InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Psyche ❯ I. Tragedy strikes and the tale comes to life. ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Psyche

Author: Sutoresu

Summary: Alternate Universe // When the beauty of the young maiden, Kagome, becomes greater than that of the fabled Kikyo, the spirit sends a half-demon to exterminate her. But, what happens when her pure beauty is strong enough to warm the hanyou?

Disclaimer: I own neither the characters of Inuyasha, nor the Roman myth of Psyche & Cupid. If you can see the parallels between the two stories, I applaud you. If not, please enjoy my interpretations presented here within as cheap entertainment.

. I. Tragedy strikes and the tale comes to life

.

While alive, the high priestess Kikyou was the most powerful miko in all the lands. She alone knew what it was to let loose a sacred arrow that never failed to strike its target and her presence was so great that the strongest of demons quaked at her approach. It was her destiny to walk the lands and attend to her fellow mortals, for it was she only that was blessed with such spiritual powers.

But it was not just power that the gods bestowed upon the young maiden.  As she was favored by the deities they, in turn, bless her with an ethereal beauty unrivalled by any other mortal, past or present. And it was this beauty that proved to be the cause of her demise.

Out of nowhere, cutting through the quiet of the woods, came a noise. Not one to garner the attention of a mere human, but Kikyou was much more than a mere human. She paused, but refused to turn around.

"I know you are over there, Inuyasha," she said, her voice as still as the summer air which enveloped her. "You have been watching me for quite some time." Kikyou bowed down and continued to pick flowers to weave into her raven tresses, purposely keeping her back to the great tree; she had nothing to fear from such a half-demon, and this was not the first time she had caught him staring.

There was a faint "feh" that came from up in the limbs of the tree, and a repeat of the previous noise as he left his perch in the tree, before Kikyou knew she was alone once more. However, she had barely a few moments peace in which to draw on the quiet before she heard footsteps approaching.

"Lady Kikyou." His voice seemed to echo on the wind, drawing out her name, wrapping her in his melody.

Kikyou knew the voice and, inwardly, cringed as her name resounded in her head. Her face, though, showed no emotion as she stood up straight. "Onigumo," she responded, drawing her bow close to her chest.

The man, nearly her equal in beauty, though she knew it to be nothing more than a twisted illusion, approached her and bent down on one knee. "My dearest, Kikyou. I would prefer it if you called me by my chosen name, Naraku. I think it suits me so much more, don't you?"

Kikyou smiled, and the sight of her was enough to cause several birds nearby to break into song. But the smile was not one of kindness of adoration, but one of hatred; the power of the emotion behind the gesture was so strong that it made her beauty radiate even more so. "You were introduced to me as Onigumo, and Onigumo I shall call you."

"Yes, my Kikyou. If it pleases you," the man replied, still positioned on the ground. But Kikyou knew that his words were empty and meaningless. As he spoke, he tested her powers again, sending out his own demonic aura in waves. As usual, though, the aura was purified the instant it made contact with Kikyou's own barrier. His laugh echoed throughout the clearing when he felt his own strength dissolve against Kikyou's.

She looked down on the man and placed her bow at his feet. Curious, Naraku's laughter stopped as he looked down at the bow and, assuming it to be a gift from Kikyou, reached for it. Once his palm made contact with the bow, he jerked his hand back as if he had been burned. Then, getting to his feet, he stepped back from Kikyou and looked at his hand and the raw patch of skin that was now there. "That wasn't very nice, Kikyou," he said, his voice as cold as her own.

"It wasn't very nice of you to seek me out in the forest, Onigumo," she replied, bending down to retrieve her bow. "This is the only space that no full demon dare tread, and I can be alone."

When her eyes had looked away, Naraku betrayed himself as a lustful, longing expression appeared on his face. A crooked smile crossed his face and he stretched his hand out towards her.

Kikyou straightened up and paused, her eyes locked on Naraku's.

Naraku, though he kept his appearance, lost the politeness of his voice. "Kikyou, you will be mine. I shall take you as my bride."

This was not the first time that a suitor, struck by her beauty, decided to stake a claim. It was the fate of one such as Kikyou -- but she knew it would be impossible to ever fall in love with a mortal. Though they would be delighted to be in the company of her radiance, her post as high priestess would forever endanger any man. And, if she were ever to weaken by falling in love and forsaking her duties, it would only lead to her own death, as well of that of her admirer. It was her destiny to walk these lands alone.

But Naraku seemed unable to accept her fate. For as far back as she could remember, he had been there, watching her -- always watching. True, he had the ability to change his appearance, but she always knew when it was him. As she grew older, and her beauty showed no signs of waning, instead only growing more profound, he became more persistent. On more than one occasion she had felt his presence in the most private of times, such as when she was sleeping or bathing.

Because he seemed to be something altogether different from a demon, Kikyou has no way of defeating him. Naraku seemed to be much more than a man, much more than a demon, and entirely obsessed with her beauty and strength. It was that obsession that kept him returning to her, though she never reciprocated his feelings. It was his own powers that enabled him to keep returning to her, without her stopping him.

For if she could stop him, she would.

Kikyou had no idea who or what Naraku was, but she had her own suspicions. She had long suspected him of being more than a mortal, regardless of his claims. The presence of his demonic aura was more than enough to show her that he was part-demon. But his demonic aura was something new -- she had never sensed it before. Before, Onigumo was a simple man that's unnatural leering caused the normally unruffled Kikyou to squirm. It was later, when he began to refer to himself as Naraku, that Kikyou sensed his demonic aura as well as when she realized he had the ability to change his shape and size.

It seemed as if the mortal she had known as Onigumo had transformed into a demonic Naraku through some manner.

Kikyou wasn't sure how it could have happened, but it made sense to her. As it was now, there were only two creatures that were able to continually follow her and marvel at her beauty. One was Naraku, the other Inuyasha, a half-demon she had encountered during her travels.

In fact, the same hanyou that she had spied watching her once more, only that afternoon.

There was something about a half-demon, Inuyasha in particular though it seemed Naraku fit as well, that was protected from Kikyou's miko powers. Maybe it was because they, like she, did not really have a place in this world. While a hanyou found solace neither with youkai nor the human race, Kikyou's beauty and strength kept her separate from other mortals. It was her compassion for such creatures that shared in her fate that led her to spare the lives of both half-demons, allowing them to continue following her.

But, now it seemed that Naraku was not content to follow her -- he wanted to have her. Kikyou was aware that would be his eventual goal, and now she found herself unable to reply. However, the disgust in her eyes said it all.

Naraku bowed, then, and when he stood erect once more, he grinned. "I'm tired of these foolish games, priestess."

Kikyou lowered her head. "Yes, I quite agree, Onigumo," she said before turning around. Her bow dangling in her hand, hanging down by her right side, she started to walk away.

Naraku watched Kikyou walk away as she had done so many times before. But this time, Naraku was unsatisfied. "Don't turn away from me, Kikyou."

When all she did was continue to walk, horrible anger flared up within Naraku. Using all of the demonic powers he possessed, he shot out a tentacle-like appendage from under his own clothing.

Such a dirty attack would be no match for Kikyou, ordinarily. However, once the strike had been made against the priestess, the hanyou leapt from out of nowhere, his claws outstretched. "Kikyou!"

Her focus no longer on Naraku, but on Inuyasha, the barrier surrounding the miko diminished greatly. Once the tentacle made contact, the force of the attack was so strong that it crumpled her barrier upon contact, striking her down immediately.

Inuyasha watched in horror as the priestess fell. Knowing that he could do nothing to help her now, Inuyasha turned against her attacker. His claws seemed to glow golden as he leapt down. "Iron reaver, soul stealer," he cried as he sliced Naraku in half. The demon's expression never changed as his top slid away from his bottom half.

Inuyasha landed with a soft plop alongside Naraku's remains. Without even bothering to wipe the blood off of his claws, Inuyasha stood over Kikyou's fallen form. "Kikyou," he murmured, her beauty still profound even as she was dying. Ever since the first time he laid eyes on her, Inuyasha had imagined the moment when they shared their first moments together. Of the countless scenarios that had played in his infatuated mind, his proclamations of affection at the moment of her death had never occurred to him. The senseless slaughter of the woman in front of him, a woman he had followed for the past year in the hope of gathering the courage to speak to her, struck him at that moment. Then the normally cold hanyou did something he hadn't done since his own mother had died. He let a single tear escape.

As that one tear made its way down his face, it carelessly fell slowly onto her face.

"Inu... Inuyasha," she gasped, the life spilling out of her, her eyes slowly closing. But, before they did, a pair of tears slid down her own cheeks. For the first time in her life, she was whole and feeling. And she cried.

When the two drops mixed, in an instant of what never was and what could never be, the two of them -- the miko and the hanyou, vanished.

Naraku watched as it happened, his own blood staining the grass, a grim smile on his face. You may have won this round, Kikyou, he said, using the last of his strength to rejoin his body and heal the wounds inflicted on him by Inuyasha, but I'll have you yet. And with that, Naraku was gone.

And so it was. That single tear, shed by a half-demon, mingled with one fallen from the lash of a woman who was finally able to feel, brought about a miracle. Thus Lady Kikyou was reborn as a higher being, and this very shrine was erected in her memory. It is also said that the same hanyou entered into the servitude of the priestess, forsaking his own life for the one of the woman he pitied from afar. And the despicable demon that cut short such a life, he himself disappeared. & . & . & Just outside of an elaborate shrine, a young maiden sat on the grass, her feet folded under her simple kimono. Though there was no breeze around, her long black hair seemed to fan around her petite frame. With a sigh, she bowed her head in respect to the dead priestess, her long black hair falling into her large brown eyes as she did so. Her prayers were interrupted, however, when a voice seemed to ring through the trees. "Kagome!"

Higurashi Kagome quickly rose to her feet when she heard her mother's call. Quickly, she ran through the woods and made her way to the back of the cottage she shared with her mother, grandfather and brother. As she normally did, Kagome made sure to keep her head down, so as to not be bothered by the stares of the other villagers. Though she had been living in the same village for all of her fifteen years, many of her neighbors seemed unaccustomed to her brilliant beauty. It was something that could not be helped, so Kagome had learned early on to try to mask her own radiance as best she could.

Just before she entered the back of her cottage, Kagome slowed to an acceptable pace. Once she had caught her breath, and had run a hand through her glossy mane, she entered the small cottage and smiled at her mother. "Did you call, Mama?" she asked, a smile brightening up her face.

Her mother sighed. "Kagome, dear, so many people have stopped by today to see you, and you're out playing in the woods," she said as she pointed towards the hem of her daughter's kimono.

Kagome looked down and quickly brushed away a stray twig that had become entangled in her clothing. "I wasn't just out playing in the woods, Mama, I was visiting Lady Kikyou's shrine. Visiting her shrine always seems to give me strength when I have to deal with all these fools stopping by our cottage."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled sadly and placed a comforting hand through her daughter's hair. "I know you can't help looking the way you do, my dear, but maybe it would help if you were nicer to some of there, er, fools. One of them might make a fine suitor for you, Kagome."

Kagome tried to find truth in her mother's words, but concluded that it was hopeless. "Oh, Mama, you don't understand. None of those men want to court me -- they just want to gawk at me. They don't love me for me, but for what I look like. Now I know exactly how Lady Kikyou felt -- wanted by men just for her beauty and her powers. I just hope that I don't get struck down by someone that I turn down."

Mrs. Higurashi had to hide a smile at her daughter's dramatics. True, her daughter's own beauty was always being compared to the fabled beauty of the priestess that had perished in their village fifty years prior. However, if she remembered the story correctly, the evil demon, Naraku, disappeared the same day that Kikyou was slain, taking that hanyou with her to the afterlife. All Kagome had to worry about was the amorous glances of villagers and nobles alike. As she had no spiritual powers of her own, Kagome was in little danger of attracting a demon admirer.

Which, of course, was a good thing, reasoned her mother as Kagome sighed heavily and left to greet the people queuing up in front of her family's cottage. As it was, word of Kagome's beauty had spread far enough that nobles from other regions were coming to see if the rumors about such a beauty were true. There was hardly enough room in their little village to accommodate such visitors, let alone room for a demon to attack. & . & . & "Inuyasha."

"What?" came the curt reply from above.

Kikyou looked up from her cloud and saw the back of the hanyou, lying down on a cloud directly above her. She sighed and, with a flick of her wrist, she was floating above him.

Inuyasha, who had been feigning sleep, opening up one of his amber eyes. He twitched one of his white dog ears in annoyance as he glared at the spirit above him. "Yes, Kikyou? You called?"

Her face remaining expressionless, she sank down on the same cloud, resting next to his feet. "Yes. There is a slight problem down there."

Inuyasha rolled over slightly and peered down. "I don't see anything but white, Kikyou."

Kikyou knew that he was baiting her and, therefore, ignored his cheek. "You know that I was referring to Earth, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha turned back and propped himself up on his elbows. "Oh," he said, running his tongue across one of his pointy fangs, "you mean that place I got thrown out when Naraku did you in?"

Kikyou just looked at Inuyasha. She knew he was bitter that the one good action he had ever done had cost him his own Earthly existence. However, did that mean he had to be nasty? Choosing to ignore him as she usually did, she continued. "Yes, Inuyasha. And, as I was saying, there is a small problem on Earth. There is someone down there who believes she is my equal in beauty."

A smart reply died on Inuyasha's lips. Even now, fifty years after her death, Kikyou was very touchy on the subject of her beauty and the memory of it's splendor. "So, what are you telling me for?"

Kikyou grinned. "I want you to go take care of it."