12-14-09: Enjoy! :)

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You're Kinda, Sorta, Basically, Pretty Much, Always On My Mind.

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I Do Not Own Inuyasha

"Talking"

11. Stranger Girl

I stood on the edge of the rock, staring across the foggy abyss below. A hundred feet away was the entrance to the witch's lair. The only problem was the only way to get across was a old, rickety wooden bridge. Some of the planks that made up the path were missing, and others looked like they'd break any minute.

The two horses were tied to a small tree beside me, oblivious to the dangers beside them. I swallowed my fear and took a shaky step forward. The wood groaned under my weight and I jumped back onto land. I didn't trust this bridge. It would break as soon as I took two steps, I knew it!

"Hurry up, monkey girl!!" Inuyasha barked, standing behind me. He'd been demanding things from me since he figured out I stopped talking to him, two hours ago. I guess he thought that since I refused to talk to him then I couldn't argue back so I'd have to be his slave.

"Shut up!" I shouted, my voice echoing across the mountains. "I'll take as long as I want!"

"Don't tell me your scared..?" He asked, giving me accusatory glance over. I didn't answer and gawked at the large predatory birds flying below. I was so gonna die today. I heard him snicker behind me, and suddenly I was being forced onto the bridge by my shoulders.

"W-w-what are you doing!?" I stammered. The bridge was swaying, and the wood groaned as Inuyasha continued to push me forward.

"You're not scared, right?" He sneered. "So if you're not scared then crossing this bridge should be easy."

"B-but I said I wanted to take my time!!" I replied shrilly, resisting against him. The wood would break, and maybe he would be fine, but I would die!! I had to stay alive long enough so I could retrieve my sister's remains. After that I don't care. I would rather die, than live knowing that he had stolen my first kiss.. but only because he thought I was my sister.. Ugh, what a stupid way to lose your first kiss. But then.. to make everything worse, he didn't even remember!!

He looked toward me. "Maybe it'll fall.." He murmured, a devilishly amused smirk on his face.

I stopped walking, and whimpered slightly. "Fall?"

"Yes.. The bridge doesn't look very stable. It could fall any second.." The smirk on his face grew. I glanced toward him, then to the old bridge below.

"M-maybe it isn't such a good idea f-for us to be crossing all at once?" I stammered, stepping back. But Inuyasha pushed me forwards slightly again.

"It's to late to turn back.. the bridge could break that way too.."

I gasped, and my body went ridged. It.. It could fall if I went back? A-and if I went forwards? I heard Inuyasha snicker at my reaction. He enjoyed seeing me freak out!? What kind of evil person was he!?

Kaede sighed from behind us. "Inuyasha would ye stop teasing my little sister!?"

"Why!? Her stupid reactions are amusing!" He replied smugly, taking his hands from my shoulders to turn toward the old lady.

I felt something small and furry run past me, and I jumped back, shaking the bridge. I grasped onto the chain railing beside me, my feet planted to the ground. There was no way I was taking another step!!

It's only me, Kaori.." Shippo said from below me. I looked down toward him, then snapped my head back up, too scared of the darkness below. I noticed a dark figure coming toward us from the opposite side of the bridge.

"H-hey.. something's coming.." I said meekly backing away from the dark figures. Suddenly the bridge shook, with such a force that almost knocked me to my knees, and Inuyasha was then in front of me.

Stupid.. evil.. jerk.. hanyou.. He was the one that was saying the bridge was gonna break and now he's jumping on it!?

The figures advancing out from the mist, were stiff looking samurai. They looked to be half dead, and made of clay. I guess they were the witch's soldiers? Inuyasha flexed his claws, and glanced toward me smirking.

"Better hold on or your gonna fall off.."

I yelped and grasped onto the chains as he easily destroyed the samurai. Their bodies smashed into pieces like stone, and broke the planks of wood where they fell. I fell to my knees, holding on for my life. More of the stone samurais advanced through the mist and I heard Inuyasha curse under his breath.

"Move you bastards!" He shouted as he smashed more to bits. Suddenly a thin old lady, holding a scythe that seemed too big for her, appeared out of the mist. She cut through the bridge between me and Inuyasha.

I didn't scream as I felt the bridge fall out from under me, nor could I. I was really going to die now, and Inuyasha's teasing turned out to be true! The bridge did fall, was falling! I felt something wrap itself around my waist and the sudden sensation of falling was ripped away.

"Inuyasha!!" I screamed, watching him, Shippo and Kaede fade away into the abyss below.

"Heheheh.." The witch crackled, looking at my frightened face with pure glee in her eyes. "No one can survive a fall from this height!"

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I lay bound by rope in a shallow pool of green water. The water smelt strongly of medicinal herbs and mint, it left me feeling lightheaded. Urasue stood at my feet, pouring more of the strongly smelling water into the pool. She, then walked around the pool inspecting me thoroughly.

"Quiet girl aren't you? Hmmm.." She crouched down beside me. She lifted my head up by the end of my hair, and she grabbed my chin in her wrinkled hand and forced my head to the side, staring into my ear. "Interesting.. there's more to your soul than meets the eye.."

She let go of my hair and I hit my head on the bottom of the stone pool. Some of the green water splashed into my mouth and I sputtered into a coughing fit. Urasue looked at me disapprovingly then turned toward a cave.

"Come out, Kikyou." She called. I gasped as my sister walked out from the cave. My sister.. my dead sister! She.. she was here!? Alive!? She walked to the edge of the pool and stared down at me, her chocolate orbs expressionless.

"W-wha..? Kikyou-O-onee-san!?" I stuttered. Urasue chuckled and stepped beside my sister.

"She is, of course, the body of Kikyou resurrected from Kikyou's holy bones..." A small smile appeared on her ancient face. "And you, my dear, hold her soul inside you. Once the extraction is finished your real soul, that is currently being suppressed by your sister's holy powers, will regain dominance, and you may find you have changed quite a bit.."

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Inuyasha opened his eyes. The fall from the bridge had left him unconscious. Everywhere around him debris from the bridge and stone pieces from the soldiers lay astray. He sat up, shoving broken planks of wood off him. "Damn it!"

He looked around. There was no sign of Shippo, Kaede or Kaori anywhere. He looked up. A huge dark green leaf floated down from above, and came crashing down on top of the silvered haired hanyou.

"Do you think Inuyasha's okay?" Shippo asked searching the grounds.

Kaede sighed. "That guy wouldn't die even if he did fall.."

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"What!? Kaori was kidnapped!?" Inuyasha shouted, his voice echoing off the cliffs.

"I think the correct tern is 'Teennapped'." Shippo corrected. Inuyasha growled and hit him on the head.

"I don't care what it's called!!"

Kaede sighed and looked at Inuyasha, her expression solemn. "Inuyasha, do you remember? At that time when Kaori had re-entered our lives.. I had said back then that she held all, and now more, spiritual powers that Kikyou had ever possessed.."

"Yeah, what of it!?" He snapped, looking toward her.

"Well.. Haven't you noticed something? Something strange about my younger sister?" She urged.

"What? Other then the fact that she's mental, and accident-prone?" He asked, pulling a splinter of wood from his hair.

Kaede sighed again. "Your not understanding? Or do ye not see the difference between her and everyone else..?"

"The thing I noticed was that she seems to heal awfully quick, for a human as.. weak as she is." Shippo replied in a chipper, yet confused voice, hopping onto Inuyasha's shoulder.

Kaede got to her feet and stared up into the sky. "Yes.. you are correct Shippo.. but we shall continue this conversation later.. for I fear that Kaori's sanity will soon vanish and my older sister will soon reappear into this world.."

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Inuyasha pondered over Kaede's words as they made their way up the mountain side. Kikyou could reappear into this world? Kaori's sanity? What did a fast healing human have to do with anything? Why did that set her so different from any other human? He knew her abnormally fast healing wounds had been suspicious, but it wasn't that much a big of a deal...just another thing to add to list of Kaori's abnormalities.

As he considered the possibilities of Kaede's worry, his thoughts soon wandered to the raven haired priestess. She had told him that he could use the Shikon No Tama to become human. He had always wanted to become a full fledged youkai which was why he had always been chasing after the Shikon no tama in the first place. But she had keen senses for a human, always pinning him to trees once he got too close.

But she'd never finish him off, and continually told him to give up his mission, claiming that he was wasting to much of her arrows. But through battle, and peace, five year old Kaori, mimicked her every move. Scowling when she scowled. Laughing when she laughed. Taking a step, or a leap of faith toward her sister.. even if it would put herself in danger. Kaori didn't remember the bond she had between her and Kikyou.

Kaori was there through every attack, every success and every fail her sister had. And her devotion to Kikyou was one of the reasons Inuyasha had fallen into their circle. Kaori was happy, sweet, kind, curious, welcoming, chipper. The first time the little girl had ever seen him, she didn't turn away like Kikyou nor the rest of the world did, and instead, ran back to him and tried her hardest to understand.

Even if Inuyasha had gotten his hands on the Shikon No Tama, he had no intentions of killing either of them. And Kikyou didn't seem to have any plans for his death either. Kikyou had explained to him that they were more alike then he thought. She was human, but couldn't act and live peacefully as one. She wasn't aloud to show weakness for a youkai would use it against her, which was the reason why she kept Kaori with her at all times. She couldn't push her sister away even if she tried, in other words.. Kaori was her weakness. But she couldn't kill Inuyasha for the fact the he too wasn't aloud to show weakness, in fright that it would be used against him to end his life.

Kikyou and Kaori had opened his eyes and made him realize all of the bad things he had done in the past, and it had worried him. Then came a time, when Kaori was considered as his little sister, and his head was constantly filled with thoughts of the priestess Kikyou.

"Inuyasha, why have ye stopped talking?" Kaede asked, startling the bewildered hanyou. "At that time.. Isn't it true that ye dearly loved Onee-sama?"

Inuyasha froze mid-step, then continued as a slow pace, before any one would notice his pause. "Keh! I was deceived by her, damn it."

"I heard.. you were going to become human?" She questioned, staring at him, with confused brown eyes.

He growled, in response and rolled his eyes. "It was a spur of the moment thing.. but on that day I had discovered that Kikyou had intended to kill me from the start, to make be become negligent, you see. You know the rest of it babaa.. I attacked the village and seized the jewel, which is why I got wasted by Kikyou in the end. "

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Moments later they stood in the witches lair. Kaori, bound by thick cords, lay in a pool of herbal water, her eyes blank and expressionless. Her wrists were cut and bleeding slightly, where she struggled against the coarse rope.

A sparking neon blue barrier stood around her, as she gasped for air inside. Her back arched as she withered in pain, snarls and howls of pain emitting from her lips.. Something horrifying was happening.

"What the hell are you doing to Kaori!!" Inuyasha hollered, horrified by Kaori's current state.

"You bastards.." The witch hissed. "So you survived.."

"O..Onee-sama." Kaede gasped, looking behind the hag. Kikyou sat her back against the wall, staring as Kaori thrashed like a wild animal. She seemed unaffected by her sister's shrieks of pain.

Inuyasha saw her from the corner of his eye, and reluctantly dragged his attention away from the ghastly scene before him. "Kikyou?"

It was barely above a whisper, and he hadn't even looked at the raven haired girl properly. But her name seemed to be a password. Suddenly a loud crack filled the air, and the barrier around Kaori exploded in a display of sparks and lightning. Smoke and mist clouded the area blocking Kaori, Kikyou and Urasue from sight.

The mist cleared. Kaori was gone. But Inuyasha seemed oblivious to her disappearance. His eyes were wide in shock as he stared at the 17 year old girl who he had thought to be dead. She was just as he had remembered. Kikyou stood tall, her pearly skin in contrast to her shimmering raven locks that fell to her knees. Her once warm and kind eyes were now full of sadness, hatred, and betrayal. Although she stood before him, her heart didn't beat, and her shoulders didn't rise or fall to show her breathing.

But someone else, who stood beside her, tore his attention away from the priestess. There standing at 5'1" was the most beautiful girl Inuyasha had ever seen. Her silky neon blue locks fell to her shins in slight waves. Two onyx dog ears pointed to the side in distrust, and a matching long fluffy tail with a snowy tip curled around her body. Her skin was cream coloured, but she wasn't as toned as the taller girl beside her. She looked slimmer, more fragile.. breakable. Wide sparkling aquamarine eyes, that held sparks of gold and bright green, stared back at him, suspicious and guarded. Her features were straight, perfect, angular. High cheek bones, perfect figure.. she was so different yet somehow similar to the priestess beside her. She had appeared, just as Kaori had vanished.

He knew he should be worrying about the missing brunette, but something kept him from doing so. Maybe it was the shock of the two women standing before him, or maybe it was because inside he felt as though nothing was wrong. Like little Kaori was hiding in the shadows.. waiting to be rescued. But there was something wrong. Kaori's scent still floated through the air.. now mixed with a smell of dog youkai.. and it radiated off the angelic stranger girl.

He stepped forwards. A sixty-eighth of a second later, a growled ripped through the mist and the stranger girl stood crouched in front of the raven haired priestess. Her ears were pinned back, and her lips curled back revealing pearly white fangs. Her claws were flexed, and her body begged for bloodshed.

Her growls continued as Inuyasha refused to retreat. He was to close for comfort it seemed. Kikyou's lips parted, and she reached her hand out toward the hanyou girl. "Stop it.. Kaori."

Suddenly the girl was standing, no longer in her defencive crouch. Her growls faded away, but she still stared with distrust at the silver haired hanyou. Kikyou had called this stranger girl 'Kaori'..

"Kill her." Stated Kikyou walking past the girl. The girl hanyou whipped around, and sprinted toward the hag behind them. Urasue looked at her in disbelief.

"What are you doing!?" She shrieked, backing up against the wall. "I was the one who revived your sister! I was the one who awakened your youkai blood! Do you really want to kill the woman who made you what you are!!"

The girl scowled, and flexed her claws again. "You dragged us out." She hissed, Kaori's quiet musical voice escaping from her lips. She slashed through the hags flesh, like it was nothing, then resumed her stance beside the priestess, her claws covered in blood.

"I did not intend to wake again.." Kikyou whispered, staring at the ground at the stranger girls feet. "I did not intend for you to be plagued with the thirst for death as you are now.."

"Onee-sama.." Kaede breathed, staring at the two women in front of her.

"You.. You really are Kikyou aren't you?" Said Inuyasha staring in disbelief toward the saddened priestess.

Kikyou slowly looked up toward him, her expression grave. "Inu.. yasha.." She staggered toward him, the stranger girl shadowing her every move with more grace than should be allowed.

The stranger girl smirked and crouched down again, standing slightly behind Kikyou. Kikyou looked up at Inuyasha, her grave expression suddenly turning into one of hatred.

"WHY DID YOU BETRAY ME!?" She screeched. Suddenly crackling yellow light appeared at her hands were she touched him, and the stranger girl pounced forward, her claws missing him by inches.

"You're saying I betrayed you!?" Inuyasha shouted in disbelief, dodging more attacks from the stranger girl. He noticed now, that she was only a foot away from him, that this stranger girl's eyes, were slightly clouded, confused, and full of malice. But even so.. they were defiantly Kaori's eyes..

"That is why.. I gathered my little remaining strength and sealed you away.. We should never have met again!" Kikyou shouted.

"Please stop this Onee-sama!" Kaede shouted running toward her. "Please call Kaori off! I am your younger sister Kaede. I have lived for fifty years since you have died!"

Inuyasha didn't understand. They were calling this stranger girl Kaori. This wasn't Kaori. Kaori wasn't a hanyou, but even so, she wouldn't be full of all this blood-lust. She wouldn't be trying to kill him.. but if she did, she wouldn't do it with such an evil grin like she enjoyed it.. he knew her better than that.

"Inuyasha-sama!" Meoga gasped climbing out of his hair.

"So that's were you've been hiding all this time!!" Inuyasha snapped. "Maybe you could tell be why everyone is calling this bitch Kaori!!"

Meoga sighed. "Because that is Kaori! The separation of her sister's soul had caused her own to re-emerge, for her true form to re-surface. She's always had a small part of Kikyou-sama's soul inside her and it suppressed her own, locking away her youkai blood and giving her the form of a human."

"If what you're saying is true, and I highly doubt it because it doesn't fucking make sense, then why the hell is she trying to kill me!?" He shouted dodging another attack.

"She is confused. The re-awakening of her youkai blood, has caused her instincts to take over. At this moment her youkai half is more dominate. She doesn't remember us, and sees everyone as an enemy. She must recognizes Kikyou-sama to some point or else she would be attacking her."

End Of Chapter 11

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