"It's your choice Kikyo, will you watch the children die, or be their salvation and release Tsumetai?" Hokai asked Kikyo. Her head was bowed and her shoulders were slumped in defeat, her bow hanging useless by her side. The children around her screamed and screamed, making it hard to think straight.
No cunning plan came to her mind, no way of getting out of this without releasing a tremendous foe.
'Forgive me Lord Sesshomaru, I just can't see another way' Kikyo closed her eyes, steeling herself for what she was about to do. Kikyo walked up to Tsumetai's body, still pinned like a singular butterfly collection onto the boulder she had chosen for him, his face and body slack.
Kikyo grasped the rough wood of her sealing arrow, and wished the spell to be broken. The arrow disintegrated in her hand, crumbling to dust and drifting away with the wind. Tsumetai fell to the floor, crashing into his self-made perimeter of ice. Mikata stepped forward immediately and hauled him upright with impressive strength. Tsumetai's eyes opened a fraction, showing his silvery irises, but he seemed lethargic and dazed. If she could get the children out of the grasp of the spiders, maybe she could flee with them whilst Mikata was preoccupied with Tsumtai's condition, and before the ice demon recovered.
"I have done as you asked, now, give me the children," Kikyo demanded, stepping forward with her hand outstretched, ready to tear the children from their arachnid captors if necessary.
Bizarrely, Hokai seemed so pleased with the turn of events that he nodded, conceding to her request, and ordered his spiders to release the children, but Mikata's sharp voice cut through his command. "Oh no, I don't think so, the priestess can watch them die first, then I'll kill her myself" the demoness hissed, still holding her lover in her arms, a dead weight. A furious gleam had lit Mikata's blue-green eyes and she stared at Kikyo, clearly relishing the thought of the priestesses' slow and painful death.
Hokai shrugged. "As you wish my lady, as you wish." The children wailed all the more at the dangling and then swift removal of hope, some openly stared in horror at the body of the boy on the floor.
Kikyo raised her bow, but Mikata's eyes were on her, she raised a red barrier around herself and Tsumetai. "I'll leave it to you to give the order Hokai, your demons can tear those whelps to pieces'' Mikata said, gesturing towards the children. The children had tear stains down their cheeks, they had endured threat and terror for far too long.
But Hokai was not listening any longer, he was staring up at the clouded sky, trying to spot some incoming creature he could feel the vibrations of. Whatever it was, it was a being of colossal size. He caught a glimpse of an enormous white shape and knew what it meant.
"It's him, he's coming!" Hokai yelled, watching the dog shape grow larger and larger as it dropped from the sky. Sesshomaru was hurtling towards them all, growling with displeasure.
Kikyo had never seen Sesshomaru's true dog form before. To see him storming across the clouds like some canine calamity was alarming and amazing. Kikyo watched, wide eyed, as the dog descended, thirty feet tall, his tail and fur flowing behind him. He did not land lightly, but with a crash and a shudder that shook them all to their cores. Hokai's armoured spiders dropped their captive children in fright, who took the opportunity to make a beeline for Kikyo, slipping in the blood of the dead ten year old as they ran past.
Sesshomaru''s massive paws landed in between Kikyo, now surrounded by frightened children, and the demons that threatened her. He wasted no time in swiping his ferocious claws at the spiders before him, sending disembodied spider legs and carapaces flying into the air. Hokai had turned his spinneret round with lightning speed and fled.
"Come back you coward! Help me with Tsumetai!" Mikata yelled angrily, backing away from the dog demon. She was hampered by Tsumetai, who still lay in a disorientated state in her arms, her barrier their only form of protection. Hokai showed no sign that he had heard her and skittered away out of sight. He was the only spider left still living to flee.
Sesshomaru towered over the northern lord and eastern lady, growling and spitting. He spat his poisonous saliva at the two, and Mikata screamed as Sesshomaru's poison dissipated her barrier and began dropping on their skin.
"Sesshomaru!" Kikyo gasped with relief at the monstrous dog towering over her, the children clutching her sleeves and sobbing in fright at the arrival of another demon. Sesshomaru's glowing ruby eyes stared down at her and he gave a sorrowful whine. He leaned down and nudged Kikyo's chest with his nose, too hard, so that she fell over. Kikyo hit the ground hard, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Mikata hauling Tsumetai away as swiftly as she could, practically dragging the northern lord across the ground in her efforts to escape.
Kikyo expected Sesshomaru to go bounding after them, but he instead stayed by her side, and steadily began to shrink back to his human form. His skin lost its white fur, his tail disappeared and his elongated jaw collapsed back into his usual teeth and mouth.
His eyes however, remained red as he turned towards Kikyo, the source of his chargin.
Sesshomaru watched triumphantly as Mikata and Hokai dragged the northern Lord's broken body away as fast as they were able. Sesshomaru's smug manner however, was wiped away quickly with the realisation that his lately defeated enemies were now active and fleeing.
Tsumetai had been released from the sacred arrow that bound him. All of his fighting and striving, all of Kikyo's courage and spiritual energy, had been for nothing.
As if to answer the stormy displeasure that now swallowed Sesshomaru in its grip, the sky rumbled with a distant thunder and some chill drops of rain began to fall.
Kikyo was helped to her feet by the gaggle of quivering children, whom she thanked solemnly whilst patting their heads. Kikyo silently knelt beside the corpse of a young boy, the child's body reeked of fresh blood. Kikyo pressed her shaking fingers against the body's blood splattered neck, half-heartedly checking for a pulse she knew was not there. In the distance the rest of the village children stood uncertainly, looking haggard and traumatised. The remaining children looked at Sesshomaru in horror as he transformed from a monstrous dog into a vexed humanoid demon, his silver hair flowing behind him.
When they looked at Kikyo however...their eyes lit up with a grim hope of home.
Kikyo began to glow with an inexplicably warm light, like liquid sun was running through her veins: she was trying to heal the dead boy.
"The peasant is dead Priestess...even more dead than you are" He said with a bite of impatience. Had she no idea what she had just done? What folly and hardship she had caused? Sesshomaru felt like barking insults at her, but his face betrayed nothing.
Kikyo brushed her dark hair out of her eyes, accidentally smearing her face with the boy's blood that was on her hands. The claret gore stained her kimono, spilling on to the sour soil of the ground. The priestess looked exhausted.
"Sesshomaru you must use the Tenseiga to save this child, I fear I am to blame for his demise...I...I couldn't stop that spider demon Hokai from killing him."
Sesshomaru gave Kikyo a hard look. "And why would I do that after your feckless betrayal?"
"I had no choice, Sesshomaru, they would have killed all of these children! I could not allow it. Things are worse than we realised.. The spider that escaped, he claimed to be Naraku's brother," Kikyo said, cradling the dead boy's head. Was it true? And if it was, would Hokai be as deadly a threat as his brother had been?
"That spider was Naraku's brother you say? And you think Naraku's brother would have allowed the humans to live? How foolishly optimistic of you spectre" Sesshomaru sneered.
"Enough!" Kikyo said, raising her hand as if to ward off the dog demon's insults. "It is done. We can discuss it after we save this poor boy and escort the rest of the children back to the village."
Sesshomaru glared at her for a long moment. Not only was a spider demon clan out to destroy them both, but Kikyo had now released their original foe for the sake of a few children. Now their enemies had made a malicious alliance against them. Kikyo's moral compass chafed at his desire to win this war.
Kikyo looked at Sesshomaru expectantly, her deep brown eyes rimmed with fatigue. Sesshomaru's heart lurched in his chest unexpectedly.
Sesshomaru drew his inherited sword. Tenseiga hummed slightly as it was released from its sheath. Sesshomaru walked over to the dead boy and slashed the blade downwards, aiming for the corpse's neck, where the green toad-like messengers (that looked bizarrely like Jaken) of the underworld had gathered. A great light burst from the body, so bright that Sesshomaru saw Kikyo cover her eyes. The demons of the underworld disintegrated in the blast with a cry of unearthly dismay.
The light condensed and then lifted, its ethereal presence gone. In seconds, the boy's eyelids fluttered open and he gasped for his new breath. Sesshomaru ignored the peasant boy once he had been revived, he rounded on Kikyo like a venomous snake.
"All your magic and wiles have been undone by your own stupidity Kikyo. Do not expect me to give you any more aid now that you have released the northern Lord. We are done spectre". With that, Sesshomaru transformed himself into an angry blue ball of fizzing light. Like a buzzing wasp, Sesshomaru darted into the air, leaving Kikyo stranded in the middle of a war torn battlefield.
With the help of the kidnapped children, Kikyo was able to locate their village and lead them back to safety. The journey was hard, for Kikyo felt drained and stiff, a sign that she needed more souls to sustain her. She felt tired, numb and bruised, but she knew the children were depending on her. It was a duty that weighed heavily on her slim shoulders, but it drove her on and helped her drag her feet forward.
They crawled like ants over the scarred land for the next hour, until the landscape changed to one unencumbered by the war of demons.
The land they travelled through was hypnotically beautiful. Frost tipped blue mountains watched over them from a great distance away. They passed a quiet, undisturbed lake, its surface as still and as smooth as glass. They crossed over some fields that were smothered with fuchsia coloured flowers that released a sweet floral scent when crushed beneath their feet. Kikyo and the children, dirt stained and covered in blood, felt like walking abominations as they moved through that untouched glory of nature, their faces haggard from their ordeal.
Kikyo tried to keep a watchful eye on guard as they slogged their way towards the home of the children, half convinced that Tsumatai and these new enemies, Hokai and Mikata, would jump out of the pink petals and ambush them. She kept an arrow nocked at all times, ignoring the fact that her arms were shaking.
She needn't have bothered, not a soul, human or demon, disturbed their weary tread. The children remained close behind her, like a small set of shadows. Every now and then a sniffle or cry of trauma would escape from one of them, and so she would stop and whisper soothing words of comfort. The priestesses' beauty and outward serenity calmed the children.
The further they went, the more desperately Kikyo needed souls. There were souls nearby, ready to be picked up by her soul collectors, all she had to do was call them to her. But she would not reveal her soul collectors to the children, they believed her to be human and would be horrified to learn of her true nature. They would think her to be another malevolent demon out to ensnare them.
Kikyo was baffled by the intense series of events that had unfolded. New foes had uncovered themselves from the shadows, Mikata and least Mikata was a foe Kikyo had been vaguely aware of, the demoness was Tsumetai's lover or partner, and it was clear Tsumetai and Mikata were magically linked , able to ebb and flow their demonic energy between each other at will.
It explained why Sesshomaru had not outright defeated Tsumetai a long time ago. Instead of one powerful demon of the same rank, he was actually fighting two. Whilst this was a flexible power, it would leave one demon vulnerable and open to attack whilst channelling such a dangerous spell. Kikyo was sure that one of the couple would be forced to hide away to avoid being attacked whilst the other battled.
With this knowledge in hand, Kikyo and Sesshomaru would have had a chance of defeating the northern pair, but now Hokai, Naraku's brother, and an army of demon spiders had joined the fray.
But why? From what she had observed, Hokai and the northern demons were relatively new acquaintances. Naraku's brother must have only recently offered his support, but why would he do so after all this time? It caused a nebulous fear to circle around her spine.
She and the children had escaped death for one reason only, Sesshomaru's sudden appearance in the form of a gigantic dog, and the incandescent rage that had accompanied him. Kikyo could still vividly visualise the western lord storming through the sky, eyes crimson with rage, his barks echoing like thunder. KIkyo had never seenSesshomaru's true form, it had frightened her and also paradoxically filled her with a sense of awe.
As he had all but banished her from his lands, Kikyo supposed that she would never see such a transformation…or him…ever again. The realisation made her sag with sadness. Since her resurrection she had had the most contact with Sesshomaru, she almost felt like he had abandoned her.
After hours of toiling, the children's village slowly edged into view, their destination a balm for weary eyes. Even from a distance the residue of smoke was in the air, like a fire had recently been extinguished. Upon arrival it was clear the small village had been ravaged by bandits recently, some houses had been burned and what rice stores were left had been gathered in the village center for counting and protection. The villagers hovered around their remaining grain anxiously, as if the very birds above their heads might swoop down and pluck their precious stores up into the sky.
Once the ragged children came into view, the villagers became wild with joy, shrieking and running forward, relief lighting each face.
"Akihiko?! You're alive!"
"Gaku! Gaku!"
"Haruto you're bleeding!"
Suddenly surrounded in a net of parental safety, the children staggered up to their parents sobbing and clutching them. Through tears of reprieve, the children explained how they had been kidnapped by Hokai's spider demons. The village chief, a middle aged man called Fusazane, who sported a tight chonmage bun atop his head and wore a rather threadbare kosode garment, addressed Kikyo in thanks. `
"Before we could even begin to search for the children, this morning we were attacked by bandits! No one was hurt, but they stole a great deal of our rice stores. I don't know how we'll replenish it, but that's not important right now. Thanks to your brave efforts, priestess, our children are safe. How can we repay you?" Fusazane gushed, looking at Kikyo appreciatively and bowing his head low.
Kikyo bowed stiffly in return, lacking her usual grace. She felt tired and dull, her limbs far too heavy. Her need to replenish her body with souls was intensifying. "It's alright, no payment is required. It was my duty as a priestess to help these children in their time of need."
"Help, it sounds like you were their saviour" Fusazane said as the villagers clamoured to thank her in the background, their hands reaching out to pat her back or her arm. "These children have had a difficult time and now this, demons attack and bandits steal our food. I have a mind to march us all back to where we came from" Fusazane continued gloomily.
"Stay with us Priestess, we have need of a modest woman like you," said the grandfather of the boy Sesshomaru has resurrected. The boy had recovered from his ordeal remarkably quickly and now clung to his grandfather's blue haori. Looking around the perimeter, Kikyo perceived that the wood used to construct the nearby huts were relatively new. Kikyo looked closer at the village around her with a speculating glance. The village was clearly poor, with only a few scant huts and rice stores. The peasants here had a slightly emaciated look about them, as if the winters had been hard on them. Kikyo suspected that they had been the victims of bandits more than once.
"It seems you've had a troublesome time. How long have you been residing in this village?" Kikyo asked politely.
"We moved down here about two years ago, built all these huts ourselves from scratch. It was a long and treacherous journey, but we thought at the time it was worth the trip. Life had become too dangerous in our native village to stay there any longer. But calamity seems to be all around us, even here at our fresh start" Fusazane said with a glum look. He was clearly the leader of the village, an the responsibility of the villager's safety looked like it had weighed on him for a long time.
"And where have you come from?" Kikyo asked.
"We've travelled through the entire country to get here, from the Nambu province in the far north".
Kikyo's eyes widened at this news, her interest quickening and her physical aches quietinging for a moment. "The north? That certainly is a long way…why would you come so far?"
Fusazane shook his head, his shoulders slumped. "We never intended to come this far, the journey took us months. But we had no choice, Nambu has been terrorised by demons for a long time. We endured snow storms that lasted weeks, and demons that were born from the living ice itself, attacking and killing humans indiscriminately. I have lived in the Nambu province all my life, and our village started out large, with hundreds of us living and working together. We had the same concerns all villages in Japan have, the fear of being attacked by bandits. But our size made us more confident that we would be able to defend ourselves against these types of attacks. But the demons…the demons in the north dogged us for decades until most of our people died. At first, I had planned to lead us down and into the east, but the attacks were just as bad in that domain. So..we just kept going until the attacks and the ice demons disappeared. I had hoped we would be safer here, but there are still demons everywhere, albeit of a different kind. We humans are fated to be wiped about by demonkind one day, I'm sure of it!" Fusazane said with anger, spitting on the ground.
'These people have been escaping Tsumetai's shadow, unbeknownst to them. It seems even the eastern lands are affected by his power, and this place may be where Mikata usually resides. Is that how Tsumetai has been able to enter the western lands unchallenged? And how many other humans in the north are being killed or forced out of their homes?' Kikyo wondered.
Kikyo bowed again. "I cannot begin to imagine the suffering you have been through. Please, allow me to aid you. If your rice stores have indeed been plundered, there is a village not far from here, led by an old priestess. The village is small, but they would gladly take you in if you tell them your story. It is the place I grew up in, the people there are kind and trustworthy.. If you would like, for now I will raise a ward to protect the village," Kikyo said. 'A Shikigami ward would protect them from lesser demons at least' Kikyo thought.
Fusazane gaped at Kikyo for a moment, disconcerted by her swift solution to their plight. But Kikyo knew her sister Kaede would not turn away folk that had endured so much. Inuyasha, more suspicious due to his own experiences, may take more convincing. "My thanks to you priestess, you truly are our saviour! Our own priest died on the way here…would you do us the honour of joining our group? I do not think there is any temple nearby for you to stay at" Fusazane offered.
Kikyo hesitated. She had been lonely for so long, the thought of easy human company tempted her. But in the back of her mind she could hear Sesshomarumaru's words, warning her wherever she tried to reside, humans would eventually discover her secret.
And, if her suspicions were correct, the outcome of Sesshomaru's war would not only affect demons, it would affect the humans who lived in Japan as well. Ordinary humans would be subjected to Tsumetai and Mikata's cruelty if they were to win this war, and she needed to protect those people.
But to do that, she needed to return to Sesshomaru and convince him to forgive her recent actions.
"Thank you for your kind offer, chieftain, but…I have somewhere that I need to be," Kikyo declined gently.
"Well, you are welcome to share a meal with us before you go? It's the least we can do." Fusazane offered, looking disappointed.
Kikyo smiled, one of her rare, effulgent smiles. "I have my own food thank you. I should be on my way soon." Fusazane looked Kikyo up and down doubtfully, as she carried no visible bag or belongings, save for her bow and arrow, but he did not contradict her.
Kikyo erected a Shikigami ward with the help of the locals, who gathered tall wooden poles at her behest. The peasants were both helpful and admiring…she was sorely tempted by their offer to stay, which they continued to push. But Kikyo would never forget Sesshomaru's words to her. His scornful face drifted into her mind's eyes.
How long will it take the next village to find out what you really are?
Nor the monk that she had killed all those years ago.
I do not know what binds you to this world, but it is certainly not a place for you to linger. Go! And return to where you belong!
But she HAD nowhere to belong, she would remain in this foreign plane until she was finally removed from it.
With those words blazing in her subconscious, she left the offer of humanity behind. Kikyo had no doubt that the spider demon Hokai would harass her for the foreseeable future, and Tsumetai would certainly want revenge for her bewitchment.
Sesshomaru stormed through the castle in a fearsome rage, his golden eyes blazing with a crimson fire.
As he stalked down the hall Jaken skittered towards him, his webbed toes pattering on the wooden floorboards. Jaken hovered in front of his master, foolishly expecting Sesshomaru to stop and acknowledge him. He held two crumpled letters in his green claws.
Sesshomaru did not stop and sent his vassal flying backwards as he walked into him, practically kicking him out of the way.
"Lord Sesshomaru! Where have you been? Inuyasha has left, that half demon has a dreadful temper. He seemed quite pleased to leave, and was quite ill after that priestess started burning that Dokudami plant. I can't say I blame him, it smelled awful! Perhaps the priestess thought it was a humorous prank…I would like to congratulate you again on your triumph against the northern Lord…Mi' lord?" Jaken gabbled, springing to his feet without a word of complaint.
Sesshomaru continued his angry stride.
"Be quiet Jaken. Get the western army ready. I expect we will be attacked in the morning by the northern Lord along with the east and spider demon clan".
Jaken gawped at Sesshomaru in surprise, his eyes bulging as he ran next to Sesshomaru, struggling to keep up. "But-But how? I was told that the dead priestess sealed him with her holy powers!"
"Clearly that is no longer the case. The sealing arrow was removed, and all to save a handful of half starved humans," Sesshomaru said, the bite behind his voice made Jaken shiver.
"Why would she do such a thing? Surely she knows Tsumetai would seek revenge? His anger at being sealed by her arrow will be terrible!" Jaken said incredulously.
"Precisely, so get going. I must go and see Rin."
"I think she's in her room-"
Sesshomaru swept through the halls to Rin's room. Unsurprisingly, she had taken the opportunity to have a nap, something she often did when they had been a nomadic group. He had always thought this bizarre trait in a girl so young to be amusing, she napped as often as a cat…but now he questioned it. did she sleep so often, because she was left alone so much when he was off chasing after Naraku? The thought permeated his mind with guilt.
He had told the priestess to leave and not return, and left her alone a few miles away from his castle. Sesshomaru had tried to keep his anger under control, but had failed upon seeing Tsumetai's disorientated, unchained face, with demon spiders cavorting in the background.
He felt he had a right to be angry, this slip up on Kikypo's part would cause him to lose Rin, for even he could foresee that leaving Rin here now with him would spell disaster. Now he knew the full scope of his enemies. Mikata and Tsumtai had ruthlessly murdered their own families to obtain the lands they wanted, they would have no qualms about threatening a young human girl. Before, Sesshomaru's own power had kept Rin safe. No one but Naraku would dare take the girl from him. But with his current foes, he was not sure his own intimidating power would be enough.
He would not sacrifice Rin's safety for his pride, she would need to return to Inuyasha's village for now. True, Inuyasha had been attacked by the demon spiders, but they were a much weaker foe, and Sesshomaru hoped that Inuyasha would not be targeted, not whilst he and Kikyo were around.
Sesshomaru entered Rin's room as quietly as a shadow, moving like a wisp of wind. Rin was curled up like a domestic cat, her mouth slightly gazed at her with unguarded affection for a moment, an expression no living person had ever seen, or would be likely to see, on his face.
Loathing the news he was about to give her, he made his way towards the child and crouched down to her futon and perched on the end. "Rin, wake up," Sesshomaru said quietly, brushing a lock of brown hair from her sleeping eyes gently with his claws. Rin stirred sleepily.
"L-Lord Sesshomaru? Where have you been? Where's Lady Kikyo? Did Inuyasha visit it in the end?" Rin asked yawning and stretching. Sesshomaru blanched, unsure of how to respond tactfully.
"The priestess had to leave Rin, and I need you to do the same. The castle is not safe anymore. Take Ah-Un and go back to Inuyasha, he will look after you until this is over." Sesshomaru said.
Rin sat up, all traces of tiredness gone, looking baffled.
"Leave already? But I've just got here!" Rin exclaimed unhappily, her dark eyes full of sadness. Sesshomaru's anger towards Kikyo was momentarily reignited.
"My castle is threatened, more so than before, and I would never place you in peril. Go back to Inuyasha and that old woman-"
"Kaede?"
"I will return and fetch you when it is safe to do so." Sesshomaru finished.
"But it's been such a short visit. We always used to travel dangerously. You'll protect me Lord Sesshomaru, I know you will. Kaede told me I couldn't stay with you, because I needed to be with my own kind for a while. But Lady Kikyo is human…in a way. Can't she come back and look after me? She's so pretty and kind, then I can stay, please?" Rin begged, tears beginning to form. He detested the sight of her crying. She was such a happy girl, Rin crying was a rare occurrence that tore at his cold heart.
Sesshomaru hesitated, it was unlikely the priestess would return after their argument, and did he want her to? Would Kikyo put the lives of other children above Rin's if she was backed into a corner?
"We will see. But for now do as I say, collect Ah-Un and make your way to Inuyasha, as quickly as possible with no dallying Rin."
Rin's tears had burst from the dam of her eyes and begun to fall, but Sesshomaru would not be Mikata had manipulated KIkyo by threatening and torturing, Rin would be used in a similar way. Naraku had often targeted his ward this way.
Seeing the unmovable look in Sesshomaru's eyes, Rin eventually nodded and gulped down her tears.
"I will come and visit you when I can," Sesshomaru said with uncertainty. If the war that was upon them had escalated in danger, when would that be?