When at last he'd found her, she had been braced against her bow, a wide, dark gash on her shoulder, face paler than the white fabric of her kosode. Her eyes were wild and unfocused as she stared up at him, and looking at her, he forgot that only moments ago, she'd ripped apart his heart. All he could think was that every one of his senses told him she was dying.
But dying or not, she was still the most powerful human he knew. When he'd tried to reach her, her shock had contorted into violent fury, and the next instant Inuyasha had found himself blasted into the ground, his whole body on fire as her purifying powers charred the demonic energy in his every fibre.
"Why…!" he'd choked, when finally the pain subsided enough that he managed to stagger to his feet. And even then, the pain of his injured body and shattered heart were nothing compared to seeing her just beyond his reach, sinking to her knees as she gripped at her bleeding shoulder.
"Damn it, why, Kikyo! I don't understand, I thought…"
Her eyes had sparked in reply, the fury scorching itself deeper into her face. Inuyasha might have called that terrible, searing expression hate, only…he had just seen true hatred upon that same face on the hillside, and that had been cold as snow, cold as flint.
Not like this. The way she looked at him now burned his eyes like flame—fury fuelled by hurt and…despair?
And in the back of his mind, a blurry thought had begun struggling to take shape.
"You…have the gall…the ask why?" Her voice, too, was jagged and bleeding, not steely and lifeless like it had been on the hillside.
"What—"
"You…ambushed me…attacked me…betrayed me…All this time, all we had…it was all a lie to get your hands on the jewel, and now you dare ask why?"
His mind had never felt so sluggish as it struggled to make sense of what she said.
"Attacked you?" He took a cautious step toward her, shaking his head. "You're saying I hurt you? But I never—how could I ever—"
"What, Inuyasha?" she panted, not hearing him. "Have you come back now…to laugh again…at my pathetic trust?"
It had been the sound of his name on her lips that finally brought everything into focus. On the hillside, that…thing that called him "half-breed" could not have been her. He was sure of it. Almost…almost sure.
"It wasn't me!" He took another step toward her, but her injured arm scrambled for an arrow and pulled taut her bow. Inuyasha could smell the fresh surge of blood caused by her exertion, and a sickening cold washed over him.
"No, Kikyo, please—"
"Don't come any closer—"
"Please, just—just put the bow down! Listen to me! Wherever you were attacked, it wasn't by me! I was on the hillside, like we agreed, waiting for you. And someone who looked and sounded like you came and…and…sneered at me. They called me half-breed. They tried to kill me."
The words tumbled out in a frenzy, and he scrutinised her face, begging her to hear him. He'd been relieved when some of her fury had melted into confusion, but she did not loosen her bow.
"What…what trick are you playing…now? What…what do you…gain…from these lies—"
"I'm not lying! Damn it to hell, you're losing so much blood…Don't you see? There's some shape-shifting bastard out there who tricked us both. They're trying to kill us both—"
She pulled the bow back further, and cold sweat broke out on his neck as he caught another wave of fresh blood.
"It was you…Inuyasha!…I saw you! I heard you! Even your demonic aura…you think…I cannot sense the difference…between a half demon and a full one?"
Words had failed him then, as he stood rooted to the ground, staring at the woman he loved more than life itself, tricked into believing he'd betrayed her. And he had no way to explain away what she'd thought he'd done.
The woman he loved, bleeding out in front of his eyes, preferring to die rather than trust him again. The new pain of this realisation had nearly driven him to his knees again.
Before he even grasped that he'd made the decision, Inuyasha had closed the gap between them. He heard Kikyo's ragged gasp as he gripped her arrow shaft and pressed the sharp point to his chest.
"Do it then." He'd been surprised at how calm his voice sounded.
"I swear to you on my mother's grave that everything I'm saying is true. But if you won't believe me…if…if you won't let me get you help…you're going to die, Kikyo."
He swallowed his dread at the thought and tugged at the arrow until he felt the sharp point pierce the skin over his heart. Kikyo stared up at him, lips trembling, eyes wide and frenzied.
"If you'd rather die than trust me, then take me with you. If I can't have a life with you, Kikyo, I don't want a life at all."
For what seemed like an eternity, all Inuyasha could hear were her weakening heartbeats and tattered breaths. All he saw was the storm of emotions in her amber eyes.
In that eternity, the thought had emerged with blinding clarity: everything he had to live for was in this woman. He'd woken up today planning to spend the rest of his life with her. If he died by her hand now, wasn't that just as good? No matter what, his whole life was hers.
But then her eyes had closed, and miraculously, he'd heard her whisper,
"Alright, Inuyasha. I believe you."
Then, like every muscle in her body had given out, she'd collapsed against him, clammy and shivering. He'd scooped her up in his arms and started running, pressing his palm into her wound to staunch the blood.
"Hang in there, Kikyo. Just a little longer, and we'll find someone to—"
"Inuyasha." He stopped and looked down at her. The storm in her eyes had calmed, and he'd recognised the steady purpose that replaced it.
"Take me to the shrine."
He frowned.
"What? Why?" But somewhere in the back of his mind had already guessed why, and a sinking feeling opened up in his stomach.
She shook her head and closed her eyes again.
"How…stupid of me. I had not realised…until you held me…Of course it was not you who attacked me. The Shikon Jewel…you don't have it…"
"No. I don't have it. But you sense the jewel now, don't you? It's at the shrine?"
"This…shape-shifter…If he intended to kill not only me…but you too…"
She shook her head again.
"No…it is worse…I believe he intended that…we kill one another."
A claw had closed around Inuyasha's throat then as the pieces of the puzzle finally fit into place.
"He must have…taken the jewel to the shrine…when he…took it from me…" She grimaced, a weak whimper escaping her lips.
"After he tricked you…if you'd not…found me…If you thought I'd betrayed you, Inuyasha, what…would you have done? And I…what would I have done?"
The sinking feeling expanded. Everything she said was true. Had he not caught the scent of her blood on the wind, he would be at the shrine now, stealing the jewel.
If she'd made her way back to the village only to see him with it in his hands…she would have tried to kill him, he was certain of it, and he would have fought back. And in her state, if he'd attacked her even out of self-preservation…
So, when Kikyo pleaded again that he hurry to the shrine, he'd had no choice but to obey, running as fast as he could without hurting her further.
He could feel warm blood gush against his hand with her every heartbeat, and every fibre of his being had wanted to beg her to forget the jewel and her duty to it. Had wanted to tuck her away somewhere safe and protect her from this demon like he should have from the start.
But he knew that calm purpose in her eyes. He knew that if he refused to take her, she'd push away from him and walk there herself.
It had felt like he was bringing her to death's door, and the sinking feeling threatened to swallow him whole, but he had no choice, because she had no choice. Never before had he understood so clearly her desperation to be free of her duty to the jewel.
Very well then. If she was determined to fight this demon and protect the jewel, then Inuyasha would do all he could to keep her safe. But if this fight cost her life, well…hadn't he already decided he'd follow her anywhere? She believed in him again. That was enough.
As they'd neared the village, Kikyo's fears had been confirmed when they were greeted by the men wielding their arrows and nets. It appeared the shape-shifter had turned into one of the villagers not long ago, running back from the forest and yelling that he'd seen Inuyasha attack their priestess.
"Lady Kikyo says Inuyasha will come for the jewel," he'd cried. "She says we must protect the shrine at all costs!"
Even Kikyo's struggling explanation had not fully convinced them. Only when the shrine exploded behind them did the men disperse to let them through.
So now, here Inuyasha stood, his love dying in his arms, facing the bastard who had done this to her. To them.
Inuyasha's mirror image grinned even wider at their shock, bearing his fangs.
"Pathetic, is it not, Kikyo—the weakness of the human heart? How easily I had you fooled, just by taking on the half-breed's form. And now look at you. Can't even stand. How easily I've defanged you."
Kikyo's heart seemed to stop a beat, and a jagged breath shook her body.
Inuyasha growled, his body screaming to lunge and tear.
"Why you…"
Kikyo's blood still filled his nose, the raw, metallic burn piercing into his skull. But another gust of wind howled around them, and now he could smell the bastard too.
And Kikyo had been right. This man was a half demon, just like him. The very thought made his rage bubble even fiercer.
Inuyasha should have noted something was wrong when he hadn't picked up Kikyo's scent on the shape-shifter, but how could Kikyo have known, suddenly hurt as she was, that that Inuyasha who attacked her—who looked like him and sounded like him and gave off the same sort of demonic aura—was not in fact him?
It had been just her trust in him against the realities of all her senses. Could he really blame a woman who'd had to survive so long on her own for letting her senses win out, even if that lack of trust gnawed at his insides?
If he wasn't holding Kikyo in his arms, he'd have slashed through the bastard's mocking face by now.
But Kikyo's hand clutched his kimono, pulling herself up to face the demon.
"To what end?" This time, her voice was still weak but steady. She pushed against his chest, and reluctantly, Inuyasha righted her to her feet.
"You could have escaped with the jewel when you attacked me," she said, taking a teetering step towards the figure, brows knitting, eyes hardening.
"But you were just as determined to make me and Inuyasha kill one another. To what end?"
The shapeshifter laughed, and seeing such evil on his own face made Inuyasha's stomach turn.
"Ah, dear Kikyo. We have spent long enough in each other's company for me to know just how…pure you are."
Inuyasha heard Kikyo's quick intake of breath. What had he said? Time in each other's company…?
The shape-shifter held up his clawed hand.
"And see, how pure you've kept the jewel with your sacred powers. That doesn't make it very useful to me, now does it?"
His hand closed around the pink glow.
"The Shikon Jewel is most beautiful when tainted black with evil. A shame. I would have enjoyed using your hatred for one another to taint the jewel, but no matter. All humans are weak. Every one is corruptible. I will soon find others willing to corrupt it for me."
Inuyasha saw his clone's eyes flash black, then red. Its mouth pulled into a terrible smile.
"The two of you I no longer have use for."
And suddenly, the sky darkened around them, and the air exploded with the snarls of the countless demons that emerged from behind the shape-shifter. They were fast as they descended upon them, but Inuyasha was faster.
"I don't think so!" He leapt in front of Kikyo and the panicked villagers, slashing through dozens of demon bodies with his claws.
From the air, he glared down at the figure that had turned into a black shape amidst the shrine ruins. Whoever he was, whatever his reasons, Inuyasha had heard enough. The bastard was going to pay for all he'd done.
Another cloud of demons rose to block his way to their master. Inuyasha's mouth pulled back into a snarl.
The bastard wanted to set him and Kikyo against each other, did he? Then Inuyasha would kill him for both of them. His hand was still slick and warm from holding Kikyo's injured shoulder. He dug his claws into his palm, letting his blood mix with hers.
"Blades of Blood!"