AN: Blame Kaede. Blame Kaede if you don't like this. IT'S ALL HER FAULT!!! Not that it's bad or anything… (not according to me anyway) just a bit philosophical. Ok, every time I am convinced I absolutely loathe Rumiko Takahashi, she gives me something that makes me rebuild my Rumiko Takahashi worship shrine. Not that I have one, I'm just saying…
What I mean is Episode 147&148. The Inuyasha Special – The Tragic Love Song of Destiny. I've just watched it- could you guess?
ARRRGHHHHHHH
TRAGIC??? Understatement. Well read on. Just know I am deprived of any common sense towards this fic I ever had.
CHAPTER 10: THE LAST ARROW
Stuck again. Kagome gave a loud exasperated sigh out of nowhere, which caused Kikyo and Yasei to look at her a bit funny.
She gave a light laugh, showing off how scary her smile can be when she forces it, and said, "Sorry!! Hehe, it's nothing!" And waved her arms exaggeratedly, to demonstrate that she was, indeed, fine.
Yasei hopped over, more perturbed by her windmilling arms than anything. "Chiri?" Are you okay?
"Fine, fine!" And her arms were practically signalling to a landing plane now.
Kikyo raised her eyebrows and turned back to the wall, sitting cross-legged with her bow and arrows clutched loosely to her chest, apparently in deep consternation. Quite reminiscent of Inuyasha, actually. Kagome wondered if it was just a coincidence.
Yasei just looked at her sideways, and hopped back to his spot in the corner.
Lovely. Now I have no control over my limbs as well as being an immature giggle pot. She caught herself before she gave another loud sigh. Why do I care anyway? It's just a little bird… and Kikyo.
"Is there really no way out of here?" Asked Kagome after a while, breaking the monotonous silence.
"Chi." No.
Kagome ground her teeth in frustration. She'd come a long way from being a simple schoolgirl; she'd faced demons and gods, wasn't she capable of better than this?
"Kikyo! Do you think we could try combining our powers again?"
"But we already have… thrice. It's just tired us out more. The best we can do is to conserve what determination we have left."
"But the walls might be weakening! We've got to try something!"
Kikyo looked sidelong at the younger girl. Kagome was obviously flustered, feeling impatient to get out. So was Kikyo, but sometimes you just had to learn when to stop.
"No. I want to save my arrows."
Kagome couldn't believe it. She couldn't see things Kikyo's way; for her to sit back was as good as giving up. And Kagome wasn't the giving-up type. Still, there really was nothing she could do now. She flopped back down to the ground in an angry flurry. Now, she concentrated on going over and over what she knew, trying to think of some other way to get out.
Kikyo turned back to the wall. So impatient… Yet she could not say she herself was any better back in the cave. It was only the cave experience that stopped her now, from getting up and repeatedly shooting arrow after another at the walls.
Now Kagome had started walking around, knocking on parts of the walls, trying to see if there was a hollow or thinner part anywhere. Kikyo didn't think it would work; whatever imprisoned them in the cave obviously intended to test their abilities; and left a deliberate way out. Here, she could see no reason for that. And with each minute she was just feeling weaker and weaker.
As always when left alone with her thoughts; her mind drifted to her past life… She had been so pure, so righteous. Typical, really, for it all to fall apart. But why her? Why could it not be some other priestess? But before she could get far along that track, her mind provided her an answer. It was all because she was so good, so unmovable, that it all happened. That priestess… Midoriko, wasn't it? She was great too, and now her remains lie in a cave, moulded together with her enemies, while the Sacred Jewel was forever causing more harm than good.
In fact, almost every great person she'd heard of or knew of had met a regrettable end.
Kagome was now quizzing Yasei on the particulars of their location, to which he could not provide much help.
I might have ended up the same as Midoriko, cold and distant forever, if it was not for Inuyasha… It was even funny, how all the rage and hate never really erased the good memories; if anything, they only made them stronger. And here she gave a small smile. Her memories had not faded. But it seems he was out of reach now. And so was the life she had so hoped for all those years ago. Fifty years… yes, the time was long past. But she knew they'd always share a bond, even in death. Especially in death…
Was it because of her bond with Inuyasha that Kagome had hers? If Kikyo had never been, Inuyasha would never take a second look at the ebony haired girl from the future. It was only because of their similarity that he knew her. And only because of their difference did he love her.
Did Inuyasha love Kagome? It was hard to tell. Perhaps he loved both of them. He definitely cared for her. But he cared for her, Kikyo, too. Kikyo smiled quietly smiled to herself. No one from the outside would ever guess the unruly hanyou's heart was big enough to have so many people in it. There was his mother in there too, and most probably his travelling companions now, that monk, that demon slayer, the fox-demon, and others… She wished she knew who… Suddenly she wished she was the one travelling day by day with him in that close-knit gang, collecting Jewel shards and united by a single purpose.
Friends… what were they like?
Her attention finally turned to Kagome, who was now finally getting out her bow and arrows, intent on destroying their prison. Does she know what she's got? Kikyo scoffed at herself. Of course she does, constantly living in my shadow.
She got up, intrigued by what Kagome was doing.
"Kikyo! I'm trying this one last time. If I pass out in the process, then so be it. Join in if you want, I'm sick of waiting."
"Great. So am I." Kikyo drew her own arrow and nocked it into the bow. All or nothing; my life story. "One after another, quickly."
Kagome was surprised that Kikyo followed so easily; before she had seemed so cold. Still, with that one, you never knew. Kagome nodded.
This time there was no coordination. Bright bursts of priestess-magic lighted up the rectangular room, and just as one arrow stuck in the wall to be absorbed, another succeeded it rapidly. It was almost as if the wall didn't have enough time. This eye-blinding sight went on for the better part of a minute, both archers lost in the rapidity of the action, almost unaware of anything but their achievement.
It was aim, fire, get another one, repeat. Kikyo was naturally faster, but Kagome was catching up. And almost as quickly as it had started, Kagome's arrows ended. She stood there, exhilarated - but almost fainting from the effort and loss of will - only to look up at Kikyo hesitating with her last arrow, seeming as if she was deep in thought.
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"Tetsusaiga!"
"Wind Tunnel!"
"Bug off, Miroku, it's my lot of demons!"
"Forgive me Inuyasha, but I do believe I was here first." And with that, the Monk undid the sutra beads around his right hand, and opened the great vacuum in his palm to suck the great cloud of demons surrounding them neatly in one go.
"I thought I told you they were mine!" Inuyasha growled, stepping closer to the Monk and intruding his personal space.
"I do wish you were more careful about people's personal space, Inuyasha."
"Personal space? What's that?" And he leered right in to Miroku's face.
The monk was clearly not impressed.
"Grow up, Inuyasha! You're worse than me!" Shippo taunted.
"Shaaaadup!"
"OWW!!"
"Inuyasha, leave Shippo alone. Perhaps you should consider what he has to say."
"What did you say?" Inuyasha growled again.
"Do you have dinner Miroku?" Shippo asked, nursing his sore head. "This overgrown mutt hasn't fed me properly since he captured me against my – OWW. Go easy on the hair," Shippo mumbled.
"Ah, I will soon." The monk's unholy eyes spread over the villagers coming to thank them for the exorcism. "Care to join us, Inuyasha?"
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
"Ki - Kikyo?" Kagome stuttered. The cold priestess was still standing with her last arrow lowered, not moving.
Suddenly, Kikyo drew back her arrow as far as it went, and swivelled. For a frightful moment, Kagome thought she was going to point it in her direction, but Kikyo swept past her.
Kikyo's eyes glinted sharply in the dull room. "Yasei?" He was nowhere to be seen.
A loud shriek from her extreme left alerted her. It was Yasei, launching himself at her, in the same voice he had used back in the field when they disappeared.
Kikyo narrowed her eyes; her arm pulled the arrow even further back into the bowstring – there would be no mistakes now.
AN: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Sarah. The Woman Who Loved Sesshoumaru. Complete loony, but great flute skills.
Also, I now have NO Inu supply. Sad, isn't it? Yes it is, for me. Stopped short at episode 150. WAAAAA. Cuz my friend only has up to vol 39. AND – just at the part where Kagome has to CHOOSE whether to kill of Kikyo or not!!!!!! (sorry bout the spoiler for some of you)
So yes. Goodbye for now. Review if you want to point out how bad some of my writing techniques are. Or how great I am at typing (not). Whatever. Say what you want, it's your review box.
