Sesshomaru carried his stiff bundle through the castle halls, causing his demonic servants to stare at him in surprise. A few years ago, Sesshomaru had ordered a room for Rin to be created. It was a large room near his own private chambers.
The room had been perfected a long time ago, filled with lavish pine and jade furniture, with a ceiling that had been painted the colour of a cloudy night sky (in the traditional Japanese style). Some Bonsai and Bamboo plants had been placed around the chamber, complementing a dresser painted with cherry blossomsn that had been placed in the corner of the spacious room. The futon was in the middle of the room with the best quality throws and cushions in leaf green. Elegant fans and Japanese screens decorated with walls, also painted with grass and trees. Rin had adored the outside, and so Sesshomaru had attempted to replicate it to remind her of old times. The room was dark with misuse, only lit by a few candles. Unfortunately Rin would not see her bedroom for some time, thanks to Inuyasha and Kaede's interference.
Sesshomaru placed Kikyo in Rin's room, gently lying her on the green satin futon until her head was resting on the cushions. The priestesses pale body stood out starkly in the candle light and Sesshomaru noticed Kikyo's nipples were as pink as rosebuds. Carnal desire swirled inside him slightly so he covered Kikyo with a fluffy green throw, with only her slim shoulders on display.
After some thought, Sesshomaru summarised that Kikyo could not move because of her location. In the hills where he had found her, there were no souls in the vicinity, just plains of endless grass. But near the outskirts of his castle, a few human villages sat, filled with souls that were ready to be siphoned. All Kikyo had to do was drag what little vestiges of power she had into action and save herself. Sesshomaru backed himself into a corner and sat down, waiting to see what would happen next.
After what could have easily been hours, the tiniest reptilian creature Sesshomaru had ever seen formed in mid-air above Kikyo. The creature was as long as Sesshomaru's finger and looked pathetically weak. The dog demon reclined against the painted wall and watched patiently, as the soul collector struggled to bring Kikyo her first soul in four years.
Kikyo's body absorbed the single glowing soul and as she did the soul collector grew in length and seemed stronger. After a few more souls had been gathered, another soul collector split from the original, its eyes as red as the first one.
By the time the sun had fully set the room was filled with awaiting human souls that glowed softly in the growing darkness. Kikyo's clay body softened and transformed into cream coloured flesh, a beating heart pulsed in her chest and blood accumulated and slowly pumped through her magicked limbs. Kikyo's magick, founded by Orsue, had remodelled her body into that of a human. If she ran low on the souls that sustained her, she would revert back into clay.
Kikyo's eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the dim light that the now diminished candles and souls gave off, as she regained full consciousness. She felt as though she had pins and needles running down her body as her ability to move returned. Kikyo flexed her stiff fingers and toes, amazed at the freedom her blurred entrapment had denied her.
As she attuned to her surroundings, Kikyo sensed a demonic presence near her and turned her head to see a young man with argent hair and shining citrus eyes gazing back at her from a dark corner.
"Inu…Inuyasha?" Kikyo whispered softly, pulling herself shakily into a sitting position, her arm anchoring the emerald cover to her chest. She never thought she would see her beloved again.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but my pathetic excuse for a brother is not here" Sesshomaru said with a smirk. He stepped out of the shadows, avoiding the human souls that hung in the air like fireflies. Kikyo looked at the handsome demon blankly. His hair was longer and silkier than his brothers and his face was angular and hard. This demon had the right colouring, but other than that he was nothing like Inuyasha. Even so, Kikyo vaguely recognised the demon.
"You …are Inuyasha's older brother. I was never told your name" Kikyo replied, painfully aware that she had no clothes on and was alone with a demon that was more or less a stranger to her.
"I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the western lands. You are in my castle, and will address me as Lord Sesshomaru whilst you are here. I have a proposition for you, which is why you are here in my castle in the first place" Sesshomaru said imperiously, oblivious to Kikyo's discomfort. Kikyo raised a slim eyebrow at his words but did not argue. She had heard rumours of Inuyasha's brother, that he was arrogant and had violent tendencies…and yet, now that she had her full faculties, she remembered seeing him travelling with a little girl.
With a jolt of distress Kikyo remembered Naraku and the final battle. The priestess dragged herself to her feet on exposed, shaking legs.
"Naraku! Has he been destroyed? Did Kagome manage to purify him? Does the Shikon No Tama still exist?" Kikyo demanded desperately, praying the deed was done and the monster was dead. Sesshomaru raised a claw to silence her questions.
"You've been dead for four years Priestess, Naraku was destroyed a long time ago, Inuyasha and his friends survived the ordeal"
Kikyo breathed a sigh of relief, a heavy weight she had been carrying unconsciously had just dropped from her shoulders. After years of pursuit, Naraku was dead! But something major was still bothering her…She looked up at Sesshomaru questioningly.
"How have I come to be here? I gave my life, so that Kohaku could live his own without needing to rely on the power of the shard placed in his back" Kikyo asked warily.
"He's dead. Killed by some rogue spider demon clan, or so I've heard" Sesshomaru said with a cruelly dispassionate voice, looking bored with the conversation. Kikyo looked sorrowful, with her eyes downcast. She had after all travelled with Kohaku, in a past that seemed much closer to the present than it really was. Sesshomaru waited for the flurry of female tears to rain down on him, physically tensing in distaste. But Kikyo did not cry.
"A pity, he was a kind boy", she said, "So I have returned with his death? That has a sense of irony I don't care for. What is this proposal you speak of?" Kikyo sank back down on the futon and gave Sesshomaru a calculating stare. Sesshomaru crept forward and sat opposite Kikyo at the end of the futon, giving the priestess his full attention. Kikyo gathered that this was as close to enthusiasm as the western lord would get.
"I am at war with a northern demon Lord, he is called Tsumetai. The state of my lands has been like this for some time now and he is proving…difficult to deal with. I want you to purify him for me" Sesshomaru said. Kikyo found herself mesmerised by the colours spangled in his eyes, like streaks of gold and topaz.
"If this demon is a Lord with status and power, I would hardly be an equal match to him. My abilities have their limits even in death" Kikyo replied slowly as she tried not to gawp at the dog demon. She instinctively crossed her arms and legs, feeling uncomfortably exposed in her thin covering, but Sesshomaru did not notice.
"Fine. Then I will assist you in killing him, It won't be difficult to distract him" Sesshomaru huffed impatiently, sensing the priestess may refuse his offer. If she declined he would have to make her efforts worthwhile.
Kikyo sighed heavily and lay her head back down, cradling one of the green cushions in her arms. Her hair was as sleek as a raven's wing.
"You should of left me on the hillside" Kikyo said mournfully, leaving Sesshomaru puzzled and irritated.
"You dislike being a spectre? Surely you are stronger this way" Sesshomaru asked. Kikyo glared at his ignorance.
"Would you enjoy being stuck in the world of the living when you're dead? This is not the way it is meant to be" Kikyo replied.
Sesshomaru had to admit she had him there. Kikyo was like a distant star. Beautiful and cold, but not of this world anymore. She may look and feel human now, just like a star looks an outstretched arm away, but she was not what she appeared to be. Would Sesshomaru force Rin to struggle on this earth instead of die a natural death? No, he could not. The Tenseiga only works once…
The Tenseiga.
"Priestess, I may have the means to help you in your current…predicament. I will agree to use my Tenseiga on you and restore your body, if you purify Tsumetai" Sesshomaru wagered, removing the plain sword for Kikyo to view. Kikyo ran her hand lightly down the sheath, Sesshomaru fought the urge to snatch Tenseiga out of her grasp.
"I can feel that this sword is linked to the underworld, to have such a power at your fingertips is…frightening. You are blessed indeed Lord Sesshomaru. But…my human body died long ago, I doubt even a sword as powerful as this could help me now" Kikyo said as she eyed the Tenseiga in awe. Sesshomaru nearly rolled his eyes at her defeatist attitude.
"It's a matter we can test, there are others ways of resurrection" Sesshomaru said, thinking of his mother's meido stone. "In any case, this sword allows me to pass through the gates of the netherworld, perhaps one can learn more there. I need the powers of a priestess and you WILL provide them for me whether you want to or not" Sesshomaru said in a growl, his patience thinning drastically. A tense silence ensued.
"Then it seems I have little choice in the matter" Kikyo said coolly, folding her arms against her chest in disapproval.
A watch had been set around the perimeter of Inuyasha's village. Hokai had placed his minions in the trees and bushes, anywhere they could remain unseen but each hut could be observed. Hokai had completed a complex bit of magick to fool Inuyasha's sense of smell, the dog would never see them coming. But the setting sun was not the time to start an ambush, the dead of night was the best time to strike.
Some of Hokai's soldiers however had congregated near him, skittering nervously. Hokai had set up his temporary base in a shallow cave near Inuyasha's village. It was small and he disliked the other spiders taking up the room.
"What is it? Why are you all lurking behind me? Get back to your stations!" Hokai hissed dangerously. Two soldier spiders scurried away as if their spinners were on fire, five remained. The largest spider, an armoured warrior named Yoroi, crept forward and addressed him.
"Spinner Hokai, we are concerned about some of the decisions you have made. You…You have sent half the army on some secret errand, we will need to be at our strongest…in case we encounter the half-demon Inuyasha" Yoroi clicked at Hokai, who gave a spidery smile. Hokai was twice the size of Yoroi, it was one of the reasons he managed to climb his way to position of Spinner. The five underlings eyed their commander warily as Hokai hissed at them.
"This is true, you're not as uselessly bone headed as I first thought Yoroi. A large portion of our forces are running an important mission for me. Not Kumonosu, ME. You will accept this plan or it will be worse for you".
The five spiders stared at Hokai in confusion.
"I don't understand! We follow you now but ultimately we obey the commands of Weaver Kumonosu" Yoroi stuttered, his corpulent body trembling with indignation. The four soldiers behind him rallied to Yoroi's side. Hokai ignored Yoroi's statement and circled the perplexed spiders.
"This attack on Inuyasha's village will be staged, not real. We are staging it to get Kumonosu off my back for the meantime. All you have to do is kill a few peasants, start a few fires etc before fleeing. Do not engage Inuyasha and his friends unless you want to die a miserable death. Once my secret mission is complete, I will decide our next move" Hokai admitted in a shocking revelation.
Yoroi shook his pincer clad head in disbelief.
"So…you just wanted an army to do your bidding! I will not do this, its mutiny!" Yoroi said stoutly.
Hokai lunged at the armoured spider, sinking his fangs into Yoroi's neck. Dark green blood drenched the cave floor as the spider fell with a sickening crunch. Upon seeing their comrade fall, the final four spiders fled back to their posts as quickly as their eight legs could carry them.
"See, I knew you'd agree to do things my way!" Hokai called after the retreating spiders, his fangs dripping with his own soldier's blood.
