Inutsuki's eyes fluttered open. Slowly, she sat up. Tentatively, she rolled her shoulder; no pain rang up her arm. Releasing her breath in relief, she pulled off her bandages. She smiled to herself. While she can't regenerate, her wounds healed incredibly fast. Looking out the window, she saw the sky turn orange and red as the sun set. Her ears flicked in annoyance at the fact she slept an entire day away. She grabbed her
Her ears flicked again as she heard two approaching footsteps. The curtain door was brushed aside and Kikyo walked in with her sister. When she saw Inutsuki up and about, Kikyo stopped in surprise. "Are you sure you're suppose to be up this quickly?"she asked, concerned.
Inutsuki answered cheerfully, "Yup!" She untied the string on the front of her shirt and shook off one side of it, revealing her shoulder. There was not even a scar. Then, she noticed Kaede behind Kikyo.
"Oh right, you don't know each other yet," Kikyo said. She pushed Kaede forward. "This is my sister Kaede. She is training to be a priestess.
"This is Inutsuki. She's will be your older sister, Kaede, okay?"
Kaede nodded. She bowed. "Nice to meet you, Inutsuki-san!" Inutsuki politely bowed too, although she wasn't used to it. After all, when one hand to spend every waking hour struggling to stay alive, you tend to forget your manners.
"Right, now that that we got this over with, let us prepare our evening meal," Kikyo stated. She lowered her basket to the ground and went to draw water from a river." Before she left, she called to Inutsuki. "How does tomorrow afternoon sound?"
Inutsuki nodded, and Kikyo left, leaving the two "younger"(Inutsuki is over 150, but she matures slowly) girls alone in the hut.
-The next day-
Kikyo woke to find Inutsuki not in the spot she slept in on Kaede's pallet. Puzzled, she brushed the bamboo curtain aside a little, but found no trace of the little dog demon. "She is more than capable of taking care of herself," she decided, crawling back into her blankets and falling into a troubled sleep.
In the pool by the waterfalls, Inutsuki poured another bucket of cold water over herself. She ducked underwater and ran her fingers through her hair, allowing the dust and grime from her travels to float away. "I must look my best tomorrow," she thought, speaking her mind out loud. Bubbles rose to the surface and popped. Slowly, she stood and walked out of the water.
Sitting on a rock by the water, she soaked her clothing and cleaned it, watching as dried blood and dirt pulled away from the robe and disappeared in the water. As she pulled the robe from the water, it became warm and the Fire Rat's youki dried the robe.
Satisfied, she pulled her her clothing and jumped barefooted into the tree to await rise of the sun.
"Where are your going, Kikyo nee-sama?" Kaede asked as she fastened a steel arrowhead to a straight wooden shaft, brushing her fingers over the feathers of the fletching. Kikyo sat in front of a mirror, lightly apply smudging rouge on her lips, a gift from Inutsuki.
"It's a secret!" Kikyo answered. "I'll be right back!" She stood and almost ran out the door, something Kaede never seen her sister do. As she pondered over this question, she nicked her finger on an arrowhead. "Ow!" she winced, putting her finger in her mouth before bounding it.
Inutsuki sprang from tree to tree as she practically flew over the forest. She headed from the clearing that she and Kikyo met in. Far behind her, a man in baboon fur laughed evilly. He extended a hand in front of him and a ball of dark mist formed in his hand. He squeezed his fist shut and far in front of him, Inutsuki felt a stab of pain in her head and she faltered, falling through the leaves onto the ground below.
Kikyo waited in the clearing. "Inutsuki!" she called, looked about her. She reached into her sleeve, feeling for the Shikon no Tama when a thought came to her. So happy was she, that she forgot to bring the jewel itself! This is so unlike her! As she turned back toward the village, hoping Inutsuki would be late, a red shape hurled from the trees behind up.
Stepping to the side at the last moment, Kikyo felt claws rake past he arm, shredding the cloth and drawing blood. As the shape plowed into the grass in front of her, sending a thick cloud of dust into the air, she jumped back, clutching her arm. She cursed under her breath, for she hadn't thought to bring her bow.
As the dust cleared, she started in surprise. There, crouching in the grass is none other than Inutsuki! "Why.." Kikyo started to say, but she stopped herself. She sensed something different in Inutsuki. Her youki was thicker than before...almost like a real youkai. A jagged purple-blue stripes marked each side of Inutsuki's cheeks. Her gold colored eyes turned dark red, like blood.
Her eyes focused on Kikyo, but her expression did not change. Suddenly, she sprang forward. As Kikyo tried to dodge again, she held one claw to her side, tearing a deep wound into Kikyo's shoulder. With a cry of pain, Kikyo fell forward, clutching her wounded shoulder. Inutsuki walked slowly up to the fallen woman. Raising her claws to deal the final blow, she stopped.
Kikyo sensed the youki emitting from Inutsuki pulse as her human heart fought her youkai heart. Slowly, the claws slashed slowly down toward Kikyo. "Leave..nee-sama...run..."
Kikyo's eyes widened as she heard Inutsuki speak. As she tried to stand, Inutsuki backed away, covering her face in pain. Then she was gone, as she jumped into the trees. Kikyo slowly rose to her feet and started with slow heavy steps toward the village. "Kikyo-sama!"
A villager had spotted her. Rushing toward her, he supported her as she stopped at the top of the stairs to the shrine. "No, this is too slow. Bring me.. my bow," Kikyo said, clutching her shoulder. Nodding, the man sprinted off.
As Kikyo waited, heard a commotion. Below her, the village was in chaos. A figure in red burst out of a fishing net that was being used to restrain her and dodged arrows that flew toward her. Inutsuki crashed into the roof of the shrine that held the Shikon no Tama and disappeared inside. As the villager brought her her bow and quiver, she nocked an arrow and painfully drew the bowstring back.
The villages threw open the door and shot arrows and spears into the structure. As Inutsuki burst out of the roof of the shrine, it exploded, throwing the villagers back. Even from the top of the stairs, Kikyo could see the glowing red eyes as Inutsuki ran, leaping over houses as she went for the outskirts of the village. Clutching the jewel in her hands, she sprint toward the forest.
A white aura encircled Kikyo's arrow and she released it. The arrow flew toward the Sacred Tree, Goshinboku. Inutsuki passed in front the tree and the arrow rammed into her chest, pinning her to the tree. There, she stay, the jewel still in her hand. Her eyes, wide open, drooped. As the presence of Kikyo purified the wisp of darkness in her, Inutsuki's youki faded. Her red eyes once again became gold and the jagged stripes disappeared from her face.
"What.." she asked quietly. She touched the arrow buried in her chest and the jewel in her hands. A tear drop fell out of her eyes as she understood. She looked at Kikyo, supported by her bow in front of her. "I'm sorry, nee-sama..." Smiling, Inutsuki reached in front of her with the hand that held the Shikon no Tama. She turned her hand over and the jewel fell from her hands on the floor and she closed her eyes, falling limp.
Kikyo's gripped faltered and she collapsed from to the ground, her fingers deathly cold. "I'm sorry, Inutsuki..."she murmured, tears running down her face. Dimly, she heard and saw the people of the village gathering around her. One face stood out clearly among the other; her sister Kaede.
Kaede clutched her dying sister's hands when Kikyo's lips moved. Leaning in closer, she listened. "When i die, burn the..Shikon no Tama with me..." With the last breath, Kikyo's breathing faded and Kaede lifted her head and wailed her loss to the world.
I'm sorry, Inutsuki... Forgive me