InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unworthy One ❯ Chapter 7 - The True Answers Revealed... ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

**Not for Kikyou Lovers! This story contains violence, sexual content and rape! You are WARNED**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.



Chapter 7 - The True Answers Revealed...

==============Dream Begins=============

He found himself surrounded in darkness. Not just the normal dark that one feels when it is a moonless, or cloudy night, but one that seemed to threaten to drown its victims in the all consuming darkness of despair. It was so heavy that he found it difficult to breath, and he found himself fighting that darkness with all his might to keep from just falling to his knees and not giving up.

Suddenly an area of light surrounded him, given him a reprieve from the all consuming darkness and he found himself gasping for much needed air. It took him a bit of time, but he finally regained himself and stood to look around at this new development.

A humanoid figure seemed to be standing nearby. It was bright, almost glowing, and in fact, seemed to be the source of the strange and soothing light. He stepped towards the figure wanting to get a better look at who or what it was, and soon found himself face to face with the most powerful and beautiful female he had ever seen.

She was so ethereal, he was afraid she would suddenly disappear if he so much as blinked. She stood easily his equal in stature, and wore armour like he had not seen in centuries, and at that only an aged set that his father had stored at the castle in his vaste collection of old arms and armour. It looked oddly familiar when he took another look at it, but he could not quite place why.

She had knee length raven locks, blue black in color. Her eyes were the most beautiful cerulean blue he had ever seen, and seemed as though the owner were looking deep into the soul of all they gazed upon. In fact, he was quite sure that was exactly what she was doing. Looking deep into his very soul and weighing what she found there, judging what she saw for acceptability. Apparently, she approved of what she saw because she smiled at him. A smile that was almost as bright as the sun.

There was a warmth about her that seemed to radiate all around, bringing with it a feeling of peace, and comfort that soothed the soul. A gentle laugh left her lips, one that was like the musical chime of well toned bells, a sound that was welcome and easy on the ears.

"Greetings Great Taiyoukai, son of the Great and Terrible Sugimi-sama," the figure spoke in the most musical voice he had ever heard.

"How do you know me?" he demanded. How did she know him and his father? What gave her the right to such familiarity?

"Be at ease, Sesshomaru-sama," she spoke in answer. "Here of all places there is nothing that can harm you, nor is there anything that can threaten the Great Lord of the Western Lands. Rest, and be welcome here in this place."

"Where is this place, and why am I here?" he asked, feeling at ease despite himself.

"You are here, because I summoned you. This place in the world that I have existed in for more than a thousand years," she spoke. "This is/was the world inside the Shikon no Tama."

Her words click in his mind and suddenly he knew who she was. "Midoriko," he whisper, awe evident in his voice, despite his best efforts to hide the fact.

"Hai, my Lord," she bowed her head. "I am the Midoriko of legend, and this is my counterpart, the other half of the Shikon no Tama. The other poor soul who has been trapped here with me all these years. Meet the youkai, whose dark soul for centuries fueled the desires of everyone seeking evil, and drew them to the Jewel of Four Souls."

To his left, an enormous youkai that at first glance appeared to be a doragon (dragon) youkai appeared. But as he looked closer, he saw that it was really no more than a combined collection of lesser youkai that had come together to form one great youkai. But there seemed to be something in the center of the being, something that seemed out of place for a youkai. As he looked, Midoriko sensed his curiousity, and answered his unspoken question.

"What you see, my Lord, is a fusion. A fusion much like that of Naraku. You see, just as with Kikyou, there was a lowly ningen soul, who had desires for me. Desires that I could not return. The reasons are not important. What is important is that, that same ningen exchanged his soul for the mobility and strength of the youkai that were in the area. He had believed that if he could be as powerful as myself, I would desire him as much as he desired me. So he made a pact, and as a result, he lost who he was," she explained.

"You see, all the lesser youkai at the time, hated me for obvious reasons. After all, it is not everyday that you have someone who can reach deep into your very soul, and purify it into almost nothing. But the ningen didn't realize that his efforts to have me were in vain, nor did he realize that it was his soul and heart that allowed the youkai to do the one thing that they could otherwise have not done. Merge into one great and powerful youkai," she continued.

"In order for all of those different beings to combine, and cooperate into one powerful being, they needed a ningen heart and soul of evil to anchor them. Without that what they accomplished was not possible. Because I chose to sacrifice my life, for the protection of others, most of my own soul, and the soul of the youkai and ningen before you have been locked within the Shikon no Tama ever since," she informed the Youkai Lord.

"Then you are the one responsible for all the vile designs of Naraku," stated the Taiyoukai. It was not an accusing statement, although it sounded like it. It was meant more as a matter of fact, than anything. Midoriko seemed to understand, and took no offense at the comment, although her face did seem saddened by the revelation.

"After a fashion that statement is true, my Lord," she spoke.

"But the truth is, it was my design not hers," spoke the youkai. "I am the evil heart that desired to have what was never meant to be. It was my youki that provides the power that those with evil hearts so desired. It was my efforts that gave Naraku not only his power, but many of his ideas. It was my designs that led your dirty blood hanyou brother to treat your little Miko bitch like the filth she is, and has caused her current level of despair."

Midoriko turned to the youkai, her light of purity blazing in anger at the words the vile thing spoke. The youkai cowered before the flair of power, and could be heard whimpering in his fear. He was nothing without his power, and nothing but a coward at heart.

Sesshomaru had not been happy at his words, and his growls of anger filled the small space they were in. Despite his anger, he continued to listen to the exchange that now took place between the two.

"What you say is true, but just as Kikyou found a way to prevent you from completing your evil intent once before, so this Miko has found a way to keep you at bay once again," she spoke to the whimpering fool before her.

"What do you mean?" asked Sesshomaru.

"She means that your bitch has succeeded in defeating me," the cowardly youkai whimpered. "Just as the previous Guardian, she had not only purified the jewel, but has found a means to keep the jewel from ever being tainted again. And once a wish is made on it, the jewel will cease to exist and we will be no more."

"But the wish, my Lord," said Midoriko, still making her anger at the youkai more than evident, "must be totally pure. Even the slightest bit of selfishness will cause a repeat of everything just as it did with Kikyou.

You see, the only crime that Kagome ever committed was that of falling in love with your brother. A love that had been meant to be, but because of the interference of those who tempted Fate more than they were allowed that love died horribly and has left the poor child in despair," stated Midoriko.

"But the real crime, was not Kagome's. It was not even your brother's, it was Kikyou's. Kikyou despaired of being a miko. It was a task that she had not wanted from the time she started her training to be one. But because of her unusual powers, she was not given a choice in the matter. She was forced into a life she didn't want," Midoriko continued.

"More than anything she was lonely, and wanted to live an ordinary life, looking for nothing more than to find love and have a family. It was she, who came up with the idea of convincing your brother that he wanted to become ningen. But her desire was a purely selfish one, for she had no intentions of staying with Inuyasha after the wish was made.

She knew that as the youngest son of a Great and Powerful Lord, such as your father, it would be only a matter of time before one of your father's many enemies came and killed your brother. In ningen form, he would have had no power to defend himself, and he would never have survived.

In your time, just as in mine, youkai blood is viewed as tainted blood, and the fact that Inuyasha had been born hanyou was repulsive to Kikyou. Even if he had made the wish, in her heart she would have still seen the hanyou she had become infatuated with, because they both had one thing in common. Their loneliness and desire to be loved," she told the Youkai Lord.

"So it was she that tainted the jewel fifty years ago," stated Sesshomaru as fact.

"Hai, it was what Naraku had needed to gain the upper hand and complete his evil designs that left you brother sealed to the Goshinbuko for fifty years, and brought death to Kikyou. With her last breath, I was able to convince her that her desires had been selfish, but by then the damage to the jewel was done. I was, however, able to use the power of the Shikon to seal your brother in a deep, protected sleep. The Goshinbuko is a very old and wise soul, and was more than happy to aid me in my own designs.

Your brother didn't deserve an early death, and because Kikyou failed to complete her own mission as Guardian of the Jewel, it was necessary to come up with a plan that would bring back not only a worthy Guardian, but a protector that could help her where Kikyou failed," stated Midoriko.

"Kagome's supposed time travel," Sesshomaru stated as he connected the facts.

"Hai, only it is not a lie Lord Sesshomaru," said Midoriko. "She told you the truth. A young woman, in what will be the year 1981, in a great city called Tokyo, will give birth to a sweet and completely pure little girl. She will name her Kagome."

As Midoriko spoke of Kagome, the surrounding area changed. The youkai disappeared, for which Sesshomaru was silently grateful. He didn't think he could have stood by and listened to the vile thing speak of his Kagome in such a fashion much longer.

"Let me show you, my Lord," spoke Midoriko, "what Kagome could not find the words to tell you. Look and see who, what, and where your beloved mate is and came from. See what her life has been like. You have the right to know, and she would want you to, although she can't find the words to tell you."

For what seemed like a lifetime, and in fact was her lifetime, but was only a matter of a few minutes, images such as he had never, could never have dreamed up flashed before him. He saw Kagome's birth, her mother, and father. He saw her little brother, and her Ojii-san. He saw her father pass away, and her exemplary accomplishments in what was called school.

He saw her friends, and her home at the Shrine. A Shrine that he realized was the same one that was by his brother's forest, as was the Goshinbuko and the old Bone Eater's Well. He saw the dawn of her fifteenth birthday, as she was dragged through the old well by Mistress Centipede, and how Kagome had gotten away from the youkai, discovered his brother, and been taken to the village where she met the old miko.

He saw her self sacrificing actions as she led the centipede youkai away from the villagers, hoping to led it back to the old well. He watched as she freed his brother from the old tree, and how Inuyasha tried to kill her to get the jewel that had been ripped violently from her body.

He saw as she accidentally broke the jewel, and Inuyasha's behavior towards his old love's reincarnation, how he hated her, yelled at her, told her repeatedly how worthless she was. He watched as his brother almost led Yura of the Demon Hair to her time, and home, endangering her family, and her again being selfless, as she came back with Inuyasha to find and defeat Yura.

He was sickened as he watch her repeated sacrifices on her brother's behalf, and not once did he ever show gratitude or say thanks. It was her efforts that stopped Yura from taking his hair below his neck, her interference that had prevented the Un-Mother from taking Inuyasha's spirit, how her calling back her soul had rescued Inuyasha from Kikyou's purifying arrow, her bravery in the face of the houshi's Kazaana that kept his brother from being sucked into his void, how it was her efforts that weakened Kikyou as the clay bitch tried to take Inuyasha to hell the first time, and then her voice that had pulled him from the dead priestess' spell and kept him from being dragged down, how she taught him to trust again, how she taught him to respect life, how she shared life in her era with him showing him the wonders of her world, how she took an arrow for him, stood in defense of him many times, included repeatedly against, he Sesshomaru, thus again saving his hanyou brother's life.

She saved him from Kaguya's attack, and it was her love that stood in her stead to brave Inuyasha's youkai, as Kaguya attempted to steal his ningen soul. She risked crippling herself for life as she helped him to use a shard of the Shikon no Tama to break through the walls of a stone oni's stomach thus saving Inuyasha and her friends, how she repeatedly aided Kikyou for Inuyasha's sake, knowing full well that it meant she might not win his love by doing so, or that the bitch would come back and try to take her life or his. He saw how she encouraged him and believed in him, when no one else cared or would. It was her that allowed Inuyasha not only the ability to realize his full strength, but also granted him the priviledge of wielding Tetsusaiga as it was meant to be used.

Her belief in his hanyou half brother, allowed Inuyasha to face odds that even, he Sesshomaru would have found difficult, and in each case, Inuyasha came out the clear victor. But not once did he ever thank her, and only a few times did he ever show her a kind word, or that he cared.

He heard the words that she had learned to live with, and had finally come to accept as truth. "Kikyou was more intelligent than you. She's more beautiful than you are. She was a master at the bow. Your brain must be broken. You are a helpless little ningen. There is nothing worse than an ignoramus. I can't take my eyes off of you for a second, you are so weak and worthless. You can do nothing on your own. You will never be as good as Kikyou. Kikyou would never have done that. Kikyou would never have been stupid enough to break the jewel. It is all your fault. You can't go home until we get all of the jewel shards. She not my woman, she just a jewel detector."

The list went on, and on, and on. Despite it all, he watched as Kagome came to realize that she truly loved his half breed brother, and even told him so. She even promise to always be by his side, only to find that he had sworn a promise to Kikyou's lifeless walking clay corpse. He saw as his brother, repeatedly chased after his former love, and never once took notice of the pain it caused Kagome each time. He was appalled to find that Inuyasha had even chased off to look for his dead love, leaving Kagome inadequately protected, and allowing Naraku's offspring to kidnap her and attempt to take control of her soul by trying to taint it. But despite his best efforts, Akago was unable to taint Kagome's pure soul. He even watched as Kikyou tried to kill Kagome, only for Inuyasha to come and learn of the encounter and still he chased after the walking, soul eating corspe.

Finally, the images all seemed to focus on one last event. The battle with Naraku. He watched as they all met in the clearing over a week's walk away. Naraku was in his true form and Kagome was off to one side of the clearing, keeping sheltered in the thick of the trees. The kitsune was with her, doing his level best to try to protect his adopted mother, as the houshi and the Taijiya stood between her and the vile hanyou, wielding their battle skills to fight off the seemingly endless waves of youkai that he sent their way.

His brother was impressively standing his ground and gradually making head way in damaging the evil hanyou. Tetsusaiga was giving him an edge that Naraku could not face for long. He saw as Inuyasha was about to release the Bakuryuuha which surely would have taken Naraku down, however, the vile fiend had succeeded in slipping one of his tentacles under Inuyasha's guard and stabbed him right through his body, just below his heart.

Inuyasha remained on his feet, however, and was about to release his attack with Tetsusaiga, when one of Kikyou's arrows caught him right through his back and out through his heart. The purifying wave, doing what Naraku's tentacle had failed to do.

There was a flair of power off to the side, as another purifying arrow, this one belonging to Kagome, raced towards the murderous priestess, and nailing her right through her nonexistant heart. Her stolen souls poured from her clay form, and one bright blue ball of purity raced for the little Miko, quickly finding its place back once again with the rest of its soul.

Unfortunately, that arrow had been the last one that Kagome had in her quiver, and she didn't know now to make her power flow through her hands. At least not consciously. She stood transfixed in horror as one of Naraku's tentacles made its way past the houshi's and Taijiya's formidable attacks, and pierced her left shoulder, causing her to scream in pain. The neko youkai attacked the wayward appendage, and took an overwhelming rush of Naraku's poison miasma as she bit off the tentacle, freeing it from Kagome's shoulder.

A second, smaller tentacle had succeeded in nailing the Miko's foot, and with her last ounce of rapidly failing strength, the neko tore this tentacle to shreds as well. The neko youkai fell to the ground immobilized and dying because of the poison. The thrashing of the first tentacle unexpectedly caught the Taijiya's Hiraikotsu as she tried to throw the great and powerful weapon one more time. It spun out of control and slammed into the Taijiya, instantly breaking her back, and causing her to fall into the nearby houshi.

At the shock of her sudden death, the houshi faced Naraku, and despite the presence of the Saimyoushou, he unleashed his Kazaana sucking up everything he could regardless of the poison that he took in from the Insects of Hell. It was this attack that finally took both Kanna and Kagura from the fight. He finally lost his fight as the poison took him, collasping upon the body of the woman who had come to mean so much to him.

He could hear Naraku's vile laugh, as he sent an enormous wave of the Saimyoushou towards Kagome. The only defense left to her was the little kitsune. At first he stood bravely, though it was obvious he was scared half to death. When the leading edge of the wave reached him, he screamed with all his might as he let loose the most powerful wave of his fox fire that he had even been able to create.

But his success was short lived. Although he took out almost half of the Insects of Hell, with that incredible wave of power, he fell soon after to their attack. That was when the battle changed.

A scream that sent chills down Sesshomaru's spine as it reached his ears, echoed throughout the clearing and far beyond. It was only one word, but the power behind it clearly scared the living hell out of every one of Naraku's minions. But they didn't stand a chance against that wave of power.

With nothing more than a single word, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......", echoing nonstop for what must have been five minutes, the entire clearing lit up like a flairing sun. It was blinding, and Sesshomaru had to close his eyes in the face of that brightness. Long moments later, he open them as the brightness began to fade, and he watched as a completely unarmed Kagome, stepped into the clearing.

The waves of youkai were gone, even the bodies of the dead ones, other than a few bones. It was like they had never existed. However, with some protection from the fragments of the Shikon no Tama, he possessed, Naraku still stood, although he suffered a considerable amount of damage from the blast of purifying energy that had just been released. Kagome's eyes were all aglow, just like the light that had washed through the clearing moments ago.

Without a moments hesitation or thought, she walked despite her own injuries, towards the hanyou, who stood in the clearing laughing like he had just won his greatest victory. A tentacle from under his mass of vile flesh, flicked outward, wrapping itself around her right leg, from her knee to her upper inner thigh before trying to snake its way around her waist.

"Ahhh! My sweet, pure little Miko. Coming to give yourself to me, like your incarnation. Oh, I am sorry. You were not aware that Kikyou had given herself to me freely, were you? Given herself to me for the past year and a half, and aiding me to thwart you and that half-breed that you followed around like a love sick puppy," he laughed. She ignored his words, and continued to walk towards him, despite the pain that his very touch was causing on her exposed skin.

Already her clothes were tattered, and her shoes lost. One when the tentacle had pierced her foot, and the other when she had started acrossed the corpse strewn ground to reach where she was now.

She was standing right next to him, and as he reached to take the jewel shards from her, she raised her hand and clenched her fist, only to have the tainted shards that lay deep within Naraku's chest tear violently from his body, and rush to her waiting hand instantly purifying as soon as she touched them.

Her body began to glow, just as the clearing had before. Before Naraku could react, she grabbed onto him, as though in a lover's embrace. The glow once again intensified become too bright to look at. When it faded, there was only Kagome standing in the center of the clearing. Nothing remained of Naraku, or his minions, not even Kagura and Kanna.

Slowly, as if still in some kind of trance, Kagome walked over to where Inuyasha lay in a heap. She touched the arrow in his chest, instantly dissolving it. Sesshomaru saw Inuyasha raise his head, blood running from his lips. Kagome hugged him, crying as she told him that Naraku was gone and the jewel whole once more. But instead of praise and happiness for the final defeat of their long hated enemy, Inuyasha's next words were the final straw for the already distraught, injured, and exhausted Miko.

"Is Kikyou alright? Where is she," he spoke, his voice rapidly failing. "I have to find h-h-he-er..." Then he died.

"Gomen nasai, Inuyasha," she cried. The earlier scream had been the cause of her damaged vocal chords and she could only talk in a whispered, pain filled voice. "I failed. I failed you, and all of the others. I killed Kikyou, and took your last chance at happiness away.

You were right. I was not strong enough. I was a handicap by just being here. Because of me, you all died. If it were not for me, you all would have never suffered like this," she sobbed brokenly.

"But I promise Inuyasha," she swore, "I will make everything right. First I have to pay for my crimes against you. You were right. I was not as good as Kikyou. I lived when she could not. I should have died long ago, so that the two of you could be together. She was much more powerful, skilled, beautiful and intelligent that me. I could never even have hoped to be as good as her.

Don't worry though. As soon as I have been punished enough for all the pain I caused you and the others, I will make the last wish on the jewel and give you all back the lives you should be having now. I promise. It will just be a little longer and I will make things all right as they should be," she said. For a time, she lay against the hanyou and let her cries fill the silent clearing. Then she stood and retrieved Tetsusaiga putting it back into Inuyasha's hand.

She moved to the houshi, and the Taijiya, and straightened their bodies, leaning them against each other, so that the Taijiya was in the houshi arms. She then took the neko youkai and settled her into the Taijiya's lap, and the kitsune she arranged in the Taijiya's arms. Once finished, she stepped to the edge of the clearing, and stopped to look back once more.

Already the strange, almost unearthly, flowers began to fill the clearing, covering everything in a blanket of fragrant blossoms. Strange, ethereal blossoms that normally only bloomed in mid-summer, and then only at night and dying with the first rays of the morning sun.

She looked at each one of those she loved lying as she had lain them. "You will all be safe here. Safe until I can finish my final quest. Once I have been sufficiently punished for being bad, I will make the wish with my last breath, and you will all be able to live the lives you were meant to have. The lives you all deserve without a pathetic weakling like me to bring you pain."

With that she turned back into the woods, her broken and forgotten bow in her hand. Not far from the clearing she dropped it. The broken arrow already on the ground from where one of the fallen enemy had dragged itself before it had died. Her clothing tattered, her shoes had been lost in those last moments as she face Naraku, but she never noticed as she walked off to face a destiny that she thought she deserved for crimes that she was now convinced she had committed against those she loved.

"As you can see, my Lord," spoke Midoriko once more, "she had accomplished much, only to gain so little. The only ones who really understood, were the houshi, the Taijiya, the neko youkai and the kitsune. But they respected her decision to follow your brother. They might have stood up for her, but she made them promise not to interfere. Not that they didn't try regardless, especially on those occasions when she got to go home to visit her family.

But all their efforts were for nothing," sighed the ancient warrior priestess. "Her greatest blessing, is also her greatest bane, she has a compassionate heart, and a pure soul. She would give her life for anyone she loves no matter the cost to her."

"Why have you shown me all this, told me all of this?" Sesshomaru asked, gesturing to the now fading images before him.

"Because, my Lord," she replied, "you have done the one thing that your brother could not find the courage to do. You have shown her kindness, and in your own way, love. You do not fully understand the power of what you have done, but you will. She may not have seemed like it, but she truly hurt when she thought that you had not found sufficient happiness in her pain. That was why she gave you back your arm. She felt guilty that you had lost it to begin with, and even though she often thought of you as her enemy, she also respected you for your strength, beauty, and pride. Had she believed that doing so, would have made you happy, and she had the strength to do so, she would have driven herself on the point of your Toukijin, and done it gladly just so you might be pleased.

Except for the kitsune, who is like a son to her, few have accepted her for who she is, rather than what she is capable of or not capable of as the case might be. Even in her own time, her friends spend more time pitying her for her failings, and trying to get her to be someone she is not, than accepting her for who she truly is. Her mother, brother, and Ojii-san understood, but they respected her sense of responsibility and honoured her decision to come to this time, seeking to fix what in her ignorance she broke.

She is my decendant Lord Sesshomaru," said Midoriko, "and truly worthy of me. She is far more powerful even than I was, but she doesn't realize her worth. You are the only other person to truly realize it, and shown her some of the compassion and respect she deserves. I told you all of this, because as her mate, you have the right to know and understand who it is that you have claimed as your own. I chose to give you this knowledge, because I believe that you have it in you to help her to heal in body, mind and soul."

"And what makes you believe that I would even care to heal her?" he asked. Something, some last shred of himself that was reluctant to give up on his long established habits, seemed to make him ask that question. He was ashamed of himself for having done so, almost as soon as the words left his mouth. Surprisingly, Midoriko just smiled.

"Because, my Lord," she said confidently, "even if you have not yet accepted the fact, your Youkai has admitted your love for the girl, and has already shown her more compassion and care, than the girl has known in years. You will protect her, willingly with your life, and you have already found the patience to help her find herself again."

He nodded his head, her words ringing true. His Youkai had even surprised him, in the gentle way he had treated Kagome, when he had believed that his beast would just forcefully take her. Instead he had cared for her. Cared that she was in pain, and needed healing.

"Know one last thing Lord Sesshomaru, before I return you to your mate's side," said Midoriko. "Because the jewel is now a part of Kagome, and inseparable from her, her every thought and desire is known to me. I know that she wishes to use the jewel to bring her friends and those she cares for back to life. She wishes this for the most unselfish of reasons, although her intent in trying to accomplish this is misplaced.

I will grant her wish, at the break of dawn. This is my choice, and will not take the final wish from the jewel. While, your brother has caused much of her pain, he had not intentionally meant to harm her as he has. She would only continue to suffer because of his death, if he were to remain so," Midoriko continued.

"Inuyasha, and her friends will find you and Kagome, probably sometime tomorrow afternoon, what with the neko youkai to help them travel. If you wish to help her anchor herself to the land of the living, let the kitsune come to her. He needs her now, as much as she needs a child to love. Shippo loves her unconditionally, something that no one else has ever given her, except you. He accepts what she offers, and loves her no matter who or what she might be, but for who she is. That is the kind of care that will heal her. The kind of care that you have it in you to give to her," she told him.

"What of the dead priestess?" he asked. Part of Kagome's wish was for Kikyou to live again, so that she could be with his brother. He was not happy about that at all, but realized that he might not have any say in the matter.

"Oh, she will live, my Lord," Midoriko said, with a smile that was anything but pleasant. "While she might be forgiven her choices in life, she still has to pay for her choices in death. I for one, on my own, might be inclined to just let her be as she is, residing in the hell she decided was appropriate for her and your brother. But in the matter of those who have done evil by their own choice, I do not have total control over the out come. My counterpart, also, gets a say in the choice of punishment. As you, I am sure, could tell, he is one who takes great pleasure in the pain and suffering of others, and he takes great pains to drag out his pleasure whenever possible.

After she was brought back by Urasue, she had a choice to work with the side of good, or to embrace evil. She is the one who betrayed Inuyasha repeatedly by aiding Naraku and/or his minions. She made numerous attempts to take your brother's and his companions lives, including your mate's. Even when they all forgave her for her actions, she still continued to show her gratitude by trying to bring them further harm. These things she chose to do of her own free will. She was neither forced, nor coerced into making those choices.

Even then, she might have had a chance to save herself, however, she chose to ensnare the innocent souls of dead maidens, not only inteferring with what Fate had destined for those souls, but bringing her own punishment down on them, as well. For these things she has much to pay for, though I would not wish such on anyone.

She will live, and she will have the life that she always wanted, however, she will find it is not the life that she expected. For one thing, she will not have a ningen Inuyasha as her husband, nor will she have him as hanyou. She is too driven by the prejudices of the times. She will have no choice but to accept what fate allows her, whether she wishes it or not.

Provided that she can even find someone who would want her, especially with the reputation she has left behind with all of her wanderings, she would still be faced with what it truly means to be an 'ordinary woman', in these times. You see my Lord, the 'ordinary' life that she has so long desired, in the ningen world is full of hardships that Kikyou does not truly appreciate. It is not a life of freedom, but one of possession and property.

Among us ningens, a wife is only meant to be seen, not heard, and often not even seen. They more commonly are only there to tend to their husbands' needs, bare him children, and care for those children. Even a Lady of the Court is generally offered no freedom, especially such as Kikyou has become accustom to having. The more poverty stricken are even expected to work long and unforgiving days in the fields or other crafts that take a hard toll on the ningen body. I am sure that she will be quite 'happy' in her 'ordinary' life.

These times are not like the ones that Kagome comes from. A time when for the most part, men and women are not owners of each other, but equals and free to make their own choices or be independant. Fate needed this in order for Kagome to have the free, fiery spirit, and strength of character necessary for her to accept all those she met for who they were, what they were, and yet to still be able to face Naraku and cleanse not only the jewel, but his soul, both youkai and ningen, else he would not have been destroyed," she assured him.

He thought over her words for a moment, satisfied with the outcome. If the bitch must live, at least she would not so easily get off with all of the harm she had caused. It was enough. All he wanted now, was to return to his mate, and do what he could to heal her body, her heart, and her soul.

"It has been a pleasure, and an honour to meet the eldest son of the Great Sugimi-sama. I wish you well, my Lord," Midoriko spoke in farewell. "You and your mate both. Take good care of her, my Lord. She will bring you much joy in life. You should know that her binding herself to the Shikon no Tama has extended her life, to almost Youkai equivalents. Your claiming her, has assured that she will live a life as long as your own.

She is not out of the woods yet, my Lord, and you will need to help her further. It will go hard on her when she sees your brother again, but she must face this hurdle if she is to recover herself. Complete the binding ritual that you began with the mating, my Lord. It is the only hope of her having a full recovery, although it will still take time.

Some say that the power of youkai blood is strong, my Lord. Especially the blood of the Great Inuyoukai of the Western Lands. Use what means you have at hand, and you will not only heal her body, you will heal her mind, and save her soul. Cherish your treasure dearly.

Oh, and let me be the first to offer my congratulations on your son, my Lord," she smiled.

With those last words, and before he could ask what she meant, the world around him faded from view, replaced by the blackness of before. But somehow, the darkness was not as oppressive as it had been. It seemed to have a slightly lighter feel to it. Not one of happiness and joy, but one at least of less despair and a spark of hope.

====================End Dream===============