sight of the spear standing up at a slight angle in the ground right where they had just been. "So close—." She whispered out the Captain's ears twitching in response as he hastily looked around them, up and down for an escape route.
After several seconds his body went ridged and his ears stood straight up on his head as he caught sight of something just a ways off. "Hold on tight Kagome, we're almost there!" He called to her as he sprang away with amazing grace, landing on a sturdier roof within seconds before running down the roof line only to jump again towards another.
"We're almost there." Kagome repeated his words to herself as she opened her eyes just wide enough to look at the disarray around them once more. The sight that met her was just as unpleasant as before. Blood everywhere still, and dying men littering the ground moaning and groaning as their guts spilled out or they slowly drowned in their own blood that trickled down their cut throats.
Her nausea returned instantly from the sight causing her to impulsively snap her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to see anymore of the blood and homicide.
"So much blood." The thought tickled in the back of her mind. "So much violence. How—How am I supposed to stop it?" Her heart sped up in her chest once more, her blood pressure skyrocketing and her pulse visibly pumping under her skin at the panicked thought. "I mean I know how," Kagome bit her lip. "—I know the arrows and the string, I gotta make them with my power—I got that figured out but—."
Inuyasha came to a crashing half once again bringing her back into the present world as he dodged a friendly arrow just barely with a loud grunt. "Shit." He groused as he knelt down, shielding her from the friendly fire as he slid down the side of one of the roofs before landing briefly on the ground. "Damn battle field." He grumbled more to himself than to her as his grip on her tightened to the point of almost pain.
She grimaced but couldn't bring herself to say anything as she watched the arrows that had nearly hit them continue to rain down across the tormented land. She felt tears spring to her eyes when she saw some of them make contact with their victims, cutting into the flesh of arms and legs and bodies—humans crying out from the pain of it and demons growling snarling as they ripped them from their bodies smashing them and retaliating with spears and by attacking the closest enemy.
Kagome felt everything shutdown in her head, her mind warping to the world around her: the screams, the snarls, the smell of blood and burning bodies. The images that were forever etched onto the back of her eyelids, floating in unnatural colors but still vivid: people dead, people dying, people murdering and killing.
She barely registered when Inuyasha began to move again, staying low to the ground for a moment as he edged them closer to the house, preparing to jump back onto another section of the roof and starting off again. "My powers," She felt detached from the world as the consideration struck her. "How will they stop it, how will they stop the violence, what will they do?" Kagome gulped at the very question. In truth she had no idea what her powers would do or how they would work—she had seen too much contradicting information on the subject. "With Jinenji it purified the prejudice from people's hearts," She told herself, attempting to calm down her own mind before suddenly shuddering. "But with Manten—it killed him."
At that moment Inuyasha jumped once again but she didn't even realize it or register it her heart froze by the thought, her mind blanking to the extent that she was no longer aware of the smell of burnt flesh or the cries of the dying all she could see and hear was her own hypocrisy. She was supposed to stop violence, control it and change it—change the world but the act of killing someone for peace was the exact opposite of stopping violence, it was creating violence. The very thought of harming another creature, any creature was violence.
Kagome glanced down at the bow in her hand, taking in the beautiful red polished wood. "This is a weapon and arrows are made to kill." Her heart prickled in her chest at the notion and she held onto Inuyasha a little tighter as he leapt from house to house because of that uncertainty. "Could I kill someone even if they were pure evil?" She shook her head as memories of just moments before filled her head. She had told Inuyasha those very words, had admitted that if Onaconah's brother was in fact pure evil then he would die:
"And if he is pure evil and nothing good is left in him then he will pay the price but—to say a man is evil, wholly and completely without ever giving him a benefit of the doubt is prejudice in itself."
"I said that didn't I?" She questioned herself but she honestly didn't feel as if the words had actually been something she had said. She felt removed from them somehow, didn't believe in them somehow and yet—she understood them perfectly.
Evil beings in the world were dangerous they created the hate so vividly that only people like herself could remove it—no sweet kind words of wisdom or guidance would be able to, only extreme use of extreme powers. But for a woman such as Kagome to think that a man or woman of pure unadulterated evil existed was nearly impossible. Did such a person exist, was it possible? A part of her knew that it was in fact a possibility.
"Manten." The name made her shudder as memories of grubby hands and chap disgusting lips brushing against her neck as hands made a home on her waist and stomach penetrated her brain. "He was evil." She thought to herself and found she couldn't deny it as truth. "I had never met anyone like him who looked at people like he did." She grimaced at the thought. "Maybe that's why he died when I used my powers on him," She realized as she recalled the man's death by her hand. "If he was pure evil, then my powers would naturally destroy him, right? That's what Miko's do—they purify evil and if a person is completely evil then they must be completely purified."
Kagome bit her lip her shoulders quaking as she took a deep breath a great weight of sickness making its way into her stomach as she tried to comprehend her thoughts but came up only more confused. Even if Manten was evil did that make it okay? Maybe but—there was more to it than that.
When she had killed Manten, evil as he was, she had possibly created violence and created hate. After all, someone had to love Manten even if he was a horrible person and when she had struck him down she had made that love into revenge and bloodlust. She had caused hate and violence. She had become a hypocrite. The one destined to stop hate and prejudice had become a creator of it.
Slowly, she closed her eyes attempting to wrap her mind around the idea of what she was capable of, if she was a hypocrite or if she was about to become one. Her hands clutched the bow at her side, the sound of the grip on the long curved shaft tightening a gentle peaceful note to her pain filled ears. Without her permission a memory from long ago responded to the noise, coming to the forefront of her mind and taking residence there.
"Is that what a Miko is?" She remembered asking him as tears slipped down her cheeks, her hands ready to catch them, posed in front of her face but unmoving not ready to actually perform the act. "Do they kill demons without caring?"
"No," Inuyasha had told her his voice hasty as he reached for her as if by no will of his own.
Instantly Kagome had reacted, hitting his hand away fear racking through her heart as she stared at him, afraid of touching him. He had frozen in response his eyes widening as a look she had not at the time understood clouded his face—hurt, anger, rejection. Unable to comprehend the darkness and sadness in his gold eyes, she had ignored it and instead wrapped her arms around herself, as she looked at him feeling cornered and horrified. "I could kill you."
He had snorted as he threw his hands up in the air, his posture that of someone deeply hurt but not willing to show it. "You couldn't!" He had told her bluntly causing her to gap at him.
"You felt that power, I remember you," Her eyes had darted around in thought trying not to look at him. "You told me to stop, you were—you were dying!"
She remembered the way he had bit his lip, his eyes turning away from her and rolling as if an afterthought. "That power can't kill me." His voice had been firm but an edge of discomfort she couldn't have missed had accompanied it.
"Why not?" She remembered glaring at him, challenging his words. "You're a demon and Miko's purify demons, like I—like I did with Manten," She had stumbled over the words a bit, afraid to admit that she had really killed someone. "And I could have very easily done that to you too."
"No you couldn't." He had argued shortly.
"Am I missing something here?" She had bit back sharply. "You're a demon, so that's how this works." She remembered stressing the words as her hands moved wildly in front of her attempting to make him understand.
He had clutched his fist in response before yelling. "Damn it Kagome, let it go, you wouldn't have killed me so don't worry about it, it's over anyway."
"No!" She had spoken to him firmly. "I want an explanation so care to explain why I wouldn't kill you," She remembered continuing to push him mentally, never letting up on the assault until he had spoken. "Because last time I checked a full demon—"
She remembered how he had snapped, his eyes twinging as he threw his hands in the air, anger coming off of him in waves. "It's because I'm not a full dem—." And then his words had frozen on his lips, died completely as his eyes widened with horror she hadn't yet understood.
Her eyes opened, she held onto the bow tighter as she tried to put the pieces of the most complicated puzzle she had ever known together. "I didn't know then," Kagome thought to herself as she came completely out of the memory. "I couldn't purify him because he was half—and miko's only purify demons." She blinked, her eyes not seeing the blurring world around her at all. "But, what the hell do my powers actually do then—do they purify evil or demons or what?" Fear gripped her at the very thought as she shut her eyes tightly in anger and frustration, "I just don't know, I just don't understand!"
She cursed as her own frustration set in, the pieces of the puzzle not seeming to fit together at all or, if they were fitting, appearing to paint her in the dark light. Her power was hypocritical, it changed people's thoughts and opinions, it purified demon's who were evil and rapist, but did that mean it would also purify men who were evil and rapist or was it just demons? It had created barriers that prevented humans from attacking them, could it do the same to demons or half demons? It had made the Shikuro invisible—she didn't even know what to think of that. How could a power do so many things and not seem to have a limit? What was it supposed to do—what did it purify, what did it create, everything and anything or were there specifics, were there rules? How did it work, she wanted boundaries, she wanted an explanation. She wanted it to make sense!
"It obeys you."
Kagome's eyes snapped opened as the voice filled her. It was the same voice she had heard no more than a hour ago. It was the same voice, she was coming to recognize, which she had heard for months now maybe even longer—a voice she had known before she was even aware that it existed.
"It obeys you."
Kagome frowned as the voice spoke again sweet and kind in her ear and just as familiar as Inuyasha's voice but perhaps more cryptically annoying. "What do you mean?" She thought instead of said out loud since she knew from experience that the voice would hear and understand.
"It obeys you."
Kagome narrowed her eyes at the deliberately repeated words a large frown forming on her face as she took it in. But before Kagome could give the words any more thought, she felt herself jarred as Inuyasha came to an abrupt halt on top of one of the many roofs he had been jumping between. "Onaconah." He growled in a low voice as he held onto Kagome even tighter.
Immediately Kagome's eyes went down to the small clearing amongst the huts below them only to have her irises immediately dilate in shook as they took in the sight of two men slowly circling one another. The man closest to them she recognized as Onaconah, his hands up in front of his face ready to guard or strike as he circled the other man deliberately moving with small steps. The other, she noticed, looked much younger but surprisingly very much like Onaconah himself, the same hair, the same eyes, chin, and chest—they were related she knew without words having to be spoken. "His brother." Kagome acknowledged as she watched him hold his hands up to his face, his surprisingly western attire looking out of place on his slim Cherokee body.
Absently Inuyasha sniffed the air prompted by her words of reorganization, just managing to distinguish the scent of both men among the horrible combined stenches on the breeze. "They smell like brothers." He told her as he licked his lips, his eyes never leaving the two as they continued to circle, both waiting for an opening that might never come. "And anger."
"Anger." Kagome found herself repeating the word but not out of question or disbelief, she could tell by the two men's posture that there was much anger between them, if not even a little hatred. They were tense, the muscle underneath the unnamed brother's shoulders tight as well as the muscles on Onaconah's exposed back. They were intense and focused and prepared and both looked ready to kill.
Suddenly the cannon fired again and as if it was some sort of signal both men sprang forward with loud howls the likes of which Kagome had never before in her life heard. They were screams of war, of revenge, and of battle that only stopped when both men plowed into each other at full speed. Claws immediately descended from hands as both men struck each other with sharp inherited nails, the sound of flesh being ripped and the smell of fresh blood spilling filling the senses of even Kagome as she watched.
Onaconah was the first to jump back, landing crouched on the ground one hand supporting his weight as he leaned forward bringing the other hand up to his lips to lick at the flesh that his own brother had torn. The intense eyes of the bobcat leader never left Onaconah, just as Onaconah's own fiery eyes never left his brother as he tensed and untensed his muscles deliberately.
"Adahy," He called out just loud enough for both Inuyasha and Kagome to hear and register the name as his brother licked at a wound on his wrist as well.
"You called brother." The younger man shot back as he allowed his torn up wrist to fall to his side as he crouched down into a better posture. "Come at me."
Onaconah didn't move right away, his sharp feline eyes studying his younger brother for several seconds before he pounced like a cat on a rat. It happened so fast that Kagome barely saw the right hook punch that Onaconah directed at his brother's chin sending the younger man backwards before taking his other hand and following the punch up with an uppercut to the chin.
The young Adahy immediately fell backwards, head over heels as it were staggering before he caught himself and with another primitive scream lashed out towards the older brother's throat. Onaconah just barely managed to lean back and dodge the assault before moving forward himself, swiping at his younger brother's face and missing everything but an out of place strand of hair. The two brother's paused for just a millisecond as the tan and black spotted hair of the bobcat clan fell as if in slow motion in front of both their faces.
The younger brother's eyes flashed with anger and he snarled before lunging forward his hands outstretched. Caught off guard Onaconah was unable to dodge before the hands went around his throat gripping tightly around his esophagus as claws dug into his skin as Adahy strangled him savagely.
Kagome gasped and nearly heaved as she watched Onaconah struggle, spit and blood alike dripping from his mouth as he desperately tried to breath. Onaconah's hands clawed at his brother's fingers ripping into the flesh over and over again but the younger man didn't budge his grip becoming tighter and tighter with each frantic move.
The tan color of Onaconah's face began to change as he fought his hands becoming just a little weaker with each passing second until his eyes began to roll in the back of his head. The younger brother smirked and unwittingly allowed his grip to relax just enough for Onaconah to gain a literal second wind. Shocked and caught off guard just as his brother had been seconds before, Adahy didn't have time to respond before his brother punched him square in the nose immediately jumping away from him to hold his bruising neck.
Adahy recoiled from the hit, his hands coming up to grab at his face as blood and snot ran down from his nose to his lips and chin. "Mother fucker!" He screamed so loud that several men in the area paused just now realizing the fight that was happening between their respective leaders.
"This is bad." Inuyasha groused mainly to himself as he watched the men below them in the immediate area begin to take interest in the fight. The sea Captain licked his lips in response holding onto Kagome a little tighter as he watched them.
"What are they doing?" Kagome asked as she took in the sight of the men beginning to approach making a circle around the briefly paused fight.
"This is big they have ta see it." Inuyasha told her vaguely as he eyed the men wearily. "I mean," He started to elaborate. "The leaders are fighting, whoever wins, Onaconah Adahy, theoretically wins the battle."
Kagome nodded in understanding at those words. It made perfect sense after all, beings had been doing this since before time it seemed. The leader, the biggest strongest male, fought the other group's biggest strongest male and whoever won took over and every one obeyed them for fear of dying. It was a simple formula, one all creators human or demon, big or small understood. "So they are stopping to see their fate."
"Yeah." Inuyasha nodded before lowering himself down hastily, allowing her to slip off his back without saying a word before rising once again his eyes on the commotion below them. Onaconah had stood back up and was staring his brother down, his hands once more at his sides. Adahy had stood as well, his shirt now stained with his own bright red blood where he had used it to wipe off his face. Both men seemed aware of the mob around them but were showing it little interest as they eyed each other—a much more important pastime.
The wind blew cold off the ocean and the chaos that had surrounded the area for over thirty minutes subsided rather abruptly with the sea breeze's cool essence. It was like a sixth sense that only demons possessed ran through the crowd. They seemingly knew that the fighting was pointless, that the rules had just changed, and that their leaders were about to duke it out so that the final decision could be made. A tight ring formed around the two men, bobcat pirate and bobcat Indian standing side by side, none the wiser of the other's presence as they watched the two men.
Kagome felt her heart pound at the sight of how strange it all was to take in. These men only moments before had been killing each other. The blood of their opponents friends and family still rested on their bodies and yet they stood next to each other as naturally as if they had always been together. "I don't understand." Kagome told herself as she shook her head, "You would think they would at least only stand with their own group?" She groused but knew it was pointless to question—they were all a bunch of men after all. With a sigh she pushed the subject from her head, instead focusing on the current center of attention, waiting with the others for something to happen.
The breeze disappeared and the night air became cool but stale once again. Every man in the clearing began to tense and just as suddenly as the intermission had begun, Onaconah and his brother lunged. The men roared in response as Onaconah and Adahy met in the middle of the clearing both throwing punches that were barely dodged before meeting in the middle hand gripping hand. They stayed that way for several seconds, a power struggle of sorts as they both gripped each other's respective hands with their teeth grinding together as they tried to make the other submit to their strength.
In an attempt to gain the upper hand Onaconah loosening his grip and allowed himself to fall momentarily backwards towards the ground, appearing to have lost his balance as he pulled Adahy forward with him bringing his knees up towards his chest before thrusting them forward into Adahy's exposed stomach sending the younger man backwards. Triumphant Onaconah flipped backwards regaining his balance from the maneuver and then launching himself forward once more, punching his younger brother in the gut before the man could regain his balance.
Adahy coughed up blood in response but regained his composure within seconds sending a tightly closed fist towards his brothers head. Onaconah managed to dodge to the side preventing the punch from hitting his face but still took a sharp jab to his right shoulder causing him to spin around, his right arm flailing right in front of Adahy's face as he tried to catch his balance.
The younger man grabbed the arm as fast as he could, allowing the momentum of his older brother's turn to help him wrench it in a hammer lock behind Onaconah's back. Onaconah cried out in response as his shoulder strained against its socket, threatening to dislocate. The bobcat pirates hooted in response, yelling and cheering on their Captain as he wrenched Onaconah's right arm higher causing his immobilized shoulder more pain.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha mumbled from beside Kagome as he inched his way forward on the roof, watching as Onaconah tried to pull his arm back down to give him some relief from the sensation of his shoulder tendons tearing. "Come on, come on."
Kagome tightened her grip on the bow as she watched, her mind racing trying to figure out what she should do. "This violence, brother killing brother—this is what I'm supposed to stop." She told herself, remembering what the mysterious spirit had told her only an hour or so ago. "But how!" She practically yelled as she looked down at the lifeless bow. "I mean I know how but—how do I without, without killing, how do I do it without killing? Just—give me a sign or something!"
None came.
Below her Onaconah, red faced from the wrenching of his arm, finally took a deep breath bringing his free left arm up in front of his body as his right arm was further wrenched up behind his back. Growling he pulled his left arm as far across his body as he could before slamming it across his body and backwards behind himself, straight into the side of Adahy's face. The younger man snarled in response to the elbow to the face, releasing his brother's arm and staggering back as Onaconah hastily turned around and punched him square in the jaw with his now free right hand.
Within seconds Adahy was falling backwards, his eyes going into the back of his head from the combined elbow and punch. Onaconah followed him without hesitation landing on top of his brother and punching him over and over again in the face, blood spattering until Adahy managed to covered his face with his hands and arms, preventing further damage as he raised his hips forward before bucking much like a horse. The motion caused Onaconah to lose his balance and fall to the side off his brother's body who immediately rolled away and stood back to his feet in one fast motion as he breathed heavily his face covered completely with red thick blood.
Onaconah soon recovered his balance as well as the men around them snarled and yelled, closing in on Onaconah and Adahy, making the circle smaller and smaller from their own excitement.
"Back off!" Adahy yelled as they entrenched on the fight one of his hands hastily wiping at his face, trying to get the blood out of his eyes. "This is our match!"
"Ha-le'!" Onaconah commanded as well in Cherokee but neither command seemed to really deter the men that still slowly seemed to seep closer.
Adahy snarled at the crowd, his eyes looking around himself desperately as he tried to come up with a solution. It wouldn't do to be mobbed by these men, that would only make the outcome harder to determine when all was said and done. This fight had to be decided between only these two men, only with a fight between them with an obvious winner and obvious loser could this two hundred year old feud finally come to an end. Gritting his teeth, he searched for the solution to his problem only to easily come up with the true only solution. "Get Shiori!" He screamed over his shoulder towards the guard that had stood watching their match from his porch step.
"You not dare." Onaconah spoke in English his eyes blazing as he looked at his brother.
"Get Shiori." Adahy repeated as he stared his brother down, behind him the very man who had earlier brought out Shiori disappeared back inside the small manner house.
"You use her?" Onaconah yelled at Adahy mainly because of anger but also because of the need to be heard as they were standing several yards apart and the men around them were very loud.
"She's mine to use, brother." Adahy bit out the words as the man appeared again behind them, this time with a tiny girl who looked absolutely petrified. Without turning to look at her Adahy commanded her loudly so everyone could hear. "Make the barrier."
"Her?" Kagome managed to whisper up above them as she stood next to Inuyasha, her eyes staring down at the tiny slip of a girl. "She made it?"
"Yeah." Inuyasha clutched his hands at his sides as he studied the tiny thing that looked so frightened as she stood, her knees chattering together while her hands shook to the extent that the orb within them appeared to be vibrating among her tiny fingers.
"Shiori!" Onaconah called, his voice loud but his tone gentle and grandfatherly. "You not have," For a moment he struggled with the words, trying to remember what they were in English. "No need listen to him." He finally settled on, his eyes looking at her with reassurance and pleading.
"E-du—," The girl started to call for her grandfather but cried out terrified instead as Adahy snarled at her without even turning his head.
"You will listen Shiori, cast the barrier now!" The veins on the side of Adahy's head seemed to pop out as he spoke. "No one will interfere."
"Yes sir." She whispered properly as tears started to well in her eyes and she slowly lowered herself to the floor. The orb began to glow in her grip and the air around them seemed to buzz as if electrified. All the demons in the vicinity not used to the sensation began to growl instinctively, not sure what to make of the charging air. Before Shiori could continue the process, however, she was interrupted by a small person with a very loud voice.
"Stop!"
The whole crowd reacted with pure puzzlement as the voice entered the fray sounding from the house, the body of the tiny boy appearing from the opened door only seconds after it had sounded.
"Shippo!" Kagome cried out as she clutched the Captain's sleeve in response to the very sight of him. Inuyasha's mouth hanging opened as well as they both watched him completely frozen in shock as he scurry forth from the darkened doorway his whole demeanor mutinous.
"Stop this Adahy!" His voice was squeaky with youth but not with fear. "Leave Shiori alone."
"This is bad." The words slipped from Inuyasha's mouth without him helping it as he took a step forward on the roof just as Adahy turned around to look at the tiny Shippo the older man's body appearing to freeze in the position for just a moment. "Stay here." Inuyasha told her without preamble but found himself rooted to the spot by her hands.
"No, this is Shippo, take me down!" She pleaded as she felt an uneasy terrified feeling build in her stomach as she looked down at the tiny defiant kit from her spot on the flat roofed hut.
"No!" Inuyasha told her firmly in response a certain look of fire and pain filling his eyes as he brushed her hands away from his arm and took a step away. "Kagome those are two demons out for blood—they probably can't even see straight anymore." He told her desperately as he looked at the still stunned and unmoving crowd, waiting for the moment Adahy would explode.
"So you're just gonna leave me on a roof?" Kagome responded her voice desperate as she too looked down at the tiny red headed child watching as Adahy brought a hand up in the air before lowering it as if lost for words. "You can't!"
"Kagome, listen please." His voice was ruff and just as desperate as her own as he spoke, his eyes darting between her and the two unmoving men below them. "Stay here, those two—there's no telling."
"But—?"
Suddenly his eyes landed on the bow and a realization seemed to come over him. "The bow," He whispered looking up at her quickly his eyes appearing frazzled as he tried to comprehend his own thoughts. "It's a long range weapon."
"What?"
"You can use it from here!"
Kagome frowned at his words, "Yeah." She acknowledged even though her mind was running wild. "A bow is a weapon, using it's power is certain to kill, I know it will kill—," She glanced down at the weapon, her eyes clouded with her own self-doubt. "I can't—this isn't right, this isn't what I'm supposed to do, but I—I can't think of any other way. What do I do?" Her mind chanted the words in panic as she looked away from the weapon and up at the anxious face of Inuyasha
"If something goes wrong use it." He commanded her as he turned back just in time to see Adahy fully turn towards the tiny defenseless boy, his back turned to the couple so neither could see the expression on his face. "Trust me!" He yelled just as Adahy took his first step towards the defiant child.
"What did you say?" Adahy's voice carried towards Inuyasha as he dropped from the roof not giving Kagome even a sideways glance as he ran across the small distance his appearance causing the clearing to come instantly to life with cries and howls and snarls as men began to step forward ready for the fight to turn into a more public forum.
"Common Dog!" Onaconah managed to scream as Inuyasha passed him like a blinding whirlwind, his voice enough of a warning to cause Adahy to turn just in time to see Inuyasha's approach.
Before Inuyasha could even hope to get passed Adahy towards Shippo, the man jumped backwards landing on the porch steps right before both the small and timid Shiori and the now terrified Shippo who stood before her shaking violently but unrelenting.
Grinding to a halt Inuyasha stood his legs still spread and his hands held high by his face ready to fight. Around him the men screamed, howled, snarled and growled every possible sound they could make escaping from their throats as they watched Inuyasha stand defiantly in the center of the slowing evaporating clearing, his posture indicating he was prepared for any kind of fight one could image facing.
"What do you want?" Adahy yelled at him as he raised a calming hand towards his men, which reacted in kind to the silent statement. Surprisingly the Cherokee's did as well watching the man they knew as Common Dog with interest the few that spoke English translating for those that did not.
"I tried to stay out of this as much as possible." Inuyasha spoke firmly as he dug his heels into the sandy dirt prepared to come forward and attack if he needed to. "This is a fight between brothers after all and I understand brothers." His comment was dark and spoke true. "But now—now—," His eyes turned deadly, his vision seeming to go red something no full demon could ever really recall seeing. He glanced at Shippo who was looking at him with a mixture of hope and pure panic. "You hurt one of my pups," He practically growled as he spoke the words, his eyes still focused at Shippo and his mind hard to control as he thought of Miroku, thought of that once tall son he had raised appearing small and hunched and bloody. "And I'll," He took a deep breath as the vision caused him to pant his eyes becoming more and more angry as he slowly brought them upwards to look at Adahy. The man almost appeared to pale in response as he too clutched his hands and tried to maintain his ground. "I'll be damned if you get near another!" Inuyasha snarled fiercely. "Give me my pup!"
Adahy's eyes widened at the words and he stepped back completely shocked. He knew this man by his very scent, he knew the pup he was speaking of by his very scent but this boy—this fox—didn't smell that strongly of the Captain and that Captain, the Captain smelled of human blood. "Half demon." Adahy whispered as he stared at Inuyasha, his eyes unafraid. "You're a half demon."
"So what?" Inuyasha bit back as he slowly shifted his feet forward. He would have attacked but Shippo was in far too close of a proximity to both Adahy and the guard to warrant the risk.
"You can't have sired this child." Adahy smirked as he spoke. "First of all, he's a fox and you're a dog." He snorted from his own words. "And second, he's pure."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and spit to his side in response. "The other is mine and he's a human—," He edged closer again, hoping Adahy wasn't catching on to his motions. "Blood does not a family make."
"Interesting." Adahy actually mumbled from the words but whatever interest he had in the subject didn't appear to last very long as he drew himself to his full height. "Shiori." He smiled, everything about him appearing oddly sickening. "Make the barrier."
"What?" The small girl snapped her head around towards her uncle, her bright black eyes appearing astonished by his words. "But I—?"
"She don't wanna!" Shippo yelled in response knowing that Shiori was far too timid to be able to speak loudly for herself. "So back off!" He continued as he stood firmly in front of the little girl.
"Shut up kit!" The guard said before Adahy could even respond, the man stepping forward and grabbing Shippo, placing a hand firmly over his small mouth as the kit tried to struggled. And then several things happened all at once.
"Let him go!" Inuyasha screamed as he lunged forward.
"Make the barrier Shiori." Adahy yelled in response.
"Captain Adahy!" The guard's voice sounded as he shoved Shippo from his arms to the side, the kit hitting the wooden boards of the porch as the guard reached into his jacket producing a gun.
"Common Dog!" Onaconah shouted as he too lunged forward reaching out for Inuyasha.
And up upon the roof Kagome's heart froze in her chest as a flashback to Inuyasha being shut soared through her mind.
"I have to do something." She heard her thoughts as she watched the world slow down as it always had before. "What do I do?" She felt her heart pound in her chest and the tears form in her eyes, in her hand she felt the bow pulse as if telling her the possibilities. "Please," She clutched the bow tightly as the air prickled with power both hers' and Shiori's. She blinked back tears almost in slow motion as she watched the guard raise the gun, pointing it at Inuyasha's heart. "I have to protect." She told herself as pain ripped through her stomach, her power bubbling under the surface telling her to react. "But not like that, this isn't—there has to be another way! I can't kill, I can't!" The bow crackled in her hand a sight that would have been beautiful to behold had anyone been looking. "Just I need—I need—," Kagome screwed her eyes shut even tighter as she screamed. "I need more time!"
Kagome felt a rush of energy flee her body and go into the bow she was holding instantly as the words left her lips. Terrified she opened her eyes half expecting to see her power rushing all around her towards the unsuspecting people below but instead found a wholly different world.
Her breath hitched in her throat as she took in a blank world of black and white, stationary and unmoving, everything frozen in place. She could see Inuyasha stopped mid step forward, see Onaconah reaching for him one foot off the ground frozen in time, she could see Shippo's small body laying on the ground, see Shiori's face screwed up tight forever struggling to make the orb work, see the guard with his gun drawn but his finger not yet at the trigger paused, see Adahy unmoving his eyes wide and opened in disbelief. "What the hell?" She cursed, the words sounding strange in her ears but full of meaning. "How—did I do this?"
"It obeys you."
Kagome lifted her head as the words filled her. "It obeys me, what obeys me?" She tried to ask but nothing responded to her question, only silence as she looked at the frozen world her mind working overtime trying to figure out what was happening, how it was happening, how it was even possible. "I did this." She whispered, the tone of her voice both questioning and accepting. "My powers did this, they obeyed me?" The memory of the voice seemed to tickle the back of her mind as the thought invaded her senses. She blinked once then twice as the strange black and white world encompassed all her vision, actually messing with her mind. "Amazing," She whispered as understanding took hold of her. "I did this—I caused this," She felt her body slowly sink down to the now black roof of the building Inuyasha had left her on. "I wanted time—I needed time to think—." She looked down at the bow that was still completely unchanged but got the sneaking suspicion that it had transferred the energy when her eyes were closed. "So my powers gave me time."
"It obeys you."
The voice spoke gently agreeing with her, telling her she was right and Kagome took a deep shuddering breath. "So it, my powers, they're not just random are they?" She thought to pause and let the voice respond but somehow knew it wouldn't. "They do what I want." She shook her head as she spoke slowly back and forth as if in complete and utter disbelief.
For a moment she tried to collect herself, allowing her mind to blank for just a moment as she remembered the odd circumstances of every time she had ever used her powers.
"With Manten I wanted him gone—so my powers destroyed him." She reasoned as she remembered her thoughts and feelings right before his death. "When Inuyasha was shot I created a barrier because I wanted to protect him." She felt her heart clench at the memory but pushed it on and away. "I wanted Jinenji to be happy and safe so my powers removed the villagers hate." She continued to remember as she recalled the conversation that her and Jinenji had had about acceptance and what he wanted in life. "At the Mississippi's mouth, the Captain didn't want to be seen, so my powers made us disappear. And only hurt them because I couldn't control them yet." She remembered the desperation of that time, how badly the Captain had wanted to escape without notice, how horrible she had felt when she realized what her powers had tried to do. "They always—they do what needs to be done—that's what they do—that's the rule."
She shook her head softly, the comprehension almost unnerving in an odd way. She closed her eyes the tension leaving her body as she felt that swirling pit in her stomach that she had only recently began to recognize. Slowly, she took her unused hand and touched the fabric of soft doeskin that guarded the area of her power. Her fingers shook and her mind went blank for just a second as she took a deep shuddering breath before opening her eyes once more.
"So if I—if I don't want to kill someone," Kagome whispered tears prickling her eyes as she looked down at the scene before her. "Then my powers won't." She smiled as relief filled her as her own potential hypocrisy fled her mind: she would not have to kill if she didn't want to. Kagome could decide her course of action purification of hate or evil, erecting barriers to save lives, turning people invisible, even maybe putting someone in a barrier until she could decide, but no matter the method whatever she wanted to do she would do. She did not have to kill. Of this, she was positive.
Kagome inhaled sharply as her relief made way for the present situation. "Now I just have to," She tilted her head and looked at Adahy contemplating. "Figure out how to do it without shooting him, I mean," She looked at the weapon in question with a raised eyebrow. "That's how bows work—you shot people."
"Inside."
The voice whispered causing Kagome complete pause as she lifted her head away from the bow to look around despite knowing she would find nothing. "Inside?" She questioned herself with a frown. Part of her understood what the voice meant, she could feel her power easily enough swirling within her that wasn't the problem. The problem was using it without shooting Adahy. For a moment, she wished her mind would just go blank as it had before, that she would suddenly understand the voice but she knew this time that wouldn't happen. She knew this time it was up to her, that she had her weapon and her understanding both at hand and she needed to use them, to do what was intended. "Look inside," She told herself and closed her eyes, pushing her mind to its very limit telling it to find whatever it was she was supposed to feel or see.
And then, like a candle flickering in a beautiful window in the night Kagome felt something brush against her consciousness. Something was dark, black, fluttering in and out of a vision she didn't know she had. She could see it, cold and purple, dark and dangerous but also begging, pleading, wanting to be seen, wanting to known, wanting to be destroyed. Kagome opened her eyes and there around herself was able to see something she never had known was visible. A glow, a color seemed to encompass everyone in that black and white world ringing around their heads like halos in old oil paintings. "What am I seeing?"
The voice said nothing leaving Kagome confused as she looked around taking in the splashes of color on the black and white world. The color of each halo was different deepening on who she was looking at. Shippo and Shiori's were white beautiful and pure, the Captain's a slight golden brown much darker but still holding a certain essence of beauty, even Onaconah's was dark but still a golden green color like tarnished bronze. And then her eyes landed on Onaconah's brother. The halo of light around his head was different, a deep dark purple but not black. "Hate." Kagome heard herself whisper as she watched that blackness flicker like a Roman wreath about Caesar's very head. "His hate, I can see it that blackness."
"You're eyes see."
"They do." Kagome whispered but her voice sounded suddenly far away as she gazed so intensely at that black crown that for a moment, she thought she was seeing double or perhaps a tail traveling from crown to the ground. Her gazes shifted and her eyes widened as she saw the connection between Adahy and the white orb—the orb was amplifying the hate. Perplexed she studied the orb intently and gasped when she noticed that Adahy was not the only person connected to that hate—there were others, all of them the bobcat pirate.
"It's connected to them." She furrowed her eyebrows her mind instantly summoning up a memory of her meeting from earlier, when the mysterious spirit had spoken to her.
"You have seen this before, have you not Kagome—the hate that the shikon causes."
"It's just like he said." She frowned darkly at the realization, her mind trying to wrap around what she had just realized. "The jewel." She whispered into that black and white frozen world unable to believe that the jewel was doing this, amplifying this. "It is—it's doing the opposite of me. Its bringing out their hate." Unconsciously she stood to her feet as her words seemed to engulf her as she stared at the purple haze that trailed to the shikon jewel within the orb. "It's time." She told herself as the power that had been swirling in her stomach began to settle as if sensing that now was the time as well.
Her eyes blinked as the world once again became a sea of color, everything speeding up as natural colors washed over the landscape. The cries, the yells, and screams came back to life echoing around her. The world becoming alive again although very slowly.
Without another word she placed the bow in her left hand, bringing it in front of her body with a tight and confident grip. Her heart no longer beat rapidly in her chest as she placed her hand unconsciously in the spot where a string should have been. The air shimmered at the contact and Kagome felt a surge of strange energy fill her, going from her stomach up into her chest and then out through both her arms, passed her shoulders and down to her elbows before emerging into her hands and finally her knuckles and her fingertips.
It felt like a shock, like static electricity that had build up after days and days of provocation from a worn carpet and a playful child. She closed her eyes in response, her body suddenly feeling light as her energy pushed at her skin as if trying to separate the very cells so it might escape into the world. The kinetic force created by the push and pull against her skin caused an unnatural wind to build up around her. The hair on the back of her neck standing on end as the rest of her now almost shoulder length locks began to dance against the mystical breeze.
And then, just when the energy felt too much, just when she felt she might faint or even die, the electricity in her fingertips broke through and in a wash of light she could just seen on the back of the eyelids of her closed eyes, a string formed. A wave of light, straight and perfect but as bright as lightning making itself home between her still waiting fingers. She gasped as the dizziness left her, as the feeling of being faint disappear.
She opened her eyes without question the swirling knowledge within their depths for once wholly her own as she took in the sight of the string she had created and the slight glow that was surrounding her. "Let it flow." She commanded, no voice or compass or mystic bow telling her but herself and only herself.
The arrow formed without warning, a long expanse of energy that started at Kagome's perfectly positioned fingers and ended at the tip of the pointer finger of her left hand. The pit of her stomach seemed to swirl with energy as she held the arrow and held the string a constant flow of power between the two as she looked down at the still slowly speeding up world below her. She didn't question it as she watched the commotion that seemed to be fighting against being frozen or half asleep. The people sluggishly moving as she moved at a normal rate.
She held the arrow tight between her fingers, catching the swirling white feathers out of the corner of her eye. "Cut the flow." She told herself boldly and nearly gasped as suddenly her energy became contained, the swirling pit in her stomach shutting off as one might a water pump.
She breathed deeply, forcing herself to control her air flow as she held the bow with string and arrow now created close to her body, her hands pulsing and aching with the energy she had collected and contained. Carefully, as she had seen done a million times by huntsmen and Indians alike she pulled the bow back with her right hand bringing the glowing string to the side of her cheek as she looked down it. Her grey eyes stared for what seemed like several minutes at the man hovering over the small Shiori his eyes blazing with hate, her heart started to pound a momentary doubt coming into her mind.
"I've never done this before." She told herself. "What if I miss I could—." The bow pulsed cutting off Kagome's words, her eyes widening as large as they could go as the energy buckled in her fingers a surprisingly soothing feeling following only moment later. "I can do this." She told herself and with those words the world suddenly sped up. Adahy was moving quickly, Shiori was crying loudly. The Captain and Onaconah were racing, the guards finger was on the trigger and Kagome was ready.
Pulling the bow back just a scant inch more, her own energy brushing her face Kagome narrowed her eyes, her target right before her very vision. "Yosh." The word of her unknown foremother's slipped from her mouth and without a second thought her fingers moved up and away from the string and arrow a burst of energy beautiful and white exploding beside her face threatening to blind her. The long line of energy pushed forward propelling the arrow until it left the bow, the string disintegrating as it lost contact with arrow and hand.
Like a shot, a noise rang out and every man and woman and person froze as the arrow flew from Kagome across the short distance to Adahy and then down lower.
"Fuck!" Inuyasha yelled, Onaconah yelling the same word in Cherokee as both men watched horrified as the arrow aimed right for Shiori and hit only a short second later.
A bright kaleidoscope of colors sprung to life as Shiori screamed, the sound of terror not lost to anyone who stood there. And then, a cracking, a splintering of glass before another burst of white erupted from the place Shiori stood engulfed.
Kagome lowered her hands, her eyes bright and her body light not fatigued in the least. She breathed deeply, the light fading as she watched with ease becoming first witness to the small girl standing in disbelief, her large eyes glazed with tears as she looked at her vacant hands, where the Cherokee orb had rested only moments before. And there, at her feet, nestled and virtually unseen a shikon shard laid, white purified and now clean.
End of Chapter
Please Review
Edited for content 7/10/2012
Congrats Half Angel Writer for being reviewer 1350!
A/N: I really don't have much to say but I hope you enjoyed Kagome's first ever use of the bow!
Oh, one of our guest reviewers had a question and since I can't PM I'll answer here. Where do you get your imagination from and do you research all the things you include?
1. My imagination is inherit I guess. Even when I was small my mother told me I would make up stories about my friends that were so realistic she would have to ask me, "Is this real or imaginary" because she wasn't sure if they actually happened or not. I also wrote my first book in the 3rd grade, I had to go to counseling for it because I was the only 3rd grader who killed off a main character—but they did like the book they said...it was called, "The Tale of Tommy Fisher."
2. Everything you read in this fanfiction will be historically accurate unless I mention it has been modified. I go to painstaking lengths to make sure of that because to me history is the most fascinating and risqué story ever written and very important to society. So if I'm going to write a period piece I'm going to make it true to the time! Also, I am currently working on a Master's in Humanities with an emphasis in Ancient and Medieval Literature so that also contributes to my knowledge of the books and languages Inuyasha knows as well as the history. I should graduate with my degree in December if I manage to pass my comps...
Anyway, I hope that answers your question and I'm glad you're liking the story!
Bonus Point:
In the Anime and Manga, Miroku and Sango both have weapons like Kagome's bow and Inuyasha's sword. What are they?
Last Chapter's Bonus Point:
Shiori is a half bat ogre demon. Congrats to the winners!
Guest, Spav12, cristine44, GammaDancer, Jemzet A Heart Broken Angel, TheGirlOnFire11, XxSetsukoxX, AnimeNerd1, ravenraymoon, HeavenlyEclipse, SweetStarShine, Bonus Point, Chronos-girl, SliverMoonLit, Half-Angel-Writer, scorpioprincess18, Nina Morenos, TheRealInuyasha, WolfOfEmpathy, NurNur, HentaiLemon, Glon Morski, Angelsnlilies, avengeme, Nicole, Litle C, Sango37, Gun toten Girly
Next Chapter:
Recovery
See you then!
UNEDITED
POSTED 7/8/2012