Chapter 4: Kikyo's Decision
Miroku was certainly enjoying the view, walking at the back of the group as they traveled between villages. At the head of the line, as usual, were Inuyasha and the charming Kagome. Kagome's usual conspicuously short kimono made her a delight to watch from any position, even the very back of the group. Next in line was Sango, who carried Kirara in one arm and the hiraikotsu over her shoulder in her usual way. Miroku especially enjoyed the way her usual kimono hugged her muscular body and the effortless way in which she moved. There were other reasons why he liked Sango, but only a few of them had anything to do with the way she looked, which was all he was interested in right at this moment.
Last of all walked the beautiful Tenkei with Shippō perched like an oversized bird on her shoulder. Since Tenkei was new to the group, and since he had only managed a passing feel of her temptingly firm derriere, it was good to be directly behind her so that he could imagine what the rest of her doubtless lovely body felt like. There was a stab of guilt as he thought this, knowing that should the attractive Sango discover the direction his thoughts were taking, he would certainly suffer for it. At the very least, he would have to endure one of her intensely cold stares. In fact, until Sango, such a stare wouldn't have made any difference to him. That cold fact alone was something of a worry, but he did his best to live his life in spite of it, difficult as that was lately. It was because of this that he'd chosen to walk at the rear of the group today, looking for an opportunity to "explore" Tenkei a little further.
It was just as he was thinking this that Shippō let out a little sigh. As long as they'd been traveling together, he'd come to know the little fox's moods pretty well. Opportunity had, it seemed, struck at last.
"You look tired, Shippō," the monk said, stepping up next to the pair. "Why don't you go rest in Kagome's metal cart?"
"Thanks, Miroku," the young kitsune yawned sleepily, sliding down Tenkei's shoulder and bouncing forward to land with a crash in Kagome's bicycle basket. "Tenkei," Miroku smiled, when he was alone with the girl, "Will you take my arm?" Sango shot a suspicious look over one shoulder, but said nothing.
"What are you attempting, monk?" Tenkei responded hesitantly.
"Must I always be attempting something?" the monk crooned soothingly.
"I have been told so," Teneki smiled shyly, extending a hand in his direction. Gently, Miroku took the hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow, leaving his own spare hand resting on hers. Immediately, Tenkei's brow furrowed, her eyes beginning to glow with a strange blue light.
"What is the matter?" chuckled the monk softly, "Do you see something frightening in my future?"
"No," Tenkei responded sadly, her voice echoing slightly, "your past."
"What?" exclaimed Miroku, taken aback.
"I see a man being sucked into a windy hole in his hand," the crane-hanyō breathed, "and a boy being held back by a fat monk."
"How old is the boy?' whispered Miroku, suddenly serious.
"Five or six," Tenkei responded, a tear dripping from her blankly staring eyes.
"That is the day my father died," the monk frowned, as Tenkei's eyes returned to normal. "How can you see that?"
"That talent," Tenkei informed him, "works best by skin-to-skin contact."
Instantly, Miroku jerked his hand away from the blind seeress' resting in the crook of his arm. Silence stood between them for a while until, eventually, Tenkei let out a little sigh.
"Would you like to tell me what has you so sad," Miroku asked smoothly.
"It is nothing," she whispered.
"I think not," the monk disagreed, "I think you are sad because, after searching for Inuyasha for so long, finding him has reminded you painfully of something you would just as soon forget; the death of your mother, perhaps?"
"How do you know that?" gasped Tenkei uncertainly, "Can you read minds?"
"No," Miroku laughed, "I just have a talent for understanding people and your situation is not unusual in the least."
"Truly?" the crane-hanyō responded uncertainly.
"Yes," the monk nodded, "Here, feel my hand. What do you feel there?" He extended his right hand toward her. Lifting her right hand from Miroku's arm, she placed it gently in the center of his extended palm, over the fabric covering it, her fingers questing there briefly.
"There is a hole," she whispered, allowing the monk to replace her hand in the crook of his arm again.
"Indeed," agreed Miroku, "It is the same as they 'windy hole' you saw in my father's hand. Naraku cursed my grandfather and his entire line with it. As long as the demon, Naraku, lives, each year it will grow bigger until, one day it will consume me, just as it did my father. As long as Naraku lives, it will do the same to any descendants of mine until one of us defeats him or my line ends. The 'wind tunnel' as my father called it, has proven to be a useful weapon to me, but every time I make use of it I am reminded painfully of the death of my father."
"Why do you continue to fight, then, if the use of this 'wind tunnel' is painful to you?" Tenkei asked, puzzled.
"Because I must," declared Miroku in serious tones.
"What of the others?" Tenkei asked softly, "Do they also remember painful moments?"
"They do," Miroku assured her, "Sango remembers the day her little brother slew her family and friends under the influence of Naraku. Shippō remembers the death of his feather at the hands of a pair of demons calling themselves the Thunder Brothers. Like you, Inuyasha remembers the death of his mother, save that his mother was human."
"And what of Kagome?" Tenkei asked, when Miroku became silent. "What painful memory does she remember?"
"Kagome is a very complicated person," the monk responded, his brows furrowing, "but I believe the most painful memories she carries have to do with every moment she has seen Inuyasha with the lady Kikyo. I believe she is very brave to continue to travel with him."
"She must love him a great deal," sighed Tenkei.
"More than likely," Miroku agreed.
"So tell me then, monk," Tenkei asked then, "What will you do if you if you live to see Naraku dead and the hole in your hand removed?"
"I suppose I will forsake the cloth," answered the monk quietly, "become a simple farmer, marry and father a few children."
Tenkei chuckled. "No," she smiled. "I did not see that for you."
"Oh?" Miroku responded in surprise, "What then did you see?"
"I saw," sighed Tenkei, "a little shrine built in a place where demon-slayers once lived with you as the attending priest. However, I did see you married and with many children."
"You did?" gasped Miroku, "to whom?"
"You already know to whom," Tenkei responded with a gentle smile. "You have spoken with her about it already, have you not?"
"Oh," Miroku flushed. "Yes."
"Yes?" Sango asked, suspicion written in every line of her face as she turned abruptly. "Who?"
"I believe," Tenkei answered shyly, "that I will allow you to answer her."
"Surely,"stammered the monk nervously, "you would not leave me to handle this alone."
Tenkei carefully removed her hand from Miroku's arm. "You forget too quickly, monk. Your bare fingers touched my hand and, because of this, I was able to look down the paths of your fate, past and future. I know what your intentions were. How fortunate for you that you remembered my threat." So saying, she walked forward, feeling the road ahead with her staff, which glowed slightly until she reached the front of the group with Inuyasha and Kagome.
'How strange,' thought Miroku, noticing the glow.
"Well, monk?" demanded Sango coldly.
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Kagura peered cautiously from the mouth of the cave she'd chosen after fleeing Naraku. She hadn't even attempted to find herself any kind of a castle or even any luxury at all. In fact, the cave she'd picked smelled foully of bird dung. She could bet that the curse Naraku had been talking about constantly for the past couple of days was still in effect on herself. After all, even though she'd left his service, she was still Naraku's incarnation. Like it or not, there was a good chance she was cursed as well. She knew she had only one chance to break the curse, assuming some of the things that Naraku had said in her presence were true. She had to get some shards of her own and give them to Kagome with the hope that such a small act would be enough. The trouble with that was that Naraku had most of the shards. There were only three shards remaining ; three shards effectively unclaimed by Naraku the deceiver. One was embedded in the back of the boy slayer Kohaku, the brother of Kagome's associate, Sango. The other two were set into the legs of the wolf-demon known as Koga.
It was these that Kagura had her designs on, even though she was well aware that she was putting her own life in danger. After what she'd done to his tribes folk, Koga had vowed to slay her with his own hands and, after her, Naraku. Certainly, Naraku would be aware of her desire to thwart the curse for her own sake rather than his. Hopefully, she could beat Koga, take his shards and be gone before Naraku could get there.
Since morning, a light breeze had been pouring steadily from the mouth of the cave, courtesy of Kagura's wind control powers. By standing at the mouth of the cave, Kagura hoped that her scent would draw the wolf-demon right to her doorstep. For her part, she'd removed the first two layers of her kimono. She was going to need as much mobility as possible to carry out her plan.
Sure enough, down below, there appeared a miniature whirlwind, moving steadily towards Kagura with a speed that was positively blinding. Shutting the fan, Kagura effectively cut off the wind flowing from the cave even as she stepped from its safety.
"Kagura!" the wolf-demon, "At last the day of my vengeance has come."
"Why hello, Koga," Kagura purred, flirting her fan before her face, "so you've found me at last. Imagine that."
"Pray to whatever gods you believe in Kagura!" Koga growled, stopping about ten yards from the place Kagura was standing, "Today is the day you die!"
"Go ahead and try, wolf-boy," Kagura cooed, opening her fan, "Dance of Blades!" With that she swept her fan across her body sending a volley of glowing blades made from pure biting wind sailing toward her attacker. Koga dodged in a burst of pure unadulterated speed.
'That's it, wolf-boy,' Kagura thought, sending another volley after her speedy opponent, 'Keep coming.'
"Think you can keep me away with all your tricks, wind sorceress?" Koga declared, darting past the rapidly falling wind-blades, "I only need to get close once!" Suddenly, he was only two feet away. With a growl he lunged in with a punch aimed at Kagura's head, designed to literally incapacitate its victim. At the last second, Kagura closed the steel fan, taking a deep step that allowed her to duck beneath the wolf-demon's punch. As she did so, she sliced the blade of the fan across the fronts of Koga's lower legs. Immediately, blood began to flow as the two shards flew from the wolf-demon's legs. Reaching out, Kagura siezed them in her free hand. Koga, for his part, flew past her and collapsed in pain.
"Koga," Kagura frowned, "I'm sorry, but I need these more than you do?"
"Kagura," she heard someone say. A familiar voice from behind her.
'Naraku! Damn!" Kagura thought, tearing a feather from her hair and tossing it into the air. A second later she was rising on its gigantic breadth.
"You won't get away so easily this time, Kagura," Naraku growled, pointing a finger at her that lanced out like an arrow, piercing the right side of her upper back.
"Run, Kagura," she heard Naraku croon then, "If the poison I've placed in your shoulder does not kill you, the blood flowing into your lungs will."
'Damn,' Kagura thought, coughing a blood clot onto the pristine white fibers of the giant feather, 'He's not lying. I do feel weaker. I have to find Inuyasha. That Kagome person is always with him.'
Kagura sailed on, losing complete track of time. She began to feel as though she had been sailing on her feather forever until, finally, she saw a speck of white on red.
'Inuyasha. What luck,' Kagura breathed to herself, angling the feather so that it would swirl downward. As it reached the ground, she tumbled off weakly, the feather returning immediately to its original size and floating unnoticed to the ground.
"Kagome," Kagura breathed weakly, holding the shards up in her hand, "take these shards, please."
"What?" Kagome gasped, receiving the shards into shrinking fingers.
"Please," choked the dying wind sorceress, "Forgive me. I swear I'll never use or seek a single shard of the Shikon Jewel again as long as I live. Please."
"But..." Kagome stammered.
"Are they real?"Inuyasha snapped, peeking over one of the girl's shoulders.
"Um," Kagome gasped, "yes."
"What will you do, Kagome," Tenkei asked in a calm, quiet voice, "Will you forgive her?"
"What?" Kagome blinked.
"Forget it!" Inuyasha barked.
"Of course," Kagome responded then.
"What!" the dog-hanyō shouted, surprised.
"Thank you," Kagura coughed, feeling very much like someone heavy was standing on her chest.
"What was that all about?" groused Inuyasha.
"She is seeking to lift the Curse of the Hand of Fate," Tenkei murmured timidly, "the curse I laid on Naraku and all his offspring, the night that we met."
"The Hand of Fate?" Shippō frowned, "That's the greatest curse of the Crane tribe."
"Correct," the crane-hanyō nodded, "The only way it can be broken is to give up the thing you desire most for the remainder of your life."
Suddenly, Inuyasha's head came up, his nose twitching.
"What?" Kagome gasped.
"Sesshomaru," growled the dog-hanyō.
As if on cue, the tall, pale-haired demon walked out of the nearby woods. He paced forward with a grace that only a great and noble demon could possess.
"Kagura," the aristocratic assassin commented.
"Sesshomaru," the wounded sorceress whispered, "Did you come here to watch me die?"
"No," the tall demon replied.
"Then what did ya come here for?" Inuyasha demanded.
Sesshomaru answered his brother with a look of pure disdain before drawing the Tenseiga, brother sword to Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga and, like that sword, his inheritance made from a fang from his father's mouth. The difference between the two swords, though, was that Tetsusaiga was a killing sword and Tenseiga was a healing sword. It was a paradox, Kagura was aware that the virtually merciless owner of Tenseiga had labored over for months at a time. Her vision blurring, Kagura couldn't be sure but she thought she saw Sesshomaru's eyes narrow just a little bit. Suddenly, the blade swished through the air, slicing the space just inches above Kagura's body.
Instantly, Kagura felt twenty times lighter. Her breath was coming with greater strength and confidence than it had. There was no longer any weakness or desire to cough. She sat up, relieved to feel no pain. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed, with some amount of dismay, that her rescuer was already walking away.
"Sesshomaru," Kagura called, "wait!"
The aristocratic demon stopped, looking back in-curiously over his left shoulder.
"Take me with you!" Kagura pled.
"Do what you wish," Sesshomaru replied emotionlessly, turning away and, to her considerable consternation, walking into the tree-line from which he'd emerged.
"That's as close to 'yes' as you're gonna get from him," Inuyasha remarked, handing her the forgotten feather. Without a word, she seized it, stuffing it quickly into her hair as she took off at a run in the same direction Sesshomaru had disappeared in.
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It was night. Eight hours had passed since Kagura had presented Kagome with Koga's jewel shards. The rest of the group had gone to bed, but Inuyasha had found it difficult to sleep. Since they had made camp outdoors rather than seeking out a human settlement, he was seated at the foot of a tree, for a change, near Kagome's head. He'd started out the night at the top of the tree, of course, far away from the fools in his group and all their notions of right and wrong. However, shortly after everyone had gone to sleep, he'd jumped from the tree and seated himself by Kagome's head, watching her as she slept. He was absolutely captured by the look of pure peace in the girl's face as he watched her.
'Strange girl,' he thought absently, 'Why do you stay with me
Looking at her like this, sitting this close to her, drenched in her scent, Inuyasha longed to touch the girl's face, but was afraid to do so for fear that she would awake and wonder why he was looking at her the way he was. Shaking his head, he gazed off into the night instead, replaying the events of the day in his mind for perhaps the tenth time.
They'd been walking along, quite literally looking for trouble, when Kagura had, just as literally, fallen out of the sky at Kagome's feet handing her two sacred jewel shards and begging, really, for Kagome's forgiveness. Inuyasha hadn't believed it for a second. He'd thought it was some kind of trap, even when he'd seen Kagura cough up a gout of blood right before his brother emerged from the woods and saved her with his Tenseiga. That was when he'd stopped distrusting her. After all, Sesshomaru had no love of Naraku, either.
After that, he'd been certain that he and his friends would continue to search for Naraku, but Kagome had surprised him by insisting that they had to find Koga, the only shard owner besides Naraku that had more than one shard, and ask if he wanted them back. Inuyasha had flat refused that. Why should they have to give back the shards? It wasn't as if they'd stolen them after all. Inuyasha had been sure he was right to want to keep them.
He'd been shocked when none of the other members of his group agreed with him. Miroku remarked that the shards were safer in several places rather than just in one admittedly easy to find one. Sango insisted that Koga might need the shards to maintain his place as leader of his tribe. Even Shippō commented that he thought Inuyasha was being incredibly selfish to want to keep all the shards for himself. He was sure that, if she could talk, even Kirara would have had reasons to want to return the shards. Grudgingly, he'd finally agreed to return the shards and hadn't been surprised when, nearly half an hour later, they found the wimpy wolf and his two wolf-demon buddies headed in their direction just as fast as they could run, which, considering they were without shards, really wasn't that fast.
"Kagome, what are you doing here?" Koga asked, seeming to miss Inuyasha completely, even though he was carrying the girl.
"Kagura gave us your jewel shards," Kagome replied, climbing down, "We came to bring them back."
"What?" Koga frowned, "Why?"
"Well," Kagome stammered, holding the two shards out in her hand, "Because they belong to you and... and it's right to return them, isn't it?"
"Is that the only reason?" Koga asked, his face taking on a hopeful expression.
"Well," Kagome responded uncomfortably, "Yes."
"Keep them," Koga sighed then, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Are you sure?"Kagome asked, her face taking on an agonized expression as she extended the shards to the wolf-demon again.
"Positive," Koga nodded, closing the girl's hand over the shards, "You need them more than I do and they've brought me nothing but grief." Kagome stood there, dumbstruck.
"But..."she stammered, looking uncertainly down into her hand. At this point, Inuyasha came to a decision, one he was sure he would regret later. Still, even considering that, he couldn't stand the look on Kagome's face.
"Look, ya wimpy wolf," the dog-hanyō growled, "Just take the shards all ready, will ya?"
"Forget it, Mutt-face," the wolf-demon refused, turning his back on his erstwhile rival.
"You're makin' me mad," Inuyasha snarled.
"You don't understand, dog-breath," Koga replied angrily, "D'you think Kagome would have brought me the shards if they didn't belong to me?"
Inuyasha scowled in confusion.
"The reason I made Kagome my woman," Koga explained, "was because she could sense the shards. But what's the point if she doesn't love me?" The wolf-demon shook his head. "I've tried hard to get her to feel the same way for me that I feel for her, but it's no use. I've seen the way she looks at you, Mutt-face, and I know for a fact that she's never looked at me that way even once ."
"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha objected.
"Don't play with me, Mutt-face," Koga growled, "Don't tell me you've never thought about mating with Kagome."
"What?" Inuyasha and Kagome both yelped, blushing furiously.
"I won't be seeing you again, Kagome," the wolf-demon finished, "I'm going to go gather up my tribe and take them into the Northern mountains to join with Ayame and her tribe. I'm sorry to have been a burden to you." Saying this, he bowed low. "C'mon, boys," he added, turning to the other two demons and the dozen or so wolves following him, "Let's go home." With that, they'd taken off at a jog. It was nightfall by that time, and the group of them had made camp in a little wooded clearing not too far away. Tenkei had made her bed on the opposite side of the fire from the rest of them and now Inuyasha was alone with his thoughts.
'Don't tell me you've never thought about mating with Kagome.'
The sentence reverberated in his mind. Mate with Kagome? She'd never allow it. Would she?
'I've seen the way she looks at you, Mutt-face.'
Did she look at Inuyasha differently than she looked at Koga? He'd always just assumed that her friendliness toward the wolf-demon coupled with his determination to woo her indicated that she had feelings for her would-be paramour.
He gazed down at Kagome's slumbering form again. 'Why did I never notice this before?' he thought, tenderly caressing the girl's soft black hair and letting strands of it slip through his fingers, 'What's this strange feeling in my heart mean?'
Just then, his nose twitched with a familiar scent. A second later a trio of white snake-like demons floated out of the tree-line.
"Kikyo," he whispered under his breath. As he said the name, the woman it referred to stepped into the clearing.
"Inuyasha," she said. Unable to help himself, Inuyasha rose and walked toward her, slipping the Tetsusaiga into the left-side tie of his hakama as was his habit. "I need to ask you a question."
"Why bother?" the dog-hanyō replied, folding his arms, "I already know that nothing I say will change your mind."
Kikyo's eyebrows raised slightly at this. "I suppose there is some truth to that.," she said sadly. Reaching out, she gently touched Inuyasha's face. Instantaneously, his mind was filled with images. First, there were his various encounters with Kikyo. Accompanying them, were the memories of his emotions: respect guilt, shame, distrust, loneliness, desire to help. For a second, his world seemed to clear and then he was flooded with memories of Kagome and emotions related to her: frustration, confusion, respect, admiration, trust, impatience, companionship, desire, and finally, that other strange emotion that he'd been feeling earlier.
"Ah," Kikyo sighed, "I see. So, that is the way of things. Tenkei. Kagome." As she spoke, the two women she'd named immediately sat up, awake.
"Huh?" Kagome gasped.
"Lady Kikyo?" Tenkei replied softly.
"I have decided," Kikyo said, seating herself on the ground.
"You have, my lady?" Tenkei said uncertainly, standing to join her.
"Decided what? Kagome asked, also joining them.
"I will rejoin myself with you, Kagome," Kikyo told her, "There is a way that I can join my experience with your raw power. Together, we will have the power to defeat Naraku once and for all."
"That is a good choice, my lady," Tenkei smiled.
"That was the choice?" interjected Inuyasha in disbelief, "Whether to rejoin with Kagome or not?"
"Yes," Tenkei admitted.
"And you're going to do it?"Inuyasha asked incredulously.
"I must," Kikyo replied, "It is the only way I can accomplish the purpose of my life; the only way that I can find peace at last. And now you, too, must make a choice, Kagome."
"Me?" Kagome squeaked.
"Yes," Tenkei agreed, "and the choice for you is the same is for Lady Kikyo. You must decide whether to allow Lady Kikyo to rejoin with you."
"What happens if I agree?" Kagome faltered, nervous.
"All my knowledge will be yours," Kikyo answered, completely calm as usual.
"And if she doesn't agree?" demanded Inuyasha.
"You and your friends will never be able to defeat Naraku," Tenkei answered softly.
Inuyasha turned to look at Kagome, whose face was furrowed in thought.
"I don't know," the girl said at last, "What would happen to me?"
"You will not change," Tenkei explained, "It is much like taking a bottle of water from a river. Does that change the river?"
Kagome shook her head
"What if I spit in the bottle and pour it back into the river?" Tenkei pressed shyly, "will that change the river?"
Again, Kagome shook her head.
"That is correct," Tenkei smiled, laying a hesitant hand on the girl's shoulder, "Your soul is like the river. The creature, Urasue, took a bottle of water from you and gave it life. Life spat in the bottle and now the bottle wishes to return to the river. That is all."
Kagome's brows furrowed even further and she looked inquiringly at Inuyasha, who was taken aback by the peculiar look of pain in her face.
"Whatever you choose to do, Kagome," he told her, "I'm sure it'll be the right thing."
He was pleased to see the look of pain almost completely disappear from the girl's face.
"Then I'll do it," she smiled.
At this, Kikyo nodded, rising to her feet. As she did so, Kagome also stood, walking quietly forward to stand immediately before the priestess. Raising her hands, the Kikyo placed them on the shoulders of her younger incarnation.
"Now, concentrate, Kagome," Kikyo commanded softly, "Concentrate on restoring your soul."
Kagome closed her eyes, her eyebrows drawing down as she did so. As Inuyasha watched, a soul-collector swooped down and pulled a glowing ball of soul from Kikyo's back. Then Kagome gasped and the ball jerked from the soul-collector's grasp and zoomed to Kagome where it disappeared with a strange almost metallic sigh. At this, Kikyo's clay body collapsed in a positive fountain of blazing white souls, all of which floated away into the night like leaves on a stiff breeze. The soul collectors hesitated.
"Now, Inuyasha," Kagome said in a strange voice that was almost half Kikyo's, "destroy the body."
"What?" Inuyasha balked.
"Destroy it, Inuyasha," Kagome told him, looking at him with a face that looked more like Kikyo than Kagome, "it is just a shell made out of clay and no longer has any meaning."
"You can't be serious," the dog-hanyō objected.
"Are you so attached, Inuyasha?" Kikyo's voice taunted him, "Is your guilt so great that you are unable to destroy even a clay body with the semblance of Kikyo?"
"Do not push him, my lady," Tenkei whispered, "It is not his fault. Rest. Let me deal with this." So saying, she spun her suddenly glowing staff over her head and brought it down with a crack in the center of the clay body, which immediately shattered to dust. As she did so, Kagome let out a long deep sigh and collapsed, unconscious, into Inuyasha's arms.