InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Journey of the soul: The panther devas' plot ❯ Miscalculations ( Chapter 23 )

Disclaimer: Most of the characters in this story are the actual work of Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own them in any way.

 

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Chapter 22: Miscalculations

 

Sitting in a meditative pose, Kikyo allowed her breathing to slow ever so slightly as she widened her field of perception as far as it would go. She sensed countless auras, all belonging to nameless panther youkai and neither being of any interest. She maintained her focus until she could feel the strain on her mind and then let herself come back to reality. She had done this little exercise quite often in the last three days, but with little success. She simply couldn't sense where Naraku was hidden.

 

Just then, she heard footsteps nearing her cell and she instantly straightened her posture, schooling her features into a mask of perfect indifference in the process. No sooner had she finished that two panthers she recognized as guards appeared escorting... a human woman inside.

 

While her clothing was obviously that of a maid, the way she carried herself and the rich, light blue embroideries adorning her kimono told in no uncertain terms who exactly she was serving. Setting those fashion details aside, there was something about this woman that was pretty unnerving. She possessed no aura as far as Kikyo could tell, but she perceived some strange form of power that tried to invade her personal space.

 

Naturally, she resisted this intrusion, a gesture that caused the pressure on her defenses to increase. By now, the woman had made her way into her cell and was in the process of sitting down, looking for all the world as if nothing was happening. When she was comfortably settled, the guards slid the door shut and walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

 

Narrowing her eyes at the maid suspiciously, Kikyo waited for her to introduce herself, but her visitor did not say anything right away. Instead, she stared right at her and proceeded to test her defenses once more. The attack was a lot stronger than before, but it hardly phased the miko, something that she decided to demonstrate by making her field suddenly flare. This effectively sent all of the offending energy right back at her counterpart, who fell over backward under the force of the blow.

 

"Your mind is neither strong nor focused enough to be a match for me, so I suggest you stop your feeble attempts at reading me."

 

Picking herself up, the maid shook her head and stared at the miko in complete astonishment. "My powers are... gone. What did you do to me!?"

 

Now it was Kikyo's turn to be surprised, though the only outward sign that she felt this way was a twitch of her eyebrow. "You never received any spiritual training?"

 

"My father always refused to send me to a temple. More than anything, he wanted me to live a normal life, something that could not have happened if I had trained as a miko."

 

"I see... but this gift of yours, what does it allow you to do? Is it telepathy?"

 

"Gift? This accursed gift, as you so kindly put it, allows me to feel the emotions of anyone who ventures within my sensory range! Do you know how difficult this is to deal with!?"

 

"Spiritual powers first manifest themselves through the unconscious mind, reacting to strong emotions and instincts. You must learn to bring them to your conscious mind so that you may gain full control of them."

 

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

 

"It is a relatively simple thing to do... but first I would very much like to know your name and the reason for your presence here."

 

At this, the maid's cheeks flushed a deep red and she bowed respectfully to the miko. "My name is Yuki and I am Toran-sama's personal maid. I came to see you because I am in dire need of advice."

 

"Advice? What sort of advice?"

 

"Well, to fully understand my situation, I believe I should tell you how I got to be here in the first place," began the maid. "Basically, I used to be the daughter of a rich merchant. When I came of age to get married, all the young men started proposing to me in hope of bettering their situation. My father being a just person allowed each man to meet with him, regardless of whether they were wealthy or not. One of the said man was our lord's first samurai who happened to be stationed in our village at the moment. With persuasion and dedication, he managed to win the draw. So the next thing I knew, I was being hoisted out of my home and escorted back to my future husband's home in order to perform the ceremony."

 

"It does not seem as if you cared much for this samurai."

 

"He was nice... on the outside. I was able to read his thoughts though and found his true intentions less than honorable. He merely wanted to use me as a way to inherit his father's lands and wealth... something he could not do without a suitable wife. I could not stand it... but fate decided to intervene in the form of bandits. They attacked by surprise and slaughtered everyone before they even had time to react. They took everything of value from the carriage and then proceeded to take another kind of reward... on me," said Yuki with a small shudder of disgust.

 

"Did they succeed?"

 

"I tried to fight them off, but of course, I was no match for them. Just as they were about to begin however, they were interrupted by a newcomer. It was Toran-sama. She had heard the commotion and had come to investigate, but upon finding only humans, she turned back and started walking away. The bandits didn't like to be snubbed like this and attacked her... something that cost them dearly."

 

"What happened then?"

 

"I was alone, frightened and didn't know what to do... so I started following her. Of course, she didn't like it and turned to finish me off. At the last second though, she thought better of it and offered me the choice of becoming her personal servant or dying on the spot. I'm not exactly certain what made her change her mind, but I'm somewhat grateful."

 

"Still, that was not much of a choice."

 

"Maybe so... but I do not regret coming here. While it is true that I am often looked down by the castle's occupants, I enjoy serving Toran-sama. She is demanding, but fair and she never mistreats me no matter how angry she is."

 

"That is probably because she considers you her personal pet," argued Kikyo.

 

"You might find me strange but... I don't particularly mind. I'm well treated and am allowed to come and go pretty much as I please while my services are not required. Basically, this is the simple and quiet life I've always dreamed about."

 

"It is not my place to question your path. However, I'm afraid I still fail to see what sort of advice you seem to be in need of."

 

"Well you see, Toran-sama summoned me this morning and told me she was very satisfied with my work and she would very much like for me to keep working for her longer than my human lifespan would allow me to."

 

"She offered to have you drink her blood?" questioned Kikyo visibly shocked.

 

"Yes," replied Yuki quietly. "But when I asked her what risks and changes such a thing would entail... she said even she had no idea and referred me to you... so there I am."

 

For a long time, Kikyo remained silent, not knowing what to answer. Drinking youkai blood had been a gesture born out of sheer desperation on her part. Something she had done on the brink of death in her last moment of lucidity. As if the agony of the initial transformation had not been enough, she had then been faced with new instincts that had almost shattered her conscious mind. To see someone ready and willing to undergo such a painful transformation was not something she had ever expected to see.

 

"If you wish to undergo this process, you must be ready to face a pain that even the word 'agony' is too poor to describe. It will feel as if liquid fire is circulating through your body. If you are strong enough to survive this then your mind will be put to the test. Upon waking up, you will behave like a wounded animal. There will be no reason within you, only pure instincts that will make you lash out at whoever gets too close. Only if you can find your way back from this primal haze can you consider your battle more or less won."

 

This time, it was Yuki's turn to be silent as she took all of this information in. Strangely enough, Kikyo did not smell any fear or apprehension emanating from her. It was almost as if she had half-expected things to be this hard.

 

"And... what does it feel like when the transformation is over?"

 

"It is difficult to describe... but you won't ever be the same again, that much is certain. New strength, new abilities, sharper senses... but those are small compared to the changes occurring on a personal level. To drink youkai blood is to accept living as something in-between. You will cease being completely human... but at the same time, you will not be completely youkai either. If you truly think you can bear this then you are free to try... but remember that rejection is one of the worst thing a being can face."

 

"I am already alone so I cannot be more rejected than I am now," answered the maid with a sad smile. "But in any case, I really do appreciate that you took the time to answer my questions. I shall take my leave now. Thank you again Kikyo-sama, I hope to have another opportunity to talk to you in the near future."

 

"Think nothing of it... however, I do have one last question for you," replied the miko.

 

"What is it?"

 

"Do you know what you mistress is planning for the next new moon?"

 

"Well..." hesitated the maid. "... I suppose I might as well tell you, everyone knows about it anyway. She merely plans to revives their former leader who was killed centuries ago."

 

"I... see," answered Kikyo, having one hell of a time maintaining her composure. "Thank you Yuki-san. I don't have any more questions. You may go now."

 

The miko was so shocked that she barely noticed the maid's departure. Things were beginning to look increasingly grim for her. Having witnessed the jewel's power first hand, she knew perfectly well that it was powerful enough to animate a corpse... but she highly doubted it could bring a soul back from the netherworld. Usually, a soulless body would die within minutes, even a youkai's body could not survive long without one... but with the jewel in the equation, things were guaranteed to turn into a disaster.

 

"Inuyasha, Karura... may the gods protect you two... because now, we simply can't afford to make any mistake."

 

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"Daddy! Daddy! The sun's up! The sun's up!" squealed a young and very excited girlish voice.

 

Snapping his eyes open, Inuyasha instantly bolted upright and watched in absolute shock as a young girl of about five burst into his room and threw herself at him. Unprepared and uncomprehending, it was all he could do to brace himself for impact.

 

His mind still reeling from the shock, he stared in total bafflement as the child looked up at him, her honey-colored eyes shining with innocence and excitement while her huge smile revealed pointy canines that betrayed a distinct youkai inheritance.

 

"Youkai?" he reflected, his eyes automatically trailing to the girl's ears which were sharp and pointy like those of a certain half-brother of his that he'd much rather not remember right now.

 

As if things weren't strange enough as they were, a soft moan rose from the bed beside him, followed by the emergence of a groggy female figure that Inuyasha had trouble recognizing at first. Her hair was a deep and shiny black and looked wonderfully smooth. Her eyes were a deep brown, but of a particular shade he had seen only once before.

 

"Kikyo?"

 

The name came to him almost naturally and, now that he thought about it, the woman did look like her... but at the same time it wasn't. As she yawned, he could again see pointy canines, when she passed her fingers through her hair, he saw claws adorning them, not nails... and finally her ears were not those of a human, but of a youkai. What on earth was going on here?

 

"Sayu, what did daddy and I say about bursting into our room like that?" scolded the woman.

 

Instantly, the child's excitement died out and her smile dissolved into a mask of sadness. "That I shouldn't do it unless I have a good reason."

 

For a few second, the Kikyo lookalike kept her stern expression in place, but it rapidly dissolved into a warm smile. "But considering today's your sixth birthday, I can safely say you are perfectly justified this time."

 

All traces of sadness instantly left Sayu's face and she threw herself at her mother, hugging her as tight as she could.

 

"My my, be easy on me, at this rate, I'll be crushed," she laughed, ruffling her daughter's hair playfully. "Now why don't you go and bug grandma while daddy and I get ready?"

 

Nodding enthusiastically, the child extricated herself from her mother's arms and bolted out of the room, barely taking the time to wave goodbye before taking off at full speed down the corridor.

 

In the silence that followed this storm of activity, Inuyasha became increasingly conscious of the woman's eyes on him... but he simply couldn't bring himself to move. This was just too much to take on at once. When had he ever gotten married? And when on earth had he become a father? Things were spinning out of control all of a sudden. Last he remembered, he had been racing the clock in hope of getting to Kikyo in time...

 

"But she's right here beside me," he reflected in complete confusion.

 

"Another memory lapse?"

 

Inuyasha blinked and looked at the woman who looked back with concerned eyes. "Another memory lapse? I... what are you talking about? And who on earth are you?"

 

"Well, I would have thought this rather obvious since I woke up in the same bed as yours... but if you really must know, I happen to be your mate."

 

"My mate!?" exclaimed the hanyou in absolute astonishment. "But then that little girl who called me daddy was..."

 

"Your youngest daughter, Sayu," finished the Kikyo lookalike, scooting closer to him and wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders. "Come on dear, today is her sixth birthday and you promised you would take her to the marketplace today. She would be heartbroken if you could not remember."

 

His body's reaction to his wife's presence was frighteningly immediate. Her gentle warmth seeped right through his clothing, making his muscles relax almost instantly. Then, as if that wasn't enough, her scent hit him full force. It was sweet, alluring and powerful at the same time. It went right to his brain and stopped its frenzy dead in its track. He felt himself slip into partial unconsciousness as his weight drew his head slowly down on her shoulder.

 

"That's right, my love. Calm down and rest. Don't try to remember, it'll all come back to you. Just focus on me and everything will be all right."

 

"Everything... will... be... all... right," slurred Inuyasha as his brain's frantic race slowed down, first to a walk and then to a crawl until finally, he just couldn't think anymore.

 

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"Karura! Wake up already!" screamed a voice.

 

The girl bolted up in bed and stared at her surroundings in complete astonishment. All around her were the walls of a hut that she couldn't recognize. Looking down at herself, she noticed that she was wearing a worn-down but still decent sleeping yukata. To her right, a chest lay with some clothing folded on top that she deduced to be hers, but did not remember buying. Beside it was a small wooden table with a wash basin on top, conveniently filled with water.

 

Shaking her head to clear it, she stood up and made her way to the chest, thinking that splashing some water on her face might help to clear her mind. However, when she reached her destination, she froze, astonishment being washed away by absolute shock.

 

The face that stared at her was wrong. This was not her at all! What had happened to the hard contour of her jaw born of years of intense training? And then, her lower lip that she'd split open during a fight... where was the scar? And her eyes... god her eyes, when had they become so soft? It was almost as if...

 

"Karura! You sure you're okay in there?!" repeated the same feminine voice that had woken her up.

 

"I... I'm fine... I'm just a little spaced out," she answered automatically, trying to buy herself some time to get used to all this.

 

"Well come back to earth, spring cleaning won't get done by itself."

 

"Spring cleaning?"

 

Things just kept getting weirder and weirder by the second. Where was she? When did she get here? Who was that woman who she had just talked to? How has she gotten so... soft? She should have five years of training behind her... where had that disappeared to?

 

Determined to find more about her situation, she put on the neatly folded kimono (which fit her perfectly) and tied her hair back in a messy bun before walking out the room, ready to face whatever strangeness was thrown at her.

 

Resolutely, she made her way to the common room and stopped dead in her tracks, her entire body going numb with shock. There, sitting casually and sipping tea out of a bowl that had seen better days, was a man she hadn't seen in over five years. The sharp angular shape of his face, the bulkiness of his muscles, the sharp gleam of his gray eyes... everything was exactly as she remembered it.

 

"Daddy?" her mind supplied for her. "But then..."

 

Before she even realized what she was doing, Karura turned sideway and instantly spotted the shape of the woman that had talked to her seconds before. The shock was almost too much for her and she wobbled unsteadily on her feet. There she was, with her shiny dark brown hair and hazel eyes, with her warm smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts... her mother!

 

"This... can't be," she whispered, catching herself against a nearby wall.

 

"Dear, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!" exclaimed the older woman, instantly coming to support her daughter.

 

"You..." she began but found herself unable to continue.

 

"Here, maybe you should sit down."

 

Unable to protest, Karura was lead near the cooking pit where her 'mother' helped settle her down comfortably.

 

"Here, you drink this, seems like you need it more than I," said her father, offering her the bowl of tea he had been drinking.

 

Accepting it without a word, Karura began drinking it slowly, the sweet taste of the tea doing nothing to soothe her mind's frantic race. Things were just too surreal. Her parents couldn't possibly be alive, they died when...

 

Again, she found herself freezing in mid-motion. When what? Her memory was getting blurry. Was it the tea? No, it tasted like it should... or did it? No, it was right, just like her father liked it... sweet and at the same time slightly sour. She was so confused. Something was off, she knew it, her instincts never lied. She had spent too much time honing them for her not to trust them.

 

Again, confusion washed over her. Honing? When had she spent time honing her instincts? She couldn't remember any training at all... and what's more, she sure didn't look like she had trained for five years.

 

"Five years?" she reflected, trying unsuccessfully to find where that number came from. "five years ago... what happened five years ago?"

 

Unaware that she had spoken out loud, Karura almost jumped out of her skin when her mother actually answered.

 

"What's the matter dear? You look so pale... it's as if you don't even remember who we are."

 

"No... I do remember but..." she trailed off, unable to clear the fog that had invaded her brain. "It's just... mom... what happened five years ago? I can't seem to remember."

 

"Well... that's the year when you fell terribly sick. Every healer pronounced you for dead... but somehow, you miraculously pulled through."

 

"Karura... don't tell me it's another one of your relapse?" interrupted her father worriedly.

 

"Relapse?"

 

"Ever since you got sick, you've had those episodes where your memory would simply disappear. But you haven't had those in over a year, we thought it was over."

 

"I... don't understand... what memory losses?"

 

"Oh... dear," murmured her mother sadly. "So that's what's going on... no wonder you were taking so long to prepare. You don't remember anything."

 

"I..." trailed off the girl, trying desperately to fight off the numbness that was slowly but surely making her close her eyes and lean sideway.

 

Before she could fall on the ground though, her mother was there, wrapping her in a comforting embrace.

 

"It's okay, Karura. We're there for you now, just relax, rest and everything is going to be okay. Just relax and don't try to remember, it'll all come back to you eventually. Just relax and let yourself go... everything will be all right."

 

"Everything... will... be... all... right," slurred the girl as her mind crawled to a stop and she succumbed to unconsciousness.

 

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"Shunran, you okay?"

 

Opening her eyes, the panther youkai stared in complete disbelief at the form that hovered worriedly over her. Sharp brown eyes that were alight with just a touch of mischievousness. Dark hair drawn back in a pony tail to keep them out of her face. Pointy, triangular canines that poked out of her mouth as she spoke and, last but not least, the sharp and pointy ears that betrayed her youkai inheritance.

 

"K... Karura?" she asked, unable to understand what was going on.

 

"Looks like I hit you harder than I thought. You sure you're okay?"

 

"Okay? Hit me?"

 

"Yep, I definitely need to hold back my punches next time we train."

 

"Train?"

 

"Well yeah. How else do you expect us to keep our skills sharp? Not to mention the pleasure of tearing each other apart."

 

"You and I... train together? For how long?"

 

"Well geez, did you lose your memory or something? We've been best friends since forever."

 

"Yes, and I've had the pleasure of fixing you two up after your so called sparring matches more times than I can count," cut in yet another familiar voice.

 

Whirling around, Shunran was confronted with yet another familiar face: Kikyo. Of course, since nothing was as it should be, the woman was not wearing a miko uniform, but the medical garb of her tribe. Her features were pleasantly complemented with the same youkai traits as Karura and to top everything off, a tail swayed lazily behind the woman as she walked toward them.

 

"K... Kikyo?"

 

"In the flesh... it seems like Karura banged you up pretty bad again," she sighed in irritation. "Really you two, how many times have I told you to go easy while you train."

 

"What's the point of training if you can't go all out?" huffed Karura. "And besides, it's not like it's the first time it happened."

 

"Yes, that's why I've come prepared," replied the woman with a glare. "Here Shunran, drink this, it should help you recover your memory."

 

Shunran stared at the offered bowl, a terrible premonition coming over her. As she extended her hand toward it, her skin began to crawl and her stomach twisted painfully in response. There was something wrong with this bowl, something dreadfully wrong. Suddenly, all of her instincts began screaming at her. Danger!

 

"Where? Where's the threat?" she thought, frantically whirling around and staring intently at her surroundings.

 

But there was nothing. They were in the middle of the castle's courtyard and nothing was out of the ordinary. The closest person was a stable boy who was easily a hundred feet away... and he obviously presented no threat whatsoever.

 

"But then... that leaves..."

 

Twisting around, Shunran's gaze fell once more on the two women who were staring at her in visible confusion.

 

"Is anything the matter Shunran? Have you perceived a threat?" asked Kikyo, her posture straightening and her eyes becoming slightly more alert.

 

"Oh god... let my instincts be right... please let my instincts be right," she repeated mentally, hardening her heart and clenching her jaw in preparation of what she was about to do.

 

"Yeah... I've sense a threat," she hissed through clenched teeth. "And it's you!"

 

Not giving Kikyo nor Karura the time to react, she lunged forward and drove her fists deep in her two friends' heart. She felt her claw dig into something soft and warm and then, thick liquid oozed down her arms as the two shapes stood there, gaping stupidly at her.

 

"No scent of blood! No scent of blood!" she thought, fiercely forcing herself to ignore the thumping of her heart.

 

"S... Shunran... why... did you... do... this!?" gurgled Karura, blood trickling down her mouth.

 

"No scent of blood!"

 

"SHUT UP!!!!!" she screamed desperately, blinking back tears. "YOU'RE NOT MY FRIENDS!!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!"

 

And, with an ear-splitting roar of fury, she pulled her arms back and viciously slashed at her friends' neck, severing their head and killing them instantly. An ear-splitting scream of agony tore through Shunran's eardrums as what had once been Kikyo and Karura melted away in a pool of bubbling brown ooze. Around her, the castle's scenery faded away, replaced by the familiar setting of the forest she remembered having fallen asleep in.

 

Panting, the youkai jerked her head to the side as she heard the sound of something sliding on the ground. She barely caught a glimpse of the object, but a glimpse was all she needed to recognize the deadly appendage that had tried to devour her alive.

 

"A death vine! That's not possible! We're not in the Forest of Illusions yet! They can't possibly be out that far!"

 

But then, a horrible realization hit her and she whirled around, her breath instantly catching in her throat. There, right in front of her, was the bodies of her two friends, completely encased in a tight coil of vines with only their head emerging. And, hovering just above their helpless form was an enormous white flower from which emerged tiny tendrils that all disappeared in the ears and nose of the hanyou and the human girl, giving them all they had always wanted in exchange for... their life.

 

"No!!!! Oh god NOOOOO!!!!! INUYASHA!!!! KARURA!!!!!"

 

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Author's note: Ohhh a cliffhanger. It's been a while since I made one. So what's going to happen now? Can Shunran pull Inuyasha and Karura out of death's grasp? You'll have to see next chapter he he he.