InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ As Young Hearts Grow Older ❯ Divine Intervention ( Chapter 9 )

As Young Hearts Grow Older

 

Chapter Nine

 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise Studios/Viz Media. I do not claim ownership to anything by my original storyline.

 

 

The four of them stood in silence, staring at the figure before them. The blinding light surrounding the woman began to dim. Her face became clear to them.

 

Inuyasha turned and faced the opposite direction. He didn't even want to look at Kikyou. It couldn't be real, he assured himself. She couldn't really be standing there. He had watched her die when they fought the final battle with Naraku. His eyes had to be in the wrong.

 

He heard Kagome's soft gasp behind him. “K-Kikyou?!”

 

Sango and Miroku let out a sound of mutual confusion. Miroku took a tentative step forward, gripping his staff. “What are you doing here? Didn't you die in the battle with Naraku?”

 

Kikyou's lips parted and she began to speak. The sound that came out was ethereal, her voice amplified by many other voices. “Yes, I did die. But I have been resurrected by the Gods to serve a purpose. My time is short, so you must listen closely.”

 

Kagome's brows knit together. “But you're dead! What do you mean by serve a purpose? What are you supposed to do?”

 

Something struck Inuyasha as very strange. The way that she spoke and the strange sound of her voice made him shudder. She smelled like grave soil and death, musty and of the earth.

 

He turned to look at her. She was dressed as she had always been in life. She wore red hakama, a white kimono shirt, chihaya haori, and zori. It was the simple garb of a priestess. Yet, something in her mannerisms suggested that she had no business wearing the clothing of a priestess. She was something more, different.

 

Kikyou, or whoever she was, took a step toward Kagome, holding out a hand. Kagome unknowingly stepped back, colliding with Inuyasha. His hands encircled her upper arms as he righted her, setting her to his left and stepping forward.

 

“Something is different about you…something I don't like.”

 

A group of villagers ran up behind them and collectively gasped. One of them stepped forward, pointing at Kikyou. “She's…she's a SAINT!”

 

The villagers fell to their knees and began praying to the Gods. Kikyou, who was still casting a faint glow, must have looked very heavenly to them all Kagome guessed. She stepped forward and placed a milky white, glowing hand on Inuyasha's forehead.

 

Inuyasha fell to his knees. “Kikyou!” he screamed.

 

Kagome started to run to him, but Miroku grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. “Let me go! She's hurting him! She's trying to purify him!”

 

Miroku fought Kagome back while Sango tried to reason with her. “There's nothing we can do. We can't let her hurt you too!”

 

“Do not be afraid. I will not harm him,” Kikyou reassured them.

 

Inuyasha felt a white light envelope him and a quiet surround him. He tried to say something, to make any sound, but nothing came out. The only other person with him in the light was her, this facsimile of Kikyou.

 

Images began to pass before his eyes. He saw himself following her in the treetops. He watched himself watch her slay demons. He saw the evil that he had done before he met her. Mostly, he saw the woman that he had fallen in love with more than fifty years before.

 

Then, something very strange happened. He saw her hand him the Shikon no Tama. He saw himself wishing to be a human, to be with her. He was no longer a half-demon, but instead a man.

 

More unfamiliar images flooded his mind. He saw Kikyou in a peasant's kimono, huddled over a fire and preparing food. He saw her tending children that he had never seen before, children that resembled her. He saw her kissing a human man. Several more images with the man passed before he realized that the man was himself.

 

Inuyasha gasped and his hands flew to his face. He felt for fangs that never met his fingers. His hands moved higher, searching desperately for the furry ears that were no longer on his head. He dropped his fingers lower, attempting to find the Rosary of Subjugation, but the cold beads never met his touch.

 

“No,” he whispered to himself. “This isn't right! This can't be right!”

 

He grasped his head in his hands as it throbbed in pain. He doubled over, his knees coming up to rest against his torso. More images shot through him, a barrage of things he had never hoped to see.

 

Kikyou shooting an arrow at him as she bled from a deep wound to her shoulder. Kagome, covered in her own blood and dying in his arms. The bodies of his comrades littering the ground at his feet, blood staining his clothes. Panicking, he looked down at his own hands. They were covered in blood, but there wasn't a scratch on him anywhere. Terror filled him.

 

“No! I would never do this! I would never hurt them!” he screamed at the emptiness that surrounded him now.

 

He flailed his arms wildly in front of him, hoping that it would dispel the awful things he was seeing. He felt his forearms connect with something. Without warning, he was back in the field, Kikyou standing before him.

 

“It was all lies…” he said to himself. “It was all a bunch of lies! And you!” He pointed at the priestess in front of him. “What were you trying to do to me?! You're no saint at all!”

 

Kikyou attempted to place a hand gingerly on Inuyasha's shoulder, but he jerked quickly away from her. His eyes focused on her, calculating and wary. She sighed quietly.

 

“The images that you came to see, they were frightening?” she asked.

 

The hanyou nodded and Kikyou went on. “These were the images of what may be. They are things that could come to pass should you be unable to control your demonic nature. The Gods are telling you to be careful and make your choices wisely, lest your friends be forced to suffer the consequences of your foolishness. Consider these things carefully before making decisions.”

 

Kikyou stepped back, steepling her fingers in front of her chest. A light shone between her hands, this one a different color. The brilliant blue and purple of the light made them look away, squinting their eyes against the brightness. Kagome heard a sound that reminded her of something tapping against a wine glass. She felt a force, a power crackle through the air around her.

 

The light faded and they could all look at the saint again. She clasped something small in her fist. The energy it had taken her to create whatever it was that she held must have taken most of her power. Kikyou now looked peaked and weary, as though the effort it was taking her to stay standing was more energy than she had left to expend.

 

“Kagome,” she said, her voice soft, “I have not the energy to bring this to you. Please, come to me.”

 

Kagome swallowed hard. She worried that Kikyou would try to use her power against her, but she chided herself for even entertaining the thought. She can hardly stand, let alone try to purify anything. There's no way she could do anything to me. She took a tentative step forward before she felt Inuyasha's hand close around her ankle.

 

Kagome nearly stumbled, but gracefully kept herself from falling to the ground. She looked down at Inuyasha, saw the worry covering his face. “Don't do it, Kagome. Don't trust her.”

 

Kagome gave him a faint smile, her fear showing through despite her pains to keep it hidden. “It's ok, Inuyasha. She doesn't have that much power left anyways. She won't be able to do anything to me.”

 

Kagome pulled her ankle out of his grasp. She took several more steps, until she was only a foot away from the other woman. She heard Inuyasha stand behind her, sensed that his hand was resting on his Tetsusaiga. She took a deep breath before she spoke.

 

“What is it, Kikyou?”

 

“Listen to me very closely, girl. Now is not the time for questions as I do not have much time left.” Kikyou placed a hand over Kagome's heart. “The road ahead will be filled with tragedy and loss. There is nothing that will make this easier for any of you. A new evil is coming and it is much stronger than any that you have faced before. Some of you will not live to see your victory.”

 

Kagome let out a faint gasp, but Kikyou ignored the sound. “You will have to be strong. There will be times when all you have to follow will be your heart and your intuition. Do not doubt yourself, child. The Gods have given you this gift for a reason. Life may not always be fair, but there is a reason for everything. Do not forget this, for it will serve you well in times of trouble.”

 

Kagome felt Kikyou's hand growing warm over her shirt. She could tell that something was happening and there would be no easy way for her to explain it. The area surrounding her morphed, changed into her era. She was standing before the well house with Kikyou, watching as a barrier began to surround it.

 

“This time, these things, they must be behind you now. You are needed here. This is your home now. When the journey is finished, you may return if it is your desire. Your family will not worry, the Gods will see to them.”

 

Kagome's eyes filled with tears. Kikyou's hand grew warm again and the landscape returned to the way it had been before. “Child, you have always known that the Feudal Era was your destiny. Modern Japan may have been where you were born, but it is not what you were meant for.”

 

Several tears escaped Kagome's eyes. Inuyasha could smell the salt of them. His face shifted to indignant anger and he began to shout. “What in the hell are you saying to her, dammit?! Why is she crying?”

 

Kikyou ignored his question. She grabbed one of Kagome's wrists and brought it up, her palm facing the sky. Kikyou placed her fist down over Kagome's hand and released what she had been hiding in it. It was cold and spherical, familiar in every way. As Kikyou pulled her hand away, Kagome saw the familiar sparkle.

 

Time stopped and Kagome felt as though her heart had stopped as well. There it sat, in the palm of her hand. It was the thing that they had fought so hard to recover, the artifact that had cost so many their lives. They had shattered it, recomposed it, destroyed it, and been done with it. Yet, there it sat.

 

“The Shikon no Tama,” she breathed.

 

“You will need it. The time will come when you will have to use it. Until that time, do not let it fall into the wrong hands. You will know when the time has come. In using it, you will destroy it forever. That is the only true way to dispose of the jewel.”

 

Kikyou's eyes met Kagome's as she continued. “Heed this warning, girl, and heed it well. After you have completed your destiny and the Shikon no Tama has ceased to be forever, the Bone Eater's well will lose its power. You will only be able to use it one last time, so the decision must be made quickly. You will have to know, in your heart, that you truly want to go home for the last time.”

 

Kikyou removed her hand from Kagome's heart, placing it over the young woman's forehead. The edges of Kagome's vision began to go black. She started to fall backwards, consciousness leaving her. The jewel fell from her fingers, clattering noisily to the ground.

 

“Kagome!” Inuyasha yelled, running forward to catch her. In his hurry to help the woman he loved, he hadn't even noticed the jewel.

 

oOo

 

Kaede placed the cold, wet cloth over the sleeping child's eyes. She muttered a short prayer to the Gods, hoping that the family she was tending would soon be returned to health. There wasn't much that she could do for them. She had given them as many healing herbs as she could and tended them as best as an old woman was able.

 

Kaede sighed. She resented growing old. She knew that it had provided her with wisdom that had helped many of the villagers over the years. She simply hated that it had to take such a toll on her body as well. She would never wish to be young again, but she did wish that her arthritis would stop bothering her.

 

The elderly priestess turned, wringing the water from another cloth to place over the forehead of the lady of the house. A commotion outside drew her attention away from what she was doing. With a loud grunt, she hauled herself to her feet and over to the doorway of the home.

 

She shoved the bamboo screening to the side, looking out into the street. Many of the villagers were running in the direction of a strange light. Kaede reached out, catching the sleeve of one of them.

 

“What is happening? Where are ye going?”

 

“There's a saint on the edge of town. Some of the other villagers are saying it's Kikyou!” the man exclaimed. “The Gods have returned her to us!”

 

Shock filtered over Kaede's face. The others had told her that her sister had died facing Naraku in his final battle. Could it be that they had been wrong? Could Kikyou still be alive?

 

She decided that she had to know for herself. If Kikyou was alive, she was sure that her sister would not want to spend the rest of her days as a maiden of clay, a false human with false hopes. Something would have to be done. If it wasn't Kikyou, well, she wasn't sure what she would do.

 

Kaede gathered her bow and arrows before leaving the hut. She set off in the direction of the light as quickly as her old bones would allow her to go. She was careful of where she stepped, knowing that her journey could come to a premature halt if she misplaced her feet.

 

As she neared the clearing at the edge of the village, she could see Sango, Miroku, Kagome, and Inuyasha. Inuyasha was standing behind Kagome, who stood before a woman banked in the beautiful light of purity. Kaede could feel the spiritual energy moving through the air in waves.

 

She recognized her sister's power instantly. This was, undoubtedly, Kikyou. But what was she doing here? She was a human again; Kaede could tell from the shift in her energies. As Kaede began to step forward, Kagome passed out.

 

Inuyasha raced to the falling girl, catching her just before she would have hit the ground with a thud. He shrieked obscenities at Kikyou that no one seemed to be paying attention to. Then she saw it.

 

Kaede's vision came to rest upon something sparkling in the grass. The sunlight drew a purple glow from the item, a glow that was vaguely familiar to the old woman. Realization dawned on her. “The Shikon no Tama?” she said aloud.

 

Miroku and Sango turned to face her as she stepped forward, her intention to pick up the jewel. Kikyou held a hand out to her sister, staying her. Kaede stopped obediently.

 

“Where have ye come from, sister Kikyou? Why have ye returned?”

 

“My dear sister Kaede, I cannot stay. The Gods have given me the task of bringing this jewel back to Kagome.”

 

“But why, sister? This jewel has brought nothing but evil and harm to those who have it!” Kaede protested.

 

“The Gods have wished it, Kaede.”

 

“This does not make sense!” the elderly woman exclaimed.

 

“My time is at an end and I fear I will no longer be with you soon. Know this, sister: I had no regrets in life. There is purpose to all,” Kikyou disclosed.

 

A strong breeze picked up inexplicably. The day had been cloudless and calm before. Kikyou's body turned to ash before their eyes, the wind scattering her away. A whimper escaped Kaede's lips before she could stop herself and a single tear ran down her cheek.

 

She continued forward and picked up the Shikon no Tama. She held it up, inspecting it as it sat between her fingers before closing her fist around it. Kaede turned, looking down at the fallen form of Kagome.

 

“Come, child, bring her back to my hut. We will look after her there,” she said to Inuyasha.

 

He nodded, standing with Kagome cradled in his arms. He hoped that she would be alright. Inwardly, he cursed himself for letting her go to Kikyou. He knew that something wasn't right. It bothered him even further that he, with his superior hearing, hadn't been able to hear what she had said to Kagome. It was one of the few times that his senses had failed him.

 

Miroku and Sango trailed behind them. Sango was still covered in goose-flesh. Seeing the dead standing before them had been disconcerting, to say the very least. She felt a strong sense of foreboding.

 

Miroku clutched tightly at his prayer beads and kept silent as he walked on. He wasn't sure what he could say to help the situation any. Moreover, he didn't want to risk angering Inuyasha, or worse, angering the Gods that were evidently paying very close attention.

 

Before he could take another step, however, he felt something latch on to his leg and tug. Miroku, without looking, let out a loud yelp and shook frantically at his leg. The creature wouldn't let go. “Away, foul creature!” he yelled as he shook harder.

 

“Miroku, stop! It's just Shippou!” Sango cried as she reached out to pull the kitsune off the monk's furiously swinging appendage.

 

Miroku stopped as soon as the reality had dawned on him. “Heh, what are you doing there Shippou?” he asked incredulously, obviously embarrassed at the severity of his overreaction.

 

Shippou sat on the ground for a moment, looking dizzy and confused. “What in the heck did you do that for?!” he cried as soon as he'd gained back some of his bearings. “I was scared so I came up to you and you kicked at me!”

 

“Wait, Shippou, you saw what happened? Where were you?” Sango asked.

 

“I was hiding in the trees! When you see a glowing lady dressed like a priestess, you don't ask questions. You hide! Especially if you're a demon,” he explained, his arms swinging wildly as he gesticulated his point.

 

His eyes came to focus on Inuyasha's back as he retreated to Kaede's hut. “Hey! Wait for me!” he cried, scurrying to catch up.

 

Sango and Miroku exchanged glances and shrugged. They continued following Kaede, anxious to hear what Kagome would have to say upon waking up. Something strange was going on and they needed to determine exactly what it was.

 

A/N: Chihaya haori is a term mentioned later in this page. It is a thin, white haori worn by Miko in shrine related duties. This is NOT something Kikyou wore all the time, fyi. Also, it is traditionally only called Chihaya, but I wanted to get the point across that it was a form of haori.