The rise of the next morning was cold and bright in Kaede's village, without a single cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful crisp day with cold morning air. The opaque sky catalysed the rolling valley and forests below it, an apex view of nature at its loveliest.
The atmosphere in Kaede's village did not reflect the spectacular day. Kaede's death, although expected due to her long illness, had crushed the community to its core. Kaede had been a beloved elder of the village and was a rock to everyone.
On the night of her death Kaede's body was left in her bed, so she could rest for a final night in the home she had lived in for the majority of her long life. The entire village travelled over to the hut throughout the night to bow and pay their respects. Some of the older villagers, who knew Kikyo's legend well, cried with awe and delight at the sight of her. Kikyo sat by her sister's body, greeting each villager kindly, though there was an understandable graveness to her demeanour.
Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango and Miroku remained with Kikyo through the night, for support and solidarity. Rin had tearfully requested to join the night vigil for Kaede, but the five adults had refused, eyeing Rin's trembling and distraught face. Kaede had been like a grandmother to the young girl. Not wanting to exclude her completely, Sango had beseeched Rin to look after her children for the night, and purpose momentarily stopped Rin's tears. She agreed to look after the village children whilst the adults completed the vigil.
Kikyo tried hard to appreciate the company Inuyasha's group was giving, but in truth she just wanted to be alone. It was a selfish wish she knew, they had all loved her sister. But every half hour or so one of them (mainly Inuyasha) would ask her if she was alright. Her cheeks were beginning to strain from smiling and repeating that she was fine.
Kagome and Sango tried to keep conversation flowing, by talking about Kaede's adventures, their sorrow at her demise, or telling Kikyo about their own daily lives. But Kikyo found this an annoyance too, she barely felt like she had the emotional capability to respond to their stories. The long night made her yearn for Sesshomaru's company. She was sure he would be a kind presence, but a tactfully silent, undemanding one.
Kikyo knew her irritation would be short-lived, and was merely being catapulted to further heights by her grief.
The next morning the funeral for Kaede had every villager working hard. Because of Kaede's long stint of ill-health, a memorial tower had already been built for her, and placed next to Kikyos. Kikyo found this disturbingly queer. That her sister's remains would be buried by her own empty grave.
The entire village wore black that day. Sango, who had already taken up the task of finding Kikyo a new priestess robe, had the added burden of riding Kirara into town to purchase a black kimono for Kikyo to borrow.
The funeral passed for Kikyo in a blur of disorientating emotion. She seemed to only vaguely recall the sutra's performed by Miroku and the speeches he made about her sister's life. Her hands looked and felt like somebody else's as she lit the incense, placed a sutra on her sister's pyre and then later laid flowers on the memorial after. The funeral itself felt like some strange dream that she was drifting through.
She found herself inexplicably watching Kagome through the funeral. Kagome, unaware that she was being watched so closely, was showing some peculiar body language. Her reincarnation often touched her belly subconsciously, and Kikyo watched each movement with narrowed eyes. Kagome was pregnant.
When Kaede's body was burned on the pyre, Kagome sniffled and cried quietly. Inuyasha gently took his wife's hand in his own. Kikyo looked away when she saw this, feeling a knife of loneliness stab her already raw heart. Kaede was the only family member that she had, that was bonded to her by blood. Now all she felt was a disconnected loss.
A small communal feast was held at the funeral, but even here Kikyo felt like an intruder, for she did not eat human food and could only sit there empty handed.
The villagers were very kind, and gazed at Kikyo like she was some benevolent entity sat among them. Whilst she appreciated their reverence, it did not exactly make her feel more comfortable . at the feast she tried to nod and smile. She drank sake just to give her hands something to do.
Kaede's funeral made Kikyo realise what comfort she wanted in her grief, she wanted to be back at the castle with Sesshomaru. She wanted the quiet intimacy that had grown between them. Now her sister was gone, Sesshoamru was the one person- well demon- that she felt closest to.
She felt like she had been alive for centuries, and yet in some parts of her life and un-life she felt wholly ignorant. Now she had figured out that Kagome was pregnant, she could not stop thinking about how the child had been conceived. When she had last been alive, Inuyasha had been as innocent as she, a chaste kiss all that had transpired between them. But now he'd had sex with Kagome and she was pregnant. Even Kagome, whom Kikyo had always viewed as a young, rather naive girl, had more sexual experience than she did. This knowledge somehow made her feel even more alienated from human life.
Kikyo wanted to be like everyone else. She wanted to feel, get married and have children. She knew it was an unattainable dream. She was no longer capable of having children, and was certainly very unlikely to ever get married. But maybe she could seek some intimacy, some physical solace to help push away this crippling isolation.
Though he had tried (poorly) to hide it, Kikyo knew how Sesshomaru felt about her. Especially when they first met, his yellow eyes had lingered on her face and body. When he had walked in on her in the bathhouse…the look on his handsome face had taken on an animalistic quality and he had not been in a hurry to renew her privacy. Behind the barrier, when he had held her closely, protectively…She was sure he had intended to kiss her. The memory of that moment brought some warmth back to her hollow heart. She had to get back to him.
Late that afternoon, Kikyo made preparations to leave her sister's village. She had a nostalgic cold wash at the village stream where she used to bathe when she was alive and changed into her new priestess robes. She returned the black kimono she had borrowed to Sango, thanking her for her thoughtfulness. Kikyo gave a vague goodbye to Rin, worried the girl would want to return with her, when Kikyo had no idea if Sesshomaru's castle was safe or not. But Rin was still too upset to notice Kikyo's evasive goodbye. Kikyo had considered finding Inuyasha and Miroku to say goodbye, but she could not find them, and truly she felt too drained for any more goodbyes. She would likely see them soon.
Every so often, grief over her sister's death would claw its way up her gut and into her chest, making new tears sting her eyes. Kikyo was not a stranger to grief, and knew her sorrow would be like a wave in the ocean, sometimes as distant as a low tide, other times it would wash away all and overwhelm her.
Kikyo was bowing to her sister's memorial, bow in hand and full quiver on her back, ready to depart, when Kagome approached her. Kagome bowed to Kaede's memorial stone respectfully, her eyes red from crying.
"Are you alright?" Kagome asked Kikyo, then she saw the look of exasperation on Kikyo's face."Sorry, you're probably sick of people asking you that…are you going somewhere?" Kagome asked, her face open and friendly.
"I need to get back to Sesshomaru. Tsumetai and the others are bound to return soon. You need to be careful Kagome, they could target the village next. The spider is unpredictable, I have no idea what kind of attack he will dream up next. His artifice is colourful." Kikyo said in a stern voice, so Kagome knew to take her seriously.
Kagome looked surprised. "Well…If you want to go back I guess that's what you should do. But…don't you think you should stay here? Your sister died yesterday. And besides, this is your home. I'm sure Sesshomaru will understand if you decide to stay here with us," Kagome said. Kagome looked at her feet awkwardly. "I know in the past things have been difficult between us. But everything's changed now," Kagome's hand again unconsciously drifted towards her belly.
"You are pregnant." Kikyo blurted out before she could stop herself.
Kagome's wide eyes became rounder as she clapped the offending hand over her mouth, astonished that Kikyo had deduced her condition. Once she had composed herself, Kagome gave Kikyo a guilty glance. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything. It just didn't seem the right time to tell you. I hope…" Kagome suddenly looked devastated, "I hope that's not why your leaving?"
Kikyo shook her head, wondering how she could explain how she felt. "I just- I'm not who I used to be. And the village isn't the same, not without Kaede. If I stayed here I would be reminded of her loss every minute of every day. At Sesshomaru's castle it's different," something in Kikyo's voice must have sounded odd, or maybe it was because they shared a soul, because Kagome frowned at her words, looking confused.
"Kikyo, you and Sesshomaru…Is there…well," Kagome halted her words hesitantly.
Kikyo quickly turned away, blocking any further questioning. "Tell Inuyasha that I'll send for him when the time is right, when we are in a position to defeat our enemies."
"I will," Kagome said to Kikyo's back, so Kikyo could not see her questioning expression. "Let's hope that time comes soon."
The way back to Sesshomaru's castle would take several hours on foot, but Kikyo did not have the energy to call her soul collectors in order to fly there. She felt tired and empty, with a lingering guilt trailing after her for leaving her sister's funeral feast so early. But the sake had been flowing freely and the feast was becoming rowdier by the hour. Her sister would have liked that.
Kikyo had decided to skip saying goodbye to Inuyasha. She had an inkling that, like Kagome, he would try and make her stay. If she stayed, he was bound to become suspicious of her feelings and ask about Sesshomaru sooner or later.
Now she dawdled on the unpaved road heading towards the castle. It had rained in the night and the road was muddy in places. She tried to gingerly pick her way through the mud, cursing when she made a misstep and accidentally plunged her tabi socks into cold mud.
She wondered how Sesshomaru would receive her. Although she had not been away for that long, she felt as though she had not seen Sesshomaru for a while. The last time they had been together she was quite sure he had been on the verge of kissing her, she remembered the intense look in his cat-like eyes, remembered him leaning forward until his face was inches from her own…
Kikyo was sick of being lonely. Sesshomaru was handsome, powerful and he cared about her. She already adored Rin, who was the most endearing child. Whilst she could no longer imagine life in her old village without her sister, Kikyo gleaned a speck of hope of having something close to a normal life. With Sesshomaru.
The road began a gentle incline up one of the many hills in the area, so that the vague shape of the path before her became obscured from view. The sun was beating down and had thankfully begun to dry the wet mud that now was splattered onto her new robes.
Kikyo heard their voices before she saw them. Men were approaching.
As Kikyo climbed to the top of the hill they came into view. Three men on horseback in the gear of the samurai. The three men trotted up the road abreast, the two men flanking the outside were in plainer armour. The man in the middle had a much more flamboyant, full plated armour in black and gold, complete with a helmet, shoulder and thigh plates. The man in the middle also carried the traditional two swords of the samurai. A bag of demon heads hung from his saddle, dripping with gore.
The samurai halted their horses as they watched her clamber up the side of the hill. Kikyo had never met a samurai before. In the nearest town, where she had trained as a priestess, she had seen several marching about with purpose from afar. They were far too important in society for her to speak to.
Kikyo trudged on her way, getting closer to the watching samurai. She was now painfully conscious of her mud-flecked appearance. She hoped they would let her pass without comment, and prepared herself to bow low to the men. She had heard of peasants being cut down without consequence if they showed a samurai disrespect.
Instead, the samurai blocked her path with their horses. Kikyo stopped and bowed, trying to look unconcerned.
The samurai in the middle took off his helmet, revealing a shaved head underneath, the usual hairstyle that was seen on priests. He looked young, no older than thirty. The way he carried himself indicated that he was a nobleman, as there was a swagger to his demeanour. The middle samurai peered down his slim nose at Kikyo.
"Stop, woman! State your name and your business in these parts," the black and gold samurai said haughtily and with a ringing authority.
Kikyo shifted anxiously from one foot to the other, trying to hide her bow behind her back. To disobey a samurai would be foolish. But the bag of demon heads attached to their saddles told her that she should avoid telling them she was on her way to a demon castle, to visit a demon she might well be in love with.
"My name is Kikyo, and I don't see why I should divulge my destination to you." Kikyo said with a disapproving look at the men and with a haughtiness of her own.
The black and gold samurai smiled, as if he found Kikyo amusing. The soldier to his left glanced at his leader inquiringly as his horse pawed the ground. The soldier seemed to recognise that her outfit meant she was important in some way. "Lord Rensai? Should we let her pass?"
Rensai the younger squinted at Kikyo, shading his eyes against the bright sunlight. He looked her up and down. "We must be careful men. Remember what our commander says. Exceptionally beautiful humans could be a demon in disguise! Or worse, a stranger you pass could be a demon sympathiser." Rensai pointed a gloved finger down at Kikyo. "This woman is unusually handsome, we must be cautious."
Kikyo glared at Rensai the younger, incensed by his words. "You think I'm a demon? Can't you see from my clothing that I am a priestess? I've been fighting demons since before you left the care of your wetnurse." Kikyo snarled angrily.
Rensai laughed loudly, causing his horse to start and wicker. "I find that hard to believe, you don't look a day over eighteen…But if you swear your claims are true, why not come with us to meet our commander. He has sworn an oath to vanquish the demons from this land. If you are as talented a demon slayer as you say, he would want you to join his ranks," Rensai said coolly.
Kikyo could not believe her ears. They stop and accost her, accuse her of being a demon, then ask her to go off with them? They were complete strangers.
Kikyo stared at the men before her incredulously, unsure of how to proceed. Her fingers started to itch for her bow and arrows, for the protection they would provide.
"Well…you've made it sound like an awfully tempting offer, but I must decline. Please let me through." Kikyo said, trying to hide her sarcasm.
Rensai still had an irritating smile on his face, almost as if he had wanted that response from her. The other two soldiers made some slight movements, as though they were readying their horses to move aside for her. A raised hand from Rensai halted their actions.
"In that case, if you won't join us willingly, I will take you with me to the palace as my new concubine." Rensaid announced with a satisfied smirk.
There was utter silence as Kikyo (and maybe even Rensai's own soldiers) digested his intention. A sudden chill wind blew up to them on the hill, lifting strands of Kikyo's hair across her face.
The soldier to the right shifted in his saddle uncomfortably. "Sir, if she is truly a priestess…" he trailed off, apparently losing his nerve to fully challenge his master. Rensai had a malicious glint in his eyes as he studied Kikyo's form. At the words of his soldier he frowned at his underlings condescendingly. "So what? I miss the geishas," Rensai said, shrugging his shoulders. "She can keep me company on the way to Kyoto. She's a fine looking woman."
Kikyo realised then what trouble she was in. She could feel her shoulders tensing up and the hairs on her neck began to stand on end. Most of her spiritual powers were useless against humans, though she could still create a barrier to prevent them from attacking her. If she created a barrier though, it would reveal the extent of her powers. If their purpose under their commander was to slay demons, a display of too much power may quicken their interest in her, something she was keen to avoid.
These men were clearly samurai. And samurai should in theory follow a strict code of honour and morality. Sadly honour and morality in relation to civilians and peasants seemed rather open to interpretation. Samurai could kill those they considered to be below them, if they declared those people had been disrespectful.
With honour and morality in mind, Kikyo tried to reason with Rensai. "What kind of a man are you that would attack and kidnap a lone woman on the side of the road?" she exclaimed loudly and with outrage.
Rensai scowled at Kikyo, displeased with this remark. "The kind of man that has been fighting and killing demons for weeks to keep women like you safe. I've missed the touch of a woman, it has been far too long. And anyway, you've been disrespectful. You can show your contrition in any way that I wish. Now, I won't hurt you if you come quietly and obediently." Rensaid said in a slick, threatening voice.
Seeing no other choice, Kikyo swiftly snatched at an arrow in her quiver and nocked it onto her bow. Her expression was grim.
Rensai looked surprised for a moment, he had clearly expected her to submit to his wishes meekly. Rensai drew himself up straight, his jaw clenched with anger at being disobeyed. "Traitorous girl. Very well. Men, go and fetch her for me," he barked. Reluctantly, his two underlings began trotting forward, drawing their swords.
If she had a heartbeat, Kikyo knew it would of been beating frantically in this predicament. Rensai had forced her hand and she had no way out of this now. She would have to kill the men in front of her in order to escape.
The left soldier was closest to her. He swung his leg up and over, dropping from his horse and starting towards her. Before he could reach her Kikyo let her arrow fly, aiming for the soldier's head. The arrow shot inside the soldier's open mouth, piercing its way through the back of his head in a grisly spectacle. The soldier dropped to his knees, his wide eyes staring at the feathered shaft of wood protruding from out of his mouth, shining red with his blood. Then he fell to the ground, a small sprinkle of crimson marring the road.
Rensai stared at the body, stunned for a moment, then gave a cry of fury, snatching at his katana. "How dare you!" he bellowed, he and the remaining soldier charged her.
Kikyo drew another arrow with experienced fingers, aiming her second arrow at Rensai. He was by far the most threatening of the two. Kikyo could not defend against the remaining soldier whilst she was shooting, but hoped she could shoot Rensai and simultaneously side step the attack from the last soldier. If she managed this manoeuvre, the remaining soldier would be forced to pull up his horse and turn, maybe giving her time to nock a third arrow. It was a big if, but what else could she do? She would not allow herself to be dragged off by these barbaric men.
Kikyo aimed at Rensai's head as he urged his horse forward, his katana high in the air.
Before she could shoot, Rensai was suddenly plucked from his horse with a scream, like a mouse scooped up by a giant bird of prey. Kikyo fell back, looking up in time to see Sesshomaru throw Rensai to the ground. So hard that multiple bones must have been broken or fractured.
The last soldier fell off of his horse in fright as Sesshomaru landed. The three horses, now unencumbered by their masters, cantered down the road and out of sight, neighing in terror.
Sesshomaru rounded on the remaining soldier, his gold eyes dark with rage. Not needing his Bakusaiga for such a paltry opponent, Sesshomaru slashed at the now screaming soldier. His claws easily ripped through the soldier's armour, flinging masses of blood into the air. The soldiers' screams were cut short and he fell to the ground dead.
Kikyo watched this assault, frozen. Sesshomaru glanced her way, and she saw his now blood sprayed face was wild and murderous, his eyes almost unseeing.
Sesshomaru slowly turned his attention to Rensai the younger, who was trying to unsuccessfully drag his broken body away from the dog demon. "Please… ! Have mercy on me!" Rensai cried, his once confident voice now quivering with fear. Sesshomaru prowled forward, his gaze savage. The dog demon raised his blood soaked claw above Rensai.
Kikyo, shaking and shocked, dropped her bow and stumbled towards Sesshomaru. She clutched at his arm urgently. "No, stop! He's just a human!" she moaned with distress. Some of the deathly rage was emptied from Sesshomaru's eyes at the sight of her. Sesshomaru shrugged off Kikyo's arm, looking at Rensai venomously.
Sesshomaru's arm shot out and he lifted Rensai into the air by the neck, until the samurai's feet were dangling. Rensai let out a shriek of pain.
"Sesshomaru, please!" Kikyo said, "Just let him go!"
Sesshomaru ignored her, bringing Rensai's face close to his own. Rensai stared at the inhuman eyes, the scarlet stripes on Sesshomaru's cheeks. He began to squirm like a fish on a hook. "Get out of my sight." Sesshomaru growled lowly, before dropping Rensai into a crumpled heap and his feet.
Not needing to be told twice, Rensai stood painfully and hobbled away, dragging a broken ankle behind him. The samurai's fear of Sesshomaru seemingly overcame whatever pain he was feeling; he limped away quickly in the direction of his fleeing horses.
Kikyo and Sesshomaru watched him go. Kikyo had seen Sesshoamru angry before, but the violence he had just displayed had an unfocused brutality to it she had never seen before.
Now the threat was over, her momentarily forgotten woes flooded back. Her sister's death, Kagome's pregnancy and this sudden attack from the samurai caved in on Kikyo. She fought to keep control of herself.
Sesshomaru turned to Kikyo inquiringly, seeing her stricken face. "Kikyo?" he said.
Kikyo opened her mouth to speak, knowing he must have been wondering where she had been all this time. Kikyo intended to tell him about Kaede's passing, but grief bubbled in her throat, choking her. To her shame, she began to cry. Shuddering as fat tears rolled down her cheeks.
Whatever anger that was left drained from Sesshomaru completely. He stared at Kikyo's wet cheeks and shaking shoulders. He seemed at a loss of how to react, what to do.
Hiding her face, Kikyo sniffed and wiped her face. "I'm sorry Sesshomaru, let's just go."
Sesshomaru was watching her with an odd expression. "Go where?" he asked. Kikyo thought this was a strange question.
"To the castle of course," she said with a frown. The tempest of tears had ceased quickly and with each moment she felt more settled, her sorrow falling back down into the depths. Sesshomaru had come to find her, and had probably saved her life. Everything would be better now she was back with him.
"Can you fly there with your soul collectors?" Sesshomaru asked tonelessly. Another peculiar question, but she brushed it aside. It was hardly unusual for Sesshomaru to be surly.
"I will save my strength and travel with you on your cloud," she said firmly, still wiping her pale cheeks even though they were now dry.
Sesshomaru looked for a moment like he might argue with her, but eventually consented to her wishes with a stony look. Kikyo insisted that he wash his hands in the nearest stream to get rid of the blood. Sesshomaru did so wordlessly, and Kikyo wondered whether he felt guilt over killing the soldier on the ground by her feet. She felt a degree of guilt for them both committing such acts, but they had had no choice.
Once ready, Sesshomaru's armada of clouds appeared beneath his booted feet. He encircled Kikyo's waist with his arm, and in a surprising display of familiarity, Kikyo wrapped her own arm around him, her hand clasping his yellow sash to steady herself.
They rose into the air and sped off, ebony and silver hair streaming behind them.
Now Kikyo had accepted that she wanted Sesshomaru, and had made up her mind to make her feelings known to him, she was eager to see some signs of the longing and desire she had previously glimpsed from Sesshomaru. As they rode through the sky, she stole a sidelong glance at his face, looking for affection. But Sesshomaru stood beside her like stone, his eyes intently fixed on the path before them.
Writers note: Thank you for reading! I'm quite excited about some chapters I've got planned next they should hopefully be good, taking Kikyo and Sesshomaru's relationship to the next level. Akashi- I'm pleased you're enjoying the story! You're right about Naraku (I haven't seen the final act so I had to youtube it!), but I don't want to give anything away so I'm saying nothing!