InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nikanaru ❯ Obtaining a Sense of Direction ( Chapter 12 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: Koday

Previous Chapter Illustration

www.deviantart.com/view/32144864/

I don't think this really requires any explanation.

Didn't have a whole lot of time to work on this, so just rattled it off and photoshopped it up some.

I actually think it came out surprisingly well.

Announcement

Me: I'm going to try a little experiment, here. Or, rather, I'm sinking to another brand new low here…

I'll go ahead and admit that I'm a total feedback slut, and reviews on this site haven't exactly been abundant, with a few small exceptions. (Twiknham, Ponygirl and Darks' lil' Angel, you've been a real sweet to me. Thanks.) But me, I'm just too gosh-darned polite to try and extort reviews out of my readers by threatening not to release the next chapter until I get X amount. This story's a total blast to write, and I'm gonna keep doing it regardless.

So instead, what I'm gonna bribe you all with a little incentive for more reviews. Let's see how this works:

When this fic reaches Fifty (50) reviews, I'll draw and post a picture of Max and Al naked.

Yup. Dangly, bouncy bits and all.

No, I'm not kidding. I'll totally do it. No comic-book style fake-outs or any of that shit. Nor pixelation or strategically placed objects either. Totally uncensored nudity.

Max: I object!

Me: Uh??

Max: I object to be objectified in such a way!

Me: …woah, wait, what? Back the hell up.

Max: I don't want my readers wanting me for my body! I want them liking me for my personality! For my qualities as an individual! I'm a person with deep feeling and emotions, Goddamit!

Al: No, you're not.

Max: Hey… well… okay, no, but I'm still a person, anyways.

Al: No you're not.

Max: What? Hey, I thought you of all people would object to this kind of degradation! Aren't you one of those neo-feminist, equality demanding vegetarian chicks?

Al: Minus the vegetarian label, yeah. But, knowing the author as I do, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be subjected to plenty of degradation as a given. See, this way, I can at least take you down with me.

Max: You both SUCK!

Al: Actually, I'm surprised at you. I figured you'd be into this. Didn't you once tell me your all-time goal in life was to become a sex object?

Me: Actually, that's my goal.

Max: …yeah, but… I'm kinda pudgy right now. I'd need time to get in shape.

Me: Well then, start working out, buddy.

Max: How? You've been keeping my timetable busy with a constant string of shit!

Me: I don't care. Figure something out, then. Either way, your pants come off as soon as that counter hits 100.

Max: This is bullshit!

Me: Anyways…

Max: You asshole, the sperm wasted making you would've been better spent drying up in a crusty old tube sock!

Me: Back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Nikanaru

Chapter 12

Obtaining A Sense of Direction

Insert Witty Alternative Title Here

Two Days Ago

Slowly, but with a certainty that was absolute, the crackling fire died… and she watched in envy. Remaining traces of red along the charred sticks of wood sizzled away until a last puff of smoke indicated that the fire's death was complete.

That was how it was supposed to be… a fledgling spark would struggle until it blossomed a full-fledged fire. And that fire would burn brightly. It would burn with intensity. It would burn with passion. It's flames would live fully, dancing and blazing majestically in the breeze for as long as it could. Eventually, the wood beneath it would burn away, and the fire would degrade into but a few embers, glowing weaker and weaker until it passed away.

That was how it was supposed to be.

But she was not the fledging spark, filled with the potential for great things. She was not the lively flame, burning with pride and glory. She… she was the perpetual ember. She was the smoldering remains of what had once been, or of what could have been. Like the ember, she felt as if a fragile, pathetic and disheveled wretch. Now useless, all that remained for the ember, and for her, was to patiently await for death to take them.

Those tired, sorrowful eyes looked on with passive jealousy at the fire's embers as they died. Unlike her, this ember had the privilege of dying with dignity.

Unlike her, it had the privilege of dying at all.

It was the only vice she permitted for herself. She didn't need the fire to stay warm, for the coldness couldn't kill her. She didn't need it to cook food, for she no longer had to eat to survive. She didn't need it for light, as her soul was smoldered in bleak darkness. But every day, in the waning evening light, her cold hands would build a small fire for no other reason than to sit back and watch it burn away. The sight was like a double-edged sword, as it gave her the pleasure of witnessing the natural cycle of life, and simultaneously tortured her, as she was once again reminded of what she could never have.

It served as a reminder of all the reasons why she'd ended up this way. She'd sit there, watching with eyes deceitfully emotionless as painful memories washed over her. It was a reminder that, though she'd been forcibly lead down this road at first and could conceivably blame others for that much, the selfish decision to continue down it had been hers and hers alone. The blame was nobody else's but her own. It was truly a shame, though, that the consequences and the sorrow weren't also hers and hers alone.

Yet, she still didn't dare any suicidal endeavors. She'd already learned the hard way that rash decisions can lead to consequences that you could never live with. And she knew the consequences of what would happen if she were to die were unacceptable… no matter how much she deserved death, or how much she craved the release of it. She would die eventually, yes… her cold shell of a body would linger on for decades, perhaps even centuries. At some point, the clay material that made her physical self be would degenerate; crumble and she'd simply cease to exist, as her soul would return to where it belonged. But she had no choice but to delay that for as long as she could, no matter her own suffering.

Her life… no, rather her “soul” was now tied to a malfeasance that imperiled the security of life as we know it. Her death would mean its unleash upon the world. All she could do, then, was delay the inevitable as long as she could… if only for the sake of rest of the world. That was the last, the only good she could still do. It was a pathetic gift, but then, she was a pathetic person. It was therefore only appropriate that her gift also meant her own torment.

And so she'd watch the fire, resigning herself to her own uttermost remorse; Alone, here in this lifeless part of the forest. This was how thing were. This is how it was, every day.

Every day…

…But not today.

*********

Present

“EEYYYAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

Scared very nearly shitless, Max Higurashi seemed almost as if a cat from the catlike way he very suddenly sprang backwards in alarm. Mind you, not catlike terms of the grace and finesse generally associated with felines, but more so in terms of the vocal pitch and the high-strung panic.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”

From his squatting position before the not-so-dead-anymore woman, Max had planted the heels of his sneakers semi-firmly in the moist ground beneath them, trying to simultaneously jump back into a standing position and back away as fast as possible. Despite being the proud owner of a big, fluffy tail, his balance went all over the place and his ass ended up squarely on the ground. As such, he settled for performing a reverse crawl away from the woman.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

That scream, meanwhile, belonged to Al. In her own shock, she'd leapt back a few feet. While Max was clumsily crawling away, she grabbed a nearby thick branch, ready to wield it as a blunt object if need be.

Holy FUCKING Republic of Ecuador, how the hell did I NOT see that coming?! I've seen ever horror and slasher flick in existence, and this set-up had every scary movie cliché written all over it! Christ!

When he'd backed up and stubbed his elbow on a rock, the brief wince of pain gave Max enough pause to realize that no one else was moving, and thus the need for wild panic was nonexistent. Al was a few feet behind him looking ready to either bolt or swing that piece of wood at the slightest provocation. And the woman… had not budged an inch. Still she laid there in the grass, her head turned slightly off to the side, observing the little scene with emotionless eyes. Several seconds passed with the three of them simply staring at each other… Max and Al were naturally astonished, while the woman appeared… bored.

No one said anything. No one did anything. In Al and Max's case, this was due principally because they were so absolutely addled by this development that their minds both drew complete blanks. What, precisely, is the standard operating procedure when whisked away to the middle of nowhere after a fight with a monster, and then being presented with a body that seemed dead five seconds ago before it suddenly came back to life?

She was dead! Max kept repeating in his mind. She was dead! She didn't have a pulse, she wasn't breathing, and her skin was…cold! I mean, really, unhealthily cold! What the hell is all this?!

When enough time had passed that the woman apparently tired of laying there staring, she closed her eyes again and rose to her feet with a slow but consistent speed. Slow, perhaps, because she didn't want to make any sudden movements that could alarm her clearly affrighted “guests”. However, her pace also suggested that she had all the time in the world… she wasn't having any trouble getting up, but it seemed that she was doing it at a meticulously slow pace, as if a habit. When finally she'd arisen to full height, her eyes reopened, once again staring emotionlessly at the two. More time passed, her debilitated eyes staring into their wide ones as silence again perforated the area.

Eventually, her hand moved again, only to reposition her robe from where it had been before the invasion of Max's hand.

“I asked you a question.” She impassively repeated, annoyance or anger only barely evident in her tone. “Did you find what you were looking for?” Unbelieving at being addressed by something he was fairly certain was a zombie, Max glanced behind at Al, her expression equally godsmacked as his must have been.

Okay…okay… obviously, she's not dead. I mean, she's up, she's talking… she's doing all sorts of things dead people can't do… well, besides being really scary.

“Uh…” Max eventually managed to wheeze out of his hyperventilating lungs. Despite his complete and utter confusion, he forced himself to speak. “…gee, I'm… I'm sorry…” Gathering what dignity he could, he pulled himself up. Looking back, Al was still a slight distance behind him. Instinctually, Max was making sure that he was positioned in between Al and this mysterious other woman. While prepared for ugliness, considering the situation, common sense dictated that he should try to be diplomatic and not start shit. “…see I… uh, that is, we thought…” With a pause, he cleared his throat and let the absurd-sounding explanation leave his mouth. “…we thought you were dead.”

Her expression didn't change. Still she simply stared at the both of them with an emotionally acquiescent gaze. Max patiently awaited an answer while darting his eyes back between her and Al.

“Dead?” She at last spoke… spoken calmly, gently and yet…“No… I am not quite that fortunate.” …There was a definite edge to it. Something in the underlying tones that was unsettlingly pained.

Jesus… this is several flavours of creepy.

“You…” From behind, Al had finally found her voice, though it was a shaky as her trembling hands. “…no, you… you can't be…. You were dead. I saw you…you weren't b-breathing. You can't be alive!”

“Yet, here I stand.” She stated as though the fact that she wasn't actually depressed her.

“But…” Al appeared frighteningly insistent on what her point. “You weren't breathing! And … for God's sakes, you haven't moved for over a day!” These facts as she stated them coupled with what she was witnessing at this moment were causing some error message in her mind that read something along the lines of Does Not Compute.

“…And?” The woman bitterly replied, now showing clear signs of irritation. “Do you mean to argue that I am not permitted to rise and speak like this? Am I not in compliance with nature's laws? Should I therefore lay back down and remain motionless so to satisfy your narrow little perceptions of life and death?” As any modern-day person dropped into this scenario would likely be, Al had absolutely no answer to that. This was too much. This was all too Goddamned much.

Sensing the beginnings of hostility, Max protectively moved closer to Al. “Okay…All right, so clearly, we, ah, made an error in judgment here.” Max offered, trying to appease this scary lady. “So…again, we're sorry. You are not dead.” He turned to Al, and repeated, “She's not dead, okay?” to her, as if to make that clear to all involved.

“Again, you are presumptuous.” The woman muttered. “Mortality and existence… how pedestrian your shallow views are.” Her head lowered alongside her brow, nighttime shadows forming oblique patterns across the light wrinkles along her face. It all made for an extremely unsettling image.

“…Ooooooookie-dokey.” Max was now subconsciously backing away, very slowly. “So, um, anyways…” He tried a few forced laughs to try and liven the situation. “…my, heh, see my friend and I here are a little, uh… well, lost.” He left another pause to let that sink in. “So, seeing as how you're not dead, and let me just say how happy I am for you that you're not, I don't suppose you could… maybe give us some directions?”

“Perhaps…” Her oddly formal way of speaking managed to further alienate her from them. “…that all depends on where your destination lies.”

“Uh… well, T-Tokyo.” It was a simple word, but it was amazing that Max was unnerved enough to make its mere pronunciation a challenge.

“Tokyo.” She echoed slowly. “This name… it is unfamiliar to me.”

“Wh- pardon??”

“I said that I do not know of this place.” Now that was just absurd. An incredulous look painted Max's face, his mouth slightly gaping. Al, braving a step foreword, spoke exactly what Max was thinking.

“Excuse me…um, ma'am, but are you not Japanese??” The woman scowled slightly at the question.

“I hardly view either others or myself within foolish ethnic or territorial boundaries.” She stated flatly. “But if you mean to say that Japan is where I was born and spent most of my life, then yes.”

“Okay…” Al continued with enough gusto that showed clearly that she was over her fear. “So, you're Japanese, and you claim to have never heard of Tokyo.” The statement could not be made without a slight tone of mockery to it. “Look, not to be… rude or anything, but you actually expect anyone to buy that?”

“I do not expect you to `buy' anything, as I `sell' nothing.” Max and Al exchanged frowns. It was a bit strange how they themselves weren't so sure of each other just a few minutes ago, but the appearance of this enigmatic woman quickly cemented their camaraderie, if only out of a mutual fright.

All right, big, giant “fuck this”. We're getting away from here before she gets a chance to dump us in a hole and force us to put lotion on our skin. Max resolutely backed away, an arm snaking around Al's wrist as he dragged her with him.

“Right-o. Well, tell you what; we're real sorry for bothering you. So we'll just be on our way then.” Oddly enough, despite her unwelcoming comportment, when Max began retreating, here eyes twitched for a split second as she sighed she bowed her head to him.

“I apologize.” Despite the rotten feeling in his gut, Max paused.

“What?”

“I am… unused to the company of others.” She humbly explained. “As you might imagine, it is extraordinarily rare that I entertain guests.” She motioned over to her little shack to exemplify her point. “I have no food in my home, but there is a stream nearby that you can drink from. It should sustain you until a more adequate meal can be garnered.”

The sudden bit of hospitality from the woman put both Max and Al off balance, both of them again exchanging dubious glances.

“Yeah…thanks, but we're not…” Al would have tried to formally deny her hunger, but in the spirit of horrible timing and poetic justice, her stomach chose that moment to groan very loudly. Max regarded her with concern… he himself was pretty hungry, and he still had no idea what he was going to do about it. He'd already promised to take care of Al, but had no idea how he was going to do that. He had little knowledge of foraging for food in the wild, and had never hunted anything in his life. In fact, his entire education on the subject of getting food was limited to kitchens, cafeterias and vending machines. He didn't want Al to starve, but wasn't sure what he could do to prevent it.

But on the other hand, should they entrust that responsibility to this… very, very bizarre woman, who appeared to them under very, VERY bizarre circumstances?

“I can understand your skepticism.” She spoke again. “But know that I bear no ill will towards you… in spite of your… invasion into my robe.” No small amount of red colored Max's cheeks.

“I… Hey! Woah, no!” He stammered, waving his hands defensively. “Again, I thought you were dead!”

“So you believe stumbling on a cadaver is a perfectly acceptable reason for molestation, then?” The fact that she sounded so serious also made it just a bit deadpan.

“Jesus, I was just trying to see if you had anything useful on you!!” Max flutteringly shouted back.

Good God, no matter how lost I am, I will never be desperate enough to cop a feel off a dead chick! Granted, that would be more action than I've ever had, but still…

“Very well.” She accepted that explanation. “Then there is no reason for any animosity between us.”

“Uh…”

“Please…” She bowed again. “If I seem embittered, it is only because my years have seen many pointless deaths and sorrow. I have no desire to again see it in the form of two young people needlessly starving to death. Permit me to help you. I will also see if I can be of any assistance in your locating your destination.”

Max sighed in annoyance. He hated this. He hated the confusion. He hated not knowing what to do or what to expect. He had absolutely no sense of a direction as to where he should go. The scents carried by the wind made it clear that they were a least miles from any city, town, or sign of human civilization, which seemed impossible. He couldn't just run around and hope to stumble on a restaurant before either he or Al passed out from hunger.

The only direction being offered to him right now was in the form of this woman, leery of her as he was. The encounter with Naraku earlier had perhaps rendered him paranoid of the unknown. While her behavior was… off, to say the least, she did seem sincere enough about having no interest in harming them. It was… it was something, at least, which was nowhere else right now.

“Okay.” He cautiously replied. That earned him a surprised look from Al.

“Max, are you out…?”

“Look, we'll just get some water for now.” He assured her. “Some water from a stream. Which we'll see for ourselves has no drugs or anything weird in it.” He leaned in closer and whispered. “And we'll just talk to her for now, okay? It's not like we have anything better to go on right now.”

“But she… I swear to God, she was dead!”

“Hey, I thought so, too. But, as you can see, she ain't.”

“Well, have you considered that she could be some sort of freakish Ax Murderer??”

“I've considered that she could be anything from an Ax Murderer to a Toothpick Murderer.” He sighed. “Look, I'll keep an eye on her. And if it looks like she's going to try anything, I'll take her down, all right? But unless you've got a better idea, let's at least figure out where the hell we are.” Al looked back between him and the woman, not liking this a single bit. But she did understand the need to get some sense of direction… and to at least put something in their stomachs. Biting her lip, she hesitantly nodded.

“Okay.” Max agreed. “Just stay behind me.” Turning away from Al, he readdressed to woman. “All right, ma'am. We'll, uh, take you up on that offer.”

“Good.” She said simply as she turned around and began heading from the clearing into the forest. “It is a short walk this way.” With a deep breath, and wavering slightly at first, Al and Max made to follow her.

Jim Dandy. Just Jim absolute fucking Dandy. I'm walking off in the middle of a dark night into some creepy woods with a creepy woman, unarmed and uninsured. Brave front or not, Max was sick with anxiety over what he could be getting them into. He missed home. He REALLY missed home. Back in Tokyo, where he could safely walk up to total strangers and ask for the time, directions, or when the next bus was without a crippling apprehension of death.

Well, you know… He wondered to himself. Maybe that's it. Maybe I'm being too paranoid. Try just being… y'know, yourself. Friendly. I mean, she'll have less of a reason to kill you if you're polite to her…maybe. Eh, it's worth a shot, anyways.

“So uh…hey.” Max began as they penetrated into the foliage of the woods. “We didn't actually formally introduce ourselves, did we?” The woman paused, looking back at him in silence. “Uh, so… Hi. I'm Max.” He said with a smile and a bow. “Max Higurashi. And, ah, this is my good friend, Al.”

“ALEX.” She snapped at him. Although she'd put up with that stupid name he had for her, she instinctually reacted whenever he'd try to spread the damn thing around. Sighing, she faced the woman and, despite not wanting to volunteer her name to a total stranger, bowed. “Alexandria Tanaka.”

“A pleasure.” The woman spoke in that same cold voice. She followed this up with a bow of her own.

“Kikyo.” She informed simply before turning around and continuing onward.

*********

Two Days Ago

Like an atrophied muscle that groaned in shock after not having been used in so long, Kikyo's spiritual senses lit ablaze, not unlike the very fire she'd been watching. Her eyes widened slightly in what meant a small gesture for many, yet a monumental achievement for her. Her legs brought her up with a speed she hadn't used in nearly two decades.

Something, something very big had just penetrated the fabric of time and space itself. Her senses spreading out across the spiritual plane as far as they could be stretched, she paced around her shack of a home like an antennae seeking clear reception. Whatever was causing this sensation was gargantuan in power, but it was difficult to determine the precise nature of it.

Focus.

Yes.

Kikyo was able to recognize two things. The first was that the nature of this disturbance was dimensional; something that was crossing over from one plane of existence to another. She'd seen this, sensed this many times before in the past, having occasionally observed her reincarnate do so. But this was grotesquely different. This wasn't a “clean” crossing, like the kind that Kagome had done. When that girl had transcended space and time, she'd gone through a clear, woven passageway between the two worlds. Whatever presence this was, on the other hand, it was crashing though the walls of time and space like a person who'd smash though a wall rather than go through a door. For those who were familiar with the nature of dimensional rifts, such a thing was believed impossible.

However, the second, and the foremost thing she recognized made clear why what she was sensing was possible…

Shikon.

There was no mistaking it. Kikyo couldn't possibly confuse that particular energy signature with any other. It wasn't in the same jewel form she'd always known it to be, but the presence was unquestionably that of a being connected to the Four Souls. It was barraging through the dimensional boundaries like a raging bull, sending torrential waves of distorted aura crashing across. Though the physical location of the actual disturbance was several hundred, possibly thousand miles away, it was powerful enough to cause ghostly waves to thrash from so far away.

Dear Gods, it was him! This was that child!

Kikyo found herself uncharacteristically stunned. Long before she'd surrendered herself to a hermit's life, she'd investigated every possible circumstance she could imagine under which Naraku could be further empowered… or, alternatively, defeated. The presence of the little demon infant who had escaped this world all those years ago was a huge factor in determining those possible outcomes. Yet, the portal… the well… the “clean” passageway that the child had been sent through was no more. For over a year, Kikyo had sought out the existence of any other such portals that could connect this world to the one Nikanaru been sent to. It was only when she'd assured herself that no such other portals existed that she satisfied herself to a life of isolation.

Yet, now, there he was. Unquestionably him, now jammed in the delicate aural walls between the two worlds. He'd broken one wall on his side, but now he was just… sitting there. Unmoving, though his mere presence continued sending ricocheting torrents across the spiritual boundaries. She hadn't anticipated this. In all her years of reflection upon everything that had happened, she'd never envisioned that something like this occurring.

And now, Kikyo was faced with the decision of what to do about it.

Was he infested?? No… there was no sign of Naraku's presence alongside his, despite the things she'd heard. There was…something else with him, though. A much smaller, but noticeable presence. Nothing particular. Nothing alarming.

So… now what could be done? Though her own miko powers were great and she could extend some measure of influence over the dimensional and spiritual plane, she couldn't outright push him back to wherever he'd come from. She wasn't that strong. It was possible, however, that she could use her influence to reach out and pull him the rest of the way through.

The question was… would that be wise?? Having him here could completely change everything… what was indeterminable was if it would be for better or for worse. In the past, most of the important decisions she'd made, both concerning herself and others, had backfired in the worst possible ways. Her decision to live… her decision to die… her decision to live again… her decision to seek revenge…

Although there were many unknown elements involved in this choice, she did know one thing for certain: Someone… quite likely Naraku, would eventually sense him as well, if he hadn't already, and would attempt to take advantage of this. For Naraku to repossess a power like this was beyond unacceptable. Such a thing had to be prevented at all cost.

But… what right did she have? What right did she have to once again try and take other people lives into her own hands? So often before, at times when she believed herself a proud, virtuous combatant for good, she'd foolishly convinced herself that the things she did, she did because they were simply right. She'd choose a path, a dangerous one, but would always convince herself that it was either for the greater good, or simply justified. In those days, she'd viewed good and evil in terms of black and white, and her lack of foresight had cost herself and many others dearly. Even when she was so sure of herself, just as sure as she was now, in the end, all she'd done was foster circumstances under which pain and suffering thrived.

But within these layers of self-doubt and regret laid a thought that had the audacity to form. A thought that dared… DARED to suggest that having Nikanaru here could be… could be used for… good?

Good. Yes. Strange, how the mere apparition of hope so suddenly brought about all these emotions and simple-minded beliefs she long swore off as dangerous.

But… how long had she sat here, awaiting patiently for end of the world? How long had she sat here, drowning in her own uselessness and self-loathing? Here now, was a chance. A real chance to change things. A real chance to make things right again. With the power of that this young demon possessed… she could… she could…

No. No, that was insane. It was selfish, even. It would be yet another foolish decision on her part. She'd…

She'd what? Make things even worse? How could she possibly do that? Already, the world was doomed. The difference Nikanaru would make was, worst-case scenario, advancing the coming of hell by several years. And the best-case scenario was…

…preventing it altogether.

Yes. Maybe… just maybe this could work.

Maybe… just maybe she could still do something right before she crumbled into dust.

And what's more was the obvious danger in leaving Nikanaru where he was. If she couldn't send him back, then the only option she'd had left was to grab him and pull him through to herself before Naraku could attempt the same thing.

With determination fiercer than anything she's shown in a long time, Kikyo's eyes shut as she fully concentrated her holy powers. Spreading her spiritual arms across the aural divide, her soul reached and reached through the distorted waves crashing about. Even trained, experienced and naturally talented as she was, it took everything she had to try and get close, focus in on her target and properly latch onto him.

If anyone had been watching, it would have been a bizarre sight to see this woman simply standing there behind her little hut… motionless, eyes closed and without any respiration, appearing perfectly at ease. Yet her mind and her soul underwent a terrible ordeal to find her target.

Though the process had left her spiritually exhausted, she at last managed to lock her presence onto his. Without taking a moment to recover her strength, she pulled… and pulled… and pulled, trying to dip his floating being to the other side. Now that he was already there, it wouldn't be near as hard to pull him out as it must have been for him to break into there. But it was still a Herculean task. For any lesser priestess, this kind of feat would have been out of the question. For her, it was only near-impossible.

But she nevertheless succeeded. When nearly the last of her spiritual reserves had emptied, the presence was at last falling toward her. It moved slowly at first, but eventually gained momentum until she felt it coming crashing towards her.

When she finally let go, she only had enough willpower left to hear the telltale screaming sound and a heavy set of thumps coming from the other side of the hut before she herself passed out.

In her dreams, she would pray to whatever Gods she might still be in good graces with that she had not just made another horrible mistake.

End Chapter 12

*********

A/N: I imagine the introduction of Kikyo into this story will yield some mixed reactions among readers. I know she's very controversial amongst the fan community, but please, no one freak out just yet.

See, even though she's an important character in the actual series, I've personally felt that she's never been really explored as a character. That, in turn, leaves her wide open to interpretation for weirdo authors such as myself. Like Max and Al, I've got plans for her. Big, fat, creepy plans, that I think you might just like.

And I guess it's getting to be a regular thing that I apologize for wait times. It's been one of those cuh-razy months, and even this little bit was all I was able to crank out. Anyway, University has folded for the summer and I'm getting a new job closer to where I live! So operations should start running a little more smoothly around here.

And remember… more reviews equals naked main characters!

Max: …FUCK… YOU!!!

Koday