Chapter 40: The Strength to Move On
On quivering feet, a battered Alice stood to Inuyasha's right, her hand still slightly lifted from throwing her sword in the line of Kanna's attack, canceling it to everyone's astonishment. Even though he knew of her power, Inuyasha himself was amazed at Alice's ability to block the onslaught let alone stand with portions of her soul enslaved in Kanna's mirror. Still, even without his improved hearing, the hanyou could easily detect the Shikigami user's short rasps as she fought to remain standing.
All eyes were on the girl as she raised her head, her body trembling in the effort. Holding out her hand towards Kanna, Alice narrowed her eyes and a green glow engulfed her hand and Kanna soon after, immobilizing the incarnation. Letting her hand fall to her side, Inuyasha watched in shock as she slowly began to crumble, but not before instructing him, "Now Inuyasha!"
Glaring, the hanyou shifted his amber gaze to the motionless void being in front of him. This is for Kikyo and Alice! Raising Tessaiga above his head, Inuyasha slammed the sword down, unleashing his attack, "Wind Scar!"
The swirling mass of energy was joined by Kagome's sacred arrow and Miroku's sutras as it slammed into the helpless target. For the first time, Inuyasha saw a flicker of emotion run through Kanna's eyes moments before impact. It was one of mixed fear and relief. As to what it meant, the question would remain with Inuyasha forever.
When the smoke cleared, all that was left of the small incarnation was a shattered mirror and glass fragments scattered here and there. A soft twirl of light, a mix between two similar yet contrasting souls, escaped from the mirror and began circling each other in the air above the clearing before shooting towards its owner's body. With a gentle breeze, the orbs of light returned and both Kikyo and Alice began to breathe normally once more.
While Kagome and the others took a moment to catch their breath, Inuyasha sheathed his sword and immediately rushed over to the fallen women, "Kikyo! Alice!"
Alice moaned, feeling stiff as she rolled onto her side and used her hands to push herself off of the ground at the sound of Inuyasha calling her. Once upright, she rubbed her head, trying to fight off the dizzying head rush she now had. Opening her light blue eyes, Alice watched as the hanyou knelt between her and Kikyo, looking with anxious relief at them.
"Kikyo, Alice, are you alright?" He urgently asked, though his attention was mainly fixed on Kikyo, who still remained lying down.
It wasn't until the others drew near that the priestess began to come to and sit up weakly. Alice assumed that the effect of Kanna's mirror took a larger toll on Kikyo than her. After all, without the souls of the dead, Kikyo would die, while Alice would merely remain in a comatose state. The girl reached over to support her as Kikyo drew an arm up to her chest, as if preventing the reclaimed souls from escaping once more.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing here?" asked Kikyo, her brown eyes slightly narrowed in pain and confusion.
"I heard that you were in trouble and I came to rescue you Kikyo," Inuyasha explained, a bit taken back by her question, "I couldn't just walk away."
"I see, so you saved me…" Kikyo murmured, lowering her eyes.
"Yes, I'm glad you all made it in time," Alice put in with a grateful smile, before turning to Kikyo, "Shippo was the one who told me that you were in trouble, and I sent him to get Inuyasha and the others. Either way, I'm relieved that you're alright."
Recovering to the point that they could stand, the two were embraced by the others, who immediately inquired upon how they were feeling. Miroku, Sango, Kagome and Shippo all crowded around Alice, who was bombarded with a combination of worried scolds and alleviated embraces. Inuyasha, as Alice noticed from Kagome's concerned glance from the corner of her eyes, stood near Kikyo, giving the priestess support when it looked as if she'd fall as her soul collectors gathered and deposited souls for her.
After a while, when two were on the verge of full recovery from the ordeal –Alice placed on Kirara to avoid opening up her shoulder wound once more- Kikyo announced her departure from the group and walked up to the Shikigami user gracefully. Upon reaching her, they faced one another as Kikyo's eyes widened a little, "It seems that you've changed somehow Alice. You're much more cheerful than before, which means you found the answers you were searching for."
"Yes, thanks to your guidance Kikyo," acknowledged Alice, dipping her head in respect to the wise priestess, "I've decided to stay with Inuyasha and the others. I'm sorry that I'm unable to accompany you any more Kikyo, but I do hope we can meet again in the future."
"That would be nice," Kikyo replied, quickly revealing a small smile that was then swallowed by her usual concealed expression as the priestess looked at Alice's shoulder, "Keep an eye on your wound Alice. Even though there isn't any of Naraku's miasma in it, it is still quiet deep. Don't push yourself too hard for a couple of days so that it may heal properly."
"I will," Alice nodded, adding worriedly, "Are you sure you'll be alright Kikyo?"
"Yes, don't worry," Kikyo replied, "Besides, we have to find Naraku once more."
"That's right," Alice agreed, looking down in thought, "Where could he have run off to this time?"
Asagiri Island…
Jumping in shock at the voice, Alice startled Kirara, who gave a concerned growl, and Kikyo, who turned her attention to the girl, "Alice?"
Asagiri Island… the voice repeated in Alice's head as she quickly wondered what it could mean and if she should tell everyone or not. The voice could very well be a trap, yet Alice weighed that the risk was worthwhile if it allowed them to locate Naraku and Utsugi faster. Deciding upon that, she looked up with certainty shining in her eyes.
"Asagiri Island," Alice answered, "That's where Naraku is hiding."
"O-Okay," Shippo stammered as Inuyasha scoffed uncertainly, "What makes you think he's there?"
"Just trust me," Alice snapped back, adding more lightly, "I just have this really strong feeling he's there. Don't ask why. And besides, it can't hurt to check the place out."
Huffing, Inuyasha crossed his arms but seemed to be content that they at least had a place to start, even though it was only based off of Alice's intuition. Rolling her own eyes, Alice turned back to Kikyo, who instructed, "Very well. If you wish to go to Asagiri Island, you should take a boat from Shiyosai Village, which is east of here."
"Thank you Kikyo," replied Alice, happy that she believed her if only a little more than the hanyou.
"Right. You shouldn't delay," Kikyo finished, giving a farewell nod to Alice, "I wish you the best of luck Alice."
"Stay safe Kikyo," Alice responded as the priestess walked by her and towards the exit of the dilapidated town.
The priestess made no further comment, but before she could step out of view, Inuyasha called out, "Kikyo! Where are you going?"
The named paused for a moment until starting forwards, saying, "Inuyasha, we'll meet again."
"Kikyo…" Inuyasha murmured as the woman stepped out of sight into the distance of the foggy place.
Alice glanced over at Inuyasha, catching a pained look from Kagome, before sighing, "Let's go."
The journey out of the ruins of the presumably once populated village was carried out in silence, each member of the group caught in his or her own thoughts. For Alice, her mind was continually trying to make out the past few days.
Ever since she first woke up, back in Minamo Village to her companions, the Shikigami user had trouble remembering just what had happened to her. Her memory of the events had holes in it. Only bits and pieces remained – mere flashes of instances that occurred.
She remembered leaving Kikyo and encountering Naraku in the torn down village, but it was after that event that her recollection turned foggy. A second of blinding pain, another of fire swirling around her, the final being fragments of her rescued by Inuyasha and dosing off in his arms, yet nothing of the events in between.
The fact that she remembered nothing in a span of time ranging from ten minutes to half an hour bothered Alice and puzzled her at the same time. On top of that, was the oddly familiar sounding voice, instructing her to go to Asagiri Island. She had no idea what to expect of the voice or its command, only to hope that they'd all make it out in one piece and find who they were looking for.
Thankfully, her worries were put aside as Miroku spoke up casually, "So, Asagiri Island huh? Sounds like a nice place to check out. You know, with the beach and all. Are you certain that your instincts weren't mistaken for your desires?"
At his humorous tone, the majority of the party grinned at Alice, mischief sparkling in their own eyes, as the girl sarcastically replied, "Exactly, and while we're at it we can have a picnic as well. No Miroku, I'm pretty sure I didn't just spout the name of a place I didn't even know existed so we could have a beach day. Although, it does sound nice… We should plan one after this whole mess is cleaned up."
Miroku chuckled as Sango smiled, "That would be nice wouldn't it? Relaxing on the beach."
"The sea, the sea! It's been ages since I've been to the sea!" Shippo exclaimed happily from atop Kagome's shoulder, the young priestess herself caught up in the bubbling excitement.
"Yeah, yeah, that's great and all," Inuyasha growled, "Let's just focus on the present for once before dreaming about the future. We still have to kill Naraku first before we go to any beach."
"Party pooper…" Alice, Kagome, and Shippo all muttered at the same time, earning a frustrated outburst from the hanyou.
Clearing her throat after Inuyasha returned to the head of the group, leaving behind a trio of amused faces, Sango spoke up, "So I suppose we go to Shiyosai Village and get a boat like Kikyo suggested. With that, we'll be able to get to the island."
"Wait… A boat?" Alice repeated, a look of understanding and dread coming across her face, "Crap!"
At the sight of the Shikigami user burying her face into Kirara's fur, everyone turned a curious eye as Kagome started, "Alice? What's the matter? Are you afraid to go on a boat?"
The sudden outburst of Inuyasha's laugh, which was quickly subdued, made the girl raise her head and glare at the grinning hanyou as she snapped, "No! It's just… Well, I get seasick pretty easily."
"Seasick?" Shippo repeated, "What's that?"
"It's where you start to feel really sick when you're on a boat or vessel in the water," Kagome explained. "It's actual quiet common in our world since we don't use boats that often."
"Will you be alright Alice?" Shippo asked worriedly.
The girl smiled reassuringly, "I'll be alright Shippo, don't worry."
"Yes, but just in case I know a remedy that should cut down on the feeling," said Sango, "It might take a while to find the right ingredients but it should do the trick."
"Really? Thank you Sango!" Alice cheered.
"Man, you're such a pain," Inuyasha grumbled, earning him a glare from the Shikigami user, "But I suppose we can't just leave you, after all you'd end up following us or doing something more insane."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded while the hanyou flattened his ears, quickly defending himself, "What?! It's true!"
The pair began bickering back and forth, leading to a collective sigh from each of the onlookers. From where she sat on Kirara, Alice gave a small smile. Somehow it had become routine to see the pair fighting but deep down they all knew the affections each held for the other. It was this simple, nostalgic painting that rested peacefully in Alice's mind, as she felt herself momentarily wishing that time would stand still, with her and the others. The only fights being the pointless arguments between them.
However, the girl was aware that such thoughts were dangerous – especially in the scenario it clouded her mind from the issues at hand. Naraku and Utsugi were still alive and causing damage. Nevertheless, Alice hung onto the memories and hopes born from the moment, confident that they might one day give her the strength she needed to move on.
Sorry for the TREMENDOUS wait guys! :D" School was busy and I guess the story got lost for a while until I found and finished up this chapter, so hopefully I can start putting out more chapters and eventually wrap up the story~
Thank you everyone for reading so far! I hope you enjoy the short little chapter :D
