InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Facets of the Living Jewel ❯ Impossibilium nulla obligatio est ( Chapter 26 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the other characters. Ms. Takahashi does.

 

 

Fonts:

[Inuyoukai]

(Inuhuman)

`Inuyasha or others'

 

Impossibilium nulla obligatio est

By Licentia poetica

 

`I am so drained of energy, but no matter how tired I feel, I must find a way to persuade Kagome to begin training today,' Midoriko mused as she and Kohaku walked towards Kikyou's old village. `Naraku has been too quiet. He must be planning something, though…has it only been two days since he used the Shikon no Tama? He must have animated another incarnation, but this time the pull on my power was less draining.' She shook her head, sighing as she traversed a small stream cutting through her path on the sloping hillside. `Ryuu must be livid and Naraku is a fool. Whatever he made will be weaker; he truly does not understand the power of balance.' As she reached the bottom of the hill, she took a deep breath and visually followed the winding path as it headed up the other side of the dell. `This body does not become weary, but…oh, the next few days will be difficult.'

 

“Kohaku, let us rest for a moment. I am weary.” She sat on the trunk of a fallen tree, heaving a tired sigh and forcing herself to clear her mind. The young taiji-ya quietly moved to the side and began surveying the dell, his body taught with tension.

 

`He both wishes and does not wish to come with me to the village. I will have to help him, but it costs mental energy to move this husk and I have too many battles to fight. I need a moment to focus my energies!' She inhaled deeply and held the breath, ignoring the odd feeling of detachment as the husk mimicked the posture and reactions of a live body. First there is still the Shikon no Tama and Ryuu; his power is now supplemented by Naraku's taint. Luckily, the purity of the few shards that Kagome possesses helps me bolster my defenses against them and there are other shards with minimal corruption, but it is another cost against the reserves of my power.'

 

`Give me back my body, such as it is, and you will not need to use your energy. The Shini-dama-chuu will still come to my call.' Kikyou's mental voice was calm, but Midoriko could feel the hate and bitter memories almost pulsing from her fragments of soul.

 

`No. You are aware of the increased need for secrecy with Naraku's enhanced power and it is too hard to stay concealed with your servants flying stolen souls to this body.' Fighting her fatigue, Midoriko shuddered in the mental space she kept hidden from Kikyou. `This husk is a creation of her bones and grave soil. Though she cedes me control, the fact that I am so weary will give her the advantage if she wishes to take command of it again.' Glancing at the young man standing next to her, she added a gentle mental chastisement to Kikyou. `You should be concentrating on regaining your balance and letting go of tanha. You must have heard me counseling Kohaku in the Eight-fold Path last night.'

 

`Do not presume to counsel me in the Path, Midoriko. I am a trained and experienced miko.' Kikyou's mental voice hissed.

 

`A trained and experienced miko who allowed her desire for revenge to prevent her from easing the pain of an emotionally battered boy,' Midoriko replied, focusing her flagging reserves of energy. `You did not ease his suffering because undead or living, fragments of a soul or whole, you still experience dukkha and tanha. Does my advice to Kohaku not apply to you as well? Your memories should have guided you to help Kohaku and release tanha.'

 

`You censure me and yet you use him, as well. He does not wish to see his sister again because of the memories.'

 

Midoriko finally allowed the body to release the breath she had been holding and smiled gently as Kohaku looked over to her. `I do my best to help him. He and Sango must both release tanha.' She raised her head and asked, “Are you well, Kohaku?”

 

He shook his head slightly and his face took on a pained expression. “Lady Kik…Lady Midoriko. I…when I see her, I will remember the…it will be so difficult.” His young voice vibrated with sorrow.

 

In the protected recesses of her mind, Midoriko fought her sorrowful reaction to his words. `Who am I to criticize you, Kikyou? But what is, is, and how can I keep him safe from Naraku, help him find his way to the Path, and keep everyone safe without the plan that Kensei and I have hatched?' She shook her head, disgusted with herself. `I must release my own tanha. My motivation is not revenge.'

 

“Dukkha-dukkha can be eliminated, Kohaku,” she said softly. “It is your choice, both to use the Path and to go to the village…or not to go to the village. I will not force you to come with me, but I must go. Lady Kagome and the others must be taught how to use their powers.” As she said Kagome's name, Kikyou's consciousness stirred. `Do not think to harm her, Kikyou. She is absolutely necessary for the defeat of Naraku.'

 

`She is a powerless child and beneath my notice.'

 

Midoriko allowed Kikyou the courtesy of ignoring the bitter jealousy underlying her words, gently trying to nudge her back toward the Path again. `If your true purpose in staying in this world is to gain your revenge on Naraku, you should assist Kagome, not hinder her. Examine your motivations, Kikyou. Release tanha and regain your balance.' Midoriko retreated again to the hidden recesses of her mind. `With this body, how will I be able to gain Kagome's trust? Kikyou tried to kill the girl and treats her with contempt. I only hope that Innin was able to prepare the four for their role, but Kensei and I agreed that letting Kagome and Inuyasha know that I inhabit Kikyou's undead body would cause more problems than it would solve.' Sighing again, she stood up. `What is, is. The ultimate responsibility lies with me, anyway. Oh, this first meeting will be difficult!'

 

Turning to the path out of the dell, she asked “Will you accompany me, Kohaku, or will you stay elsewhere while I teach? I promise, if you come with me, I will do everything in my power to ease your way.”

 

Kohaku smiled sadly up at her, his youthful eyes shadowed with pain. “I will come, Lady Midoriko. I…must face my sister again.”

 

She gave him a motherly embrace. “It will be for the best, Kohaku. You will see.”

 

He followed her as she led the way up out of the small valley. When they reached the summit of the hillside a small neko youkai appeared on the path before them. Padding silently up to Midoriko with its twin tails flagged, it stared at her for a moment before sitting primly in the center of the path and curling both tails daintily around its front paws.

 

“Prrrt.”

 

`There is something familiar about…Kirara? My nekomata companion who helped me so many years ago…she's still alive?' A smile blossomed over Midoriko's face. “Kirara? Is it you?”

 

“Meh. Meerroaaow?”

 

“Yes, Kirara, it's me! Midoriko! I am so glad to see you again!”

 

The nekomata weaved around Midoriko's legs, purring loudly. Midoriko picked her up, burying her face in the neko's soft fur. “Oh, Kirara! I've missed you!”

 

Kirara purred, stroking her head against Midoriko's face before struggling to free herself from the embrace. `After all, a Neko has dignity, and even though this feels like My-Midoriko it isn't the right body. Her touch is cold and the smell…ugh.' She leaped to the ground and padded a short distance away before stopping to bathe and groom her mussed fur. `This is a bit rude after all she taught me, but really…how can she blame me? At least I allowed her to touch me. Besides, I must think about how to respond to He-Who-Was-Kohaku; his scent is still wrong. Is he a danger to my Pride?' When satisfied that she had partially removed the awful smell, she turned back and stared into the young man's wide eyes. Kohaku gasped slightly and backed up, his hand on the sickle of his kusari-gama. `His scent is sorrowful, but there is still that underlying taint that makes it hard to discern true intent. I shall have to keep careful watch from a distance.' She finally turned to Midoriko. `At least she still seems to have a rudimentary grasp of Neko, even if I do have to speak as if talking to a kitten.'

 

“Mrrraaoow? Mrrr?”

 

“We are going to Lady Kaede's hut, Kirara. I must find Lady Kagome and those she travels with.”

 

Kirara raised her tails in the air and trotted ahead along the shaded path, not bothering to look behind to see if they were following.

 

Midoriko shook her head fondly. `Neko to the core.' She glanced back at Kohaku, who had retreated slightly. He met her gaze and blinked several times, eyes unnaturally bright, before swallowing so loudly that she could hear it.

 

Finally, he spoke, his voice barely audible. “She didn't…she wouldn't come to me, but she recognized me.”

 

`Yet another pain that he must learn to release…another pain that is ultimately my fault.' Midoriko tried to smile. “Here and now, Kohaku. Seek the Path and release tanha.” Turning abruptly to hide her sudden sorrow and her own inability to release tanha, she began to follow Kirara. She heard Kohaku sigh and resume his position behind her; they walked in uncomfortable silence.

 

When they later reached Kaede's hut no one was within and Kirara was conspicuously absent.

 

Midoriko leaned against the wall of the hut, unable to control the body as a wave of weakness overcame her for a moment. “We shall wait here, Kohaku. Rest and meditate.”

 

“I would rather…I will walk in the woods we just passed through, Lady Midoriko. I am…I need to walk,” Kohaku stuttered, his body stiff with tension.

 

She reached over and patted his shoulder, giving him an understanding smile. “Go ahead, Kohaku, but do not walk far. Do not stray outside of my influence.” She watched him head back the way they had come. `He will be better once he sees his sister and they have a chance to talk. She sighed again, weary beyond belief, and walked back to the hut. `I need to rest.' As she lowered her traveling pack, bow, and arrows to the ground, a vibration began thrumming through the air. She hesitated, then recognized the sound and dropped her pack. `An InuYoukai Mate Call? Hhmm. This could help, if it is Inuyasha and Kagome.'

 

In her exhausted state, she forgot to shield her thoughts from Kikyou.

 

Abruptly, her head was thrown back and her body went rigid as Kikyou struggled for supremacy. Midoriko fought back but began to lose control over the body almost immediately. The jealousy and hatred coursing through Kikyou's consciousness was powerful, too similar to the corrupted energy emanating from the fragments of the jewel Midoriko still occupied, and she was too tired mentally to stop Kikyou from turning the body in the direction of the Call. `I just need a few minutes to regain my energy! Oh gods, let me be back in time!' Praying she could regain control, she slipped into a meditative state to marshal her time powers.

 

The face of the husk became serene and cold as Kikyou took control again. `Inuyasha's life belongs to me! I must determine who is at the source of the Call. I will not allow my reincarnation to have him!' Striding purposefully in the direction of the Mate Call, she came face to face with Kaede.

 

“Hello, sister.” In some corner of her memory, it appalled Kikyou that she used such a wintry voice with her sibling, yet her soul was no longer capable of the love she remembered.

 

Kaede stopped in the center of the path, a concerned look on her face. “Kikyou! Ye are here?” She gave a glance backwards along the way she had come before turning back to Kikyou. “Ye must not go down the path, sister. Please, do not come between them again.”

 

“So Inuyasha and that pitiful child are the source of the Mate Call?”

 

Kaede struggled with her emotions as Kikyou's eyes glittered with cold, calculating anger. `How can her face be so serene? She is my sister and I loved her, but her hate is so strong it taints her aura.' She stood her ground as Kikyou took another step closer. “Aye, Kikyou. Please, let them be. Inuyasha is changing! Kagome is good for him, in so many ways. Please, sister!”

 

“I was good for him, if only Naraku had not interfered. She is nothing but a pitiful copy with no ability to use her power.”

 

“Ye are wrong about Kagome, Kikyou!” Kaede replied impatiently. `I remember a powerful older sister that I revered; it is hard to replace that memory with this self-centered woman. Kikyou was and is powerful, but she was still barely an adult and in many ways is unwise in the ways of human interactions.' Softening her tone, she pleaded “Kikyou. Ye must remember that ye wished for Inuyasha to be fully human. Kagome loves him as he is! She does not wish him to change. If ye truly love him, ye must release him. Ye are focused in tanha and must return to the Path for your own sake, and for the sake of those who must defeat Naraku!”

 

Kikyou frowned and hesitated, but the Mate Call, which had been silent for a few minutes, resumed with greater power and her anger returned. “Do not presume to counsel me, little sister. I will do what is needed to defeat the evil of Naraku, but Inuyasha is mine.” She stepped around Kaede and strode down the path toward the source of the Call.

 

Kaede sighed and shook her head. `Should I follow? I doubt I will do much good. She has as much trouble separating me from the child that I was as I have in realizing that she is still so young. I cannot compete with either Kagome or Kikyou should they choose to use their power, and no one with any intelligence disturbs a male inuyoukai during the Mate Call. Perhaps Inuyasha will spare Kikyou, but he would not hesitate to kill me.' Feeling defeated and old, she turned to watch her sister go.

 

As Kikyou neared the Goshinboku, the power of the Mate Call beat against her and impeded her steps. “I knew Inuyasha had a youkai side, but I don't remember it being so powerful.' Moving closer to the sound was costing too much effort and Midoriko had withdrawn, so she sent out a mental call for her Shini-dama-chuu. They appeared almost instantly in the sky overhead, each carrying the glowing sphere of a stolen soul. `I would have purified his youkai had I known it could be this much trouble. Though it might have killed him, he is better rid of it.' One by one, the Shini-dama-chuu dropped their burdens near her chest and she sighed in relief as she absorbed the souls of the unhappy women. She did not soothe the rage and sorrow that burdened their kon. `There is great power in tanha, Kaede...power to hate, power to love, power to use and enforce my will.' Stepping forward before she suppressed the souls' tanha, she slipped almost silently along the path, shielded against to the repelling force of the Mate Call. It ceased almost immediately and she smiled as she signaled her Shini-dama-chuu to withdraw again. `Inuyasha knows I'm here.'

 

Stepping around a bend in the path, she stopped abruptly at the sight of Inuyasha trying unsuccessfully to shield Kagome with his body. `The child has always worn strange clothing, but… her attire is shocking!'

 

Kagome wore a faded, tattered, pink shirt which had the picture of a white dog and the words “I love my Samoyed” in the center of the front. The stretched, over-large neckline revealed her upper chest and one shoulder of alabaster skin while the short sleeves did nothing to hide her arms. Her legs were almost completely exposed; a small pair of what looked like skin-tight miniature hakama pants peeked out from under the indecently short hemline of the shirt. Her feet were covered with strangely shaped, pink, fur covered shoes. `No wonder Inuyasha is tempted to use the Mate Call…she is no better than a harlot! She must be desperate to use such measures, but Inuyasha will come to me, as always.' Carefully controlling her movements she glided forward and addressed her rival. “Does the image on your… garment…provide you a talisman to bewitch Inuyasha? I confess, though you have always been unusually dressed, I never thought to see you so desperate to seduce him that you dressed as a whore.”

 

She had been prepared to project calm sophistication to remind Inuyasha of her superiority over the girl, but control over her voice eluded her and the words came out dripping with jealous venom. Inuyasha began growling at her as he reached behind and tucked an obviously shocked Kagome behind his back, protectively shielding the child from her gaze. `He's growling at me! His youkai side has become too powerful…it must be destroyed.'

 

Kagome gasped at Kikyou's words as Inuyasha pulled her behind his back. `Gaah! I completely forgot what I'm wearing!' She began to see the absurdity of the entire morning: she had been trapped in the Nexus and nearly killed, had fought with Inuyasha, had been nearly seduced by Inuyasha, and now she was facing her rival, and all the while she had been dressed in fluffy bunny slippers and an old, stretched out, and battered t-shirt. She had picked out the shirt years ago because it reminded her of Inuyasha and it had been used for many purposes besides sleepwear. She began to giggle, then gave in to the humor of the situation and released a peal of laughter at herself.

 

“Do not laugh at me, you little harlot!” Kikyou snarled furiously. “I should have finished you off years ago!” She stopped moving forward, a bit shocked at her loss of control. `I have never confronted her with this much power to use and I must be careful. Several of the women were betrayed lovers.' She took a moment to soothe the bitter souls within her.

 

Inuyasha growled louder and tried to back away from Kikyou, holding Kagome tightly behind his back. When she resisted moving, he scowled and looked over his shoulder at her. “What?”

 

“I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I completely forgot what I was wearing!” she whispered with an abashed smile. She bit her lower lip and shook her head, blushing. “I must look…ridiculous to her. She's not used to seeing me dress like I do in my era.”

 

Inuyasha looked toward Kikyou. Standing quietly, she was beautiful, poised, and elegant; a stark contrast to the mussed and flustered woman behind him, but for the first time his heart was not drawn to her. `She threatened Kagome.'

 

“Kikyou. What do you want?” His voice was gentler than he wanted it to be, but he still cared what happened to her. `Gods, please let Kagome understand!'

 

Kikyou smiled at the tenderness in his voice and let it soothe the angry souls within her. `He still protects her, but he is no longer growling and there are still ways to bind him to me.' Finally able to use her normal calm, controlled voice, she answered “I want you to remember the kiss that we shared.”

 

Inuyasha hesitated as Kikyou's words evoked the memory of his last kisses with Kagome. He became acutely aware of the scent wafting from Kagome, still fragrant with arousal, and his mouth watered slightly as he remembered tasting the skin of her neck over her pulse point. He tried to suppress his immediate surge of desire and shifted uncomfortably as his manhood responded. `How do I explain to Kikyou that Kagome is my alpha? I promised to protect Kikyou from Naraku, but she only wants my human side.'

 

“I want to talk with you alone,” Kikyou continued. “Come with me and we will speak about the true feelings in that kiss. Come away from that…child trying to be a woman.”

 

Kagome gave a low growl, seething at Kikyou's words. `That…witch! I'm not going to be left behind. Not this time!' As she opened her mouth to speak, her time power flared again. Furious, she rapidly sifted through the choices ahead of her, discarding most of them as they presented time lines where she remained quiet and allowed Inuyasha to handle the situation. All of the time threads but one offered this as an outlet, but in that one path she was not passive. `Well, at least my choice is easy this time.' In her anger, she ignored the darkness at the end of it. `Enough! I've had enough of her! I may not be able to use my powers like her, but I'm not going to stand here like a good little girl and let her take Inuyasha away to hell!' She stepped on to the path and flowed into time again.

 

“Sure the feelings were real in your kiss.” Her voice was low, quietly passionate, but she knew her eyes were blazing and she felt Inuyasha tense as she pushed away from his back. “You were taking him to hell with you and you didn't want a struggle. So you used what you knew about his loyalty and love against him, to make him feel that you truly loved him. But you don't love Inuyasha, Kikyou, not for what he really is: a hanyou.” Her fists clenched at her sides, she moved purposefully around Inuyasha's protective form.

 

He stared down at her, aware that her miko powers were flaring, gathering like a storm around her. `Shit! I've seen that aura in battles and if I try to touch her now she'll purify me.' He glanced at Kikyou and noticed her aura flaring as well. `How the hell am I going to protect them both?'

 

Kagome spoke again before he could intervene. “You kissed him to bind him to you. You told him that his life belongs to you. That was the real feeling that you had: you wanted your possession. Remember? I was watching. But you never kissed him when you were alive because he is a hanyou. You have always hated his youkai side.” Kagome's entire body vibrated with the intensity of her feelings.

 

[Look at her! She will not back down from the challenge to her alpha status. She is a magnificent bitch.]

 

(She's never fought with Kikyou before! She's always been so quiet around her. I bet it's because we told her we love her.)

 

`Who knows? She's pissed as hell right now, though. I ain't askin' anything.'

 

Kikyou's perfect face remained serene. “You little fool. You think to remain with him as he is? You are human and you will age. You have beauty now, but what will happen to you in ten, twenty, or thirty years? Your beauty will fade, you will die, and he will still be the same. This body's beauty will not fade and I am undead. Who is the better companion for a hanyou?”

 

Inuyasha blinked as her words made him feel as though someone had stabbed him in the gut. Somehow, he had forgotten that Kagome was mortal in the last twenty-four hours. `Gods, I'm cursed. She'll be gone and I'll be alone again.'

 

Kagome laughed, dispelling his despair. “I'm not human, Kikyou. I don't quite know what I am, but I'm no ordinary human.” She looked up at Inuyasha and smiled. “I get the sense that time is not my enemy and besides, I don't think that Inuyasha is just interested in beauty or he wouldn't have chosen me.”

 

Inuyasha gave her a quizzical look. `Does she not know she's beautiful?'

 

(Well, you've told her enough times that she's not and we've never actually told her why we stay with her.)

 

[It is not because she's beautiful...that is not the only issue here. We have to be honest with them both.]

 

The words that Yourei Taisei had made him memorize surfaced again. `Hitotsu. Defend the path of truth. Damn. I have to make myself clear to both of them.' Barking softly, he drew their attention to him and addressed Kikyou first. “Kikyou. We both were betrayed by Naraku when I was going to become human for you, but I don't like being just a human.” He looked down at Kagome and addressed his next words to her. “I'm not sure I like the idea of being just youkai, either.” Her eyes widened and she smiled at him with her whole being, but he held up a warning hand. “I need to find the right path.” He kept his gaze focused on Kagome, forcing her to see what he meant. `I'm honor bound to protect both, though my heart is yours.' Her smile faded a bit, but she shook her head at him and the joy in her eyes remained.

 

He looked back to Kikyou. “I swore to protect you from Naraku and I will. I will defeat him, but I love Kagome, Kikyou.” He paused for a moment. “Kikyou, did you…” Suddenly he couldn't speak anymore. He could not ask her if she had ever loved him, or explain that he still loved her, but not in the way that they had thought.

 

Her face a serene mask of perfection, she was fitting an arrow to her bow.

 

“Damnit! Kikyou! What are you doing?” He grabbed Kagome and placed her behind him, growling at her as she struggled to place her body in front of his.

 

Suddenly Kikyou's body arched backwards and she screamed in anger, “No! No, you will not!” She fell on the ground in a writhing heap. Inuyasha and Kagome stared blankly for a moment before rushing forward.

 

“You may…not…have this…body…again!” Kikyou hissed through clenched teeth. “No, Midoriko! Inuyasha is mine!” Her body heaved convulsively before subsiding into a deathlike stillness.

 

Kagome reached out tentatively to the inert body. “Inuyasha, what is the matter with her? Is she possessed by a demon, or is she…is she dead?”

 

“I don't sense any demonic aura, and I can't tell if she's dead or not. She already smells of death.” He knelt on the other side of Kikyou and examined her face, sniffing cautiously and trying to sift through the strange scents underlying the normal stench of grave soil. “There's a weird scent coming off of her…it's not like her normal— ,” he suddenly sat back on his haunches. “Shit! She said the name Midoriko.” He looked up at Kagome. “Remember what your mother said? That Midoriko's soul is being driven out of the Jewel? What if it's coming to Kikyou's body, to join with the part of the soul that Kikyou stole?”

 

They stared at each other over Kikyou's still body.

 

 

 

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Translation:

Impossibilium nulla obligatio est. Latin; No one has any obligation to the impossible.

 

Dukkha is the focus of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. Dukkha-dukkha (pain of pain) can be physical pain, illness, death, or the loss of a loved one.

 

Tanha is craving or desire, a cause of dukkha.

 

Ryuu: Japanese; dragon. Using poetic license and my interpretation of the myriad demons depicted in Midoriko's cave, I came up with this name for the hanyou of the Shikon no Tama.

 

Kusari-gama: Kohaku's traditional Japanese weapon consisting of a kama (scythe) attached to a metal chain with a heavy iron weight at the other end. Especially useful in open areas where the chain could wrap around and trap katana blades or limbs.

 

Kon: the heart or soul. Usually used in juxtaposition with haku, the power that moves the body.

 

Hitotsu. Makoto no michi o mamoru koto. Japanese: One, defend the path of truth. From the Japan Karate Association version of the dojo kun, the code of ethics in karate. Hitotsu means one. Koto means thing or matter.

 

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R&R thanks:

 

MM:

Misticknight2002, StupidLoserFantasyINC, Yugiohgirl03.

 

AS:

InuLuver4Evr, Hanyou16, Inuyasha luver, Niltiak.

 

FF: luvinInuyashainatlantaATL1, hfkm92, rockmyworld945, sailor-saturn550, Inuyasha05, The Painted Lady, Photographing Poetry, JediK1, Lynxes, gypsymuse, Allegra, stress, yoyo person.

 

Thanks RPW!

 

Thank you to everyone who is reading!