Bidding goodbye to Sesshoumaru, who she’d met along the way, Kagome continued on to Kaede’s hut. At least once a day, she checked in with the elder priestess, to see if there was anything that needed doing around the village.
But this time, Kaede wasn’t there.
As she pushed back the reed curtain, Kagome found herself alone with Kikyou instead. Today, she was sitting up on her bedroll, but she still looked as frail as ever. Her thin white yukata hung from her shoulders, and her lovely long hair was stringy and askew. A dull sheen glazed her dark almond eyes, as she turned her face slowly toward the door.
“Sorry,” Kagome said, hesitating in the threshold. “I was looking for Kaede-baa-chan.”
From her shadowed corner of the room, Kikyou replied, “She left some hours ago, to see to a birthing.” Her somber gaze drifted back toward the window. “The mother was having a great deal of trouble. It may be awhile yet, before my sister returns.”
“Okay.” Awkwardly, Kagome teetered on her heels. “…Do you, um, need anything?”
Faintly, Kikyou shook her head. But Kagome didn’t miss the way her predecessor’s arms tightened briefly around her chest. After stoking the hearth back to life once again, the younger miko padded over with a frown.
“Let me see,” she said gently, crouching down beside the bed.
With effort, Kikyou opened the neck of her yukata. Above her left breast, a series of dark fissures spider-webbed across her pale porcelain skin. Before Kagome’s eyes, the fine cracks seemed minutely to expand, bleeding like veins of ink through parchment.
“Your wound isn’t healing,” the young miko said, meeting the dim eyes of her predecessor. “Why isn’t it healing?”
“Because I am no longer consuming the souls of the dead,” Kikyou answered, pulling her collar stiffly shut.
“What?” Her reincarnation leapt to her feet, her hands balling to fists at her sides. “Why would you do that?—does Inuyasha know?”
“Of course he doesn’t.” The clay priestess’s slim hand remained curled at her chest. “The Shinidamachu come with their souls, and I take them and send them away.”
“But, why—”
“I am tired,” Kikyou said, with a weariness that seemed to well up from the depths of their shared soul. Within herself, Kagome felt the echo of its pang. “This unnatural state…I cannot go on like this. I do not wish to.” Her glassy eyes lifted to Kagome’s. “Soon, Naraku’s curse will take me. Then the souls within me will be liberated, and you will be whole once again.”
“Don’t say that!” Kagome said hotly, stamping her foot. “Your half of my soul—I don’t want it. I don’t need it! I’m whole enough as it is.” As Kikyou looked away, her reincarnation fumed on, “Anyway, how can you even think of giving up like this? Don’t you know what your death would do to Inuyasha?—it would devastate him.”
“But he has you,” Kikyou said, a fragile smile touching her lips. “With you, he will be happy.”
“No, he won’t,” Kagome said flatly, and her predecessor glanced to her in surprise. “I don’t love him—not in that way.”
“I,” Kikyou said slowly, as though uncomprehending. “I assumed…”
“It’s not like that between us. He loves you. He’s always loved you—and if you care anything for him, you’ll stay strong for him. Because he needs you now, more than ever.”
Kikyou’s lips parted, before she looked down to her lap, abashed. “Even if that’s true, how can you expect me to remain as I am? This lifeless clay shell, animated by departed souls…” Her fair features contorted. In disgust, she glared at her raised shaking hands. “It is an abomination; I am an abomination.” Her eyes flashed to her reincarnation’s, but the spark in them had nothing to do with the clay self she so despised. “You cannot deny this—I do not belong here.”
Kagome’s eyes flashed back as she set her hands on her hips. “Who’s to say who belongs here and who doesn’t? What is ‘here’ anyway? You may be in the wrong body, but I’m in the wrong time. And yet, here we are.” With a huff, she barreled on, “Do you honestly believe you came back here for nothing?—have a little more faith, Kikyou! You’re here for a reason, and even if you don’t believe it, Inuyasha sure does.” Depleted at last, Kagome slumped her shoulders, her expression pleading. “…Don’t you love him, even a little?”
“I love him,” Kikyou said, her voice soft and almost shy. Yet before her reincarnation could breathe a sigh of relief, she asked, “And you, Kagome? Is there someone you love as well?”
The young miko stared, a lump forming in her throat. “I…that’s…”
As the curtain banged open behind them, Kagome could have whooped for joy. She’d never been so happy to see Inuyasha’s surly face.
“Don’t you have studying to do?” he groused, trying to conceal the bunch of spider lilies clutched in his fist.
“Nope,” Kagome said brightly. “Cram school ended early today.”
Of course, her supplemental class had only ‘ended early’ because she’d gone there to cancel her enrollment. But these details didn’t seem important. Peering over at him, she grinned.
“Nice flowers.”
Inuyasha humphed, a hint of color rising to his cheeks. Figuring it was in poor taste to keep teasing him in front of his would-be girlfriend, Kagome turned to take her leave. Then, she remembered.
“Oh, by the way,” she said to him as she paused, “Sesshoumaru wanted me to tell you that Toutousai’ll be here soon to fix your sheath.”
The hanyou bristled, baring his fangs. “What?! Why the hell didn’t he just tell me that himself?”
Kagome fought down the upward twitching of her lips. ‘Probably because he knew you’d react like this,’ she was willing to wager, but instead she just crossed her arms and shrugged.
“…What’s been keeping that old codger, anyway?” Inuyasha grumbled, touching his claws to his sword’s busted sheath. “He usually comes running anytime Tessaiga gets so much as a scratch.”
“Dice, apparently,” Kagome said wryly. “Jakken found him holed up in a some sort of gambling den. He won’t leave until he runs out of money—which shouldn’t be long now that everyone’s afraid to lend to him.”
The hanyou stared at her. “Sesshoumaru told you all that?” His amber eyes narrowed, his tone pitching lower. “You two sure are chummy these days.”
“We’re friendly,” Kagome said lightly, blushing herself.
“Uh-huh.”
Inuyasha seemed poised to press the issue further, but whether by coincidence or otherwise Kikyou chose that moment to utter a little gasp of pain. The hanyou’s ears dipped as he shouldered past Kagome to reach his beloved’s side, the forgotten lilies crushing in his fist.
“You okay?” he asked gruffly, crouching down beside her.
Kikyou nodded as she straightened from her hunch, her eyes meeting Kagome’s briefly over his shoulder. Not so much a coincidence, then. The younger miko smiled in gratitude.
“Did you pick these for me?” Kikyou asked him, her fingers brushing along one poor tottering blossom. “They’re lovely.”
Inuyasha’s cheekbones flared. Not ungently, he pressed the flowers into her hand and stuffed his own into his sleeves.
“Those soul-catchers aren’t bringing you enough,” he muttered. “If they keep slacking like this, I’m gonna tie their tails up in knots…”
Shaking her head at this, Kagome started once more for the door.
As she pushed the curtain aside and stepped through it, she thought of the three of them and their intertwined destinies. She thought of the Shikon no Tama.
A selfless wish…
Glancing back through the swaying reeds, she glimpsed Kikyou gazing up at Inuyasha as he gazed down at her in turn, and feeling nothing for herself in this, Kagome smiled a little and wondered.
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Thank you thank you THANK YOU for bringing Kikyou up AND for humanizing her. They share the same freakin soul. She was never heartless. Dutiful, never heartless. Her reappearance into the world of the living hardened her.
Ok… It’s like when Buffy died. The end of the world happened. She saved it and died. She was at peace. Finally laid to rest, happy. Then all her bffs decide ‘we need her, bring her back!!’ Poof, she’s brought back. Now she’s a shell of herself, slightly peeved to be back. Not completely whole. All that sacrifice only to be punished in the after afterworld. “This is hell” that’s the same with Kikyou here. She’s a shell of herself in a living hell. Yet, sharing a soul that had been comforted by the love and warmth of her reincarnation still attaches her to the former Kikyou. She’s not oblivious to facts or the truth. She knows there’s always been feelings. Which is why she can reclaim the peace she needs so desperately and to reassure heraelf that there was always love for him. She was brought back and is ‘living’ an awkward existence. There isn’t much you can do with that, especially on borrowed time. I dunno, maybe I gotta stop reading those fics that demonize her so much. I’ve always liked Kikyou. Always felt that’s what Mr Stubborn Puppy Ears needed. Your Kagome is right. He needs her, very much.
Interactions between K & K should always feel sisterly to me. They are honestly THE strongest bond in the whole Yashaverse. Same. Freaking. Soul. Why is that so hard for folks to get. >_< She is capable of having thoughts, feelings
and ideas. It's so unfortunate you see them always stemming from revenge. In her mind she still wants Inuyasha to be happy. This slight revelation that Kagome forces her to speak out loud emphasizes this. She is not so aloof that their feelings and thoughts have no influence on her. Her 'mind your own bizness' interruption of Inuyasha grillin Kagome up 'n down all sideways at the mention of Sesshomaru is exactly that!!
Their bond (actually all 3 of them) is a special one. Think Kagome is realizing that as well. Growth can sometimes be rewarding without (too much) suffering.
Pebbs! <3 I'm so thrilled you enjoyed the portrayal of Kikyou in this chapter and her interactions with Kagome! A "sisterly" vibe was definitely what I was going for 🙂
Kikyou is an interesting character. She's understandably bitter about being brought back from the dead as she was, and in the beginning, she's consumed with resentment toward Inuyasha who she believed betrayed her. I'd like to think that after she learned the truth, she'd become more like her old self - the strong, compassionate and open-minded priestess we get glimpses of in the flashbacks from 50yrs prior.
But the canon didn't really seem to go that route unfortunately and dwells upon the petty jealousies surrounding InuKagKik 🙁
Oh well, at least we have fanfic!! <3 <3 <3
Whether it’s comedy, drama, angst, dark, romance or fluff, you are just awesomely talented. I love all of your stories!
Aww thanks so much!! <3 <3 <3
I love this chapter. I rarely get to read interactions between Kagome and Kikyou where they are actually nice to each other, and it is SO damn refreshing when Kagome gets over InuYasha. Don’t get me wrong, love the pup but I’m too obsessed with her being with Sesshoumaru to want her wallowing in misery over puppy ears.
Haha I feel like you’ve summed up my opinions on the subject perfectly! I love when Kagome moves on romantically from Inuyasha of her own volition/emotional awareness. I honestly feel like InuKag has more of a school-age crush sort of vibe than a sustainable, long-term relationship feel.
In terms of personality dynamics, I feel like Kagome and Sess are much more well-suited 😉
So glad you enjoyed the chap!! <3
Omg I love this story more with each chapter. Kikyou is so sad and tragic and while I personally am not a huge fan, her character doesn’t deserve the demonization she gets in most fanfics or even in the anime where the love triangle was blown up into more than what is is in the manga. I love how sympathetic you’ve made Kikyou and also for letting Kagome be the best girl she really is – kind, sweet, forgiving and seeing things for what they really are and letting go of unrequited love as she realizes it’s not fair to the two who are in love.
Also – true confessions – I’m on the Band if Seven arc in a week long binge fest of Inuyasha. Special attention played to any and all episodes featuring Sesshomaru of course.
I’ve watched more anime and read more manga/webtoons in the past 6 week than I have in the past year lol. As much as I can’t wait for all this isolation to end, its been one highlight of being stuck at home. Hope everyone else is safe and doing ok. Happy to make anime/webtoon recommendations if need one haha 😂
Ahhhh sometime I need to incorporate the Band of Seven in one of my fics! I really enjoyed that arc – and of course the SessKag MOMENT that happened as a result of it 😀
Would love some anime/webtoon recs!! I’m always itching to check out new stuff! The alternative is just me re-reading/watching the same things for the 100th time LOL
So glad to hear you enjoyed how I portrayed Kikyou in this chapter – and that you’re loving the story!! Thanks, Molly! <3 <3
Yes! Band of Seven is a great arc and also that SessKag moment!! You might be sorry you asked for recommendations LOL. I’m going to try and recommend some like Inuyasha that are set in a specific time in history and/or have that Japanese supernatural yokai background. I am a total anime nerd so beware…
So first, if you love the supernatural, Sengoku Japanese setting and gut wrenching emotion, Amazon Prime has the remake of “Dororo”. I’ve binged it a few times and almost every episode is packed with emotion and amazing characters. Basically a warlord makes a hellish deal with a slew of demons by exchanging his unborn son’s body for extreme power. Baby is born as basically a lump of flesh and abandoned, but somehow survives and begins a lifetime journey to defeat each demon And reclaim his body one part at a time. He meets an orphaned kid (Dororo) who joins him on his journey and a friendship and platonic love grows between the two. It’s also a sad portrayal of how the average people were treated like pawns and fodder amidst the constant wars of greedy, cruel warlords and samurai.
Also on Prime checkout “Vinland Saga” which is a retelling of the old Viking sagas (I’m currently reading the Manga which are gorgeously drawn.) The story was heavily researched by the author who had a fascination with this period of European history. Its a look at the Danish/English/Viking wars of the 11th century with your typically over the top overpowered anime characters lol.
If you want romantic comedy, Prime also has “Wotakoi: Love is Hard for an Otaku” a modern adult romance set in Tokyo with characters who are closet Otaku (basically Anime/Manga/gaming nerd/geeks) working in an office setting and trying to hide their geekiness and having secret office romances.) Honestly the best grown up romantic comedy anime – not a high school romance.
If you have Hulu, not only do they have the entire Inuyasha series (all 8 seasons), they have my all time favorite (because I’m a super dweeb who love romantic comedy plus all thing supernatural) “Kamisama Kiss” (or Kamisama Hajimemashita is the Japanese name). I’ve binged this more times than I care to admit and read the manga over and over. If you think Sesshomaru is a sexy beast, meet Tomoe, the fox familiar of an abandoned Shrine who becomes the reluctant servant of Nanami, a 17 year old high schooler who become the shrine goddess when the former god of the shrine decides he’s done and transfer the power to her. Tomoe has to serve her due to a contract he’s forced into with a kiss (Of course!) and the awful stuff he does to try and get out of the contract in the beginning sets the tone for the show. Over time love grows between them – it’s a slow burn but so good. He’s just a mean, spiteful bitch that you can’t help but love because like Sesshomaru, he’s all powerful and too crafty for anyone to a leg up over him (except for Nanami, who like Kagome is a perfect match for his antics.) She’s my favorite as she’s funny, kind, smart and takes on becoming a shrine goddess like a boss, just like Kagome took on traveling back in time. 😂 (There is also a lot of Tomoe/Nanami fan fiction but honestly most is crap except for one author, who gets it right imho – her pen name is Angelheart I think? She also does SessKag fanfics.) Clip for a trailer of season one: https://youtu.be/aBuZe2jMHmI
I could list so many more – Netflix has a great amount of Anime, including “Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood” which is hands down one of the best anime ever and follows the manga from start to finish. I feel Netflix caters more to the action, shonen genre fans, (Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Naruto etc) which are all good, but I’m trying to think of stuff like Inuyasha that have the romance/action/character/yokai mix.
I have to say I think Hulu also has a waaay better anime catalogue than Netflix and a lot more romance ones. You can do a free trial with Hulu and cancel after binging (Kamisama kiss for example – only 25 episodes lol)
My obsession with anime stems from a lifelong childhood obsession with supernatural, ghost stories, mythology and folklore of all kinds. Anime is an endless supply of the genre that you can’t find anywhere else. My husband does not get it at all, but he also didn’t read scary stories under the blanket to the point you can’t sleep and still loved every minute of it lol.
Lol hope that wasn’t too much or long lol!!!
Oh almost forgot. You must read the webtoon a Midnight Poppy Land. You will die over hottest cartoon guy ever, Tora.
https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/midnight-poppy-land/list?title_no=1798
And Lore Olympus which is a retelling if the Greek myth if Hades & Persephone. So so so good and genuine twist – the setting on earth and the human world is the Ancient Greece we all know and love but the gods live in our modern world in Olympus – so they’re alll using smartphones, drive cars and Hades is the CEO of the corporation that is the underworld.
https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/lore-olympus/list?title_no=1320
Best part is webtoons are free and showcase amateur and professional creators from all over the globe.
Enjoy!!
Molly!!! Thanks so much for these awesome suggestions! I’m so freaking excited to check these out! ❤️❤️
I do happen to have Hulu, but for whatever reason haven’t looked into the anime selection there (didn’t even know they had all of Inuyasha 😬). I agree that Netflix’s selection these days is pretty poor…used to be better in the earlier days. And FMA is sooooooo good! One of my all time fave animes/manga.
Can’t wait to check out your recs! Oh, and since I’m thinking about it, here’s a couple of my own –
1) Gokusen – my all time fave manga. Legit makes me laugh my ass off. Female high school teacher with a secret yakuza background goes to work at a school for delinquents.
2) Basilisk – a shorter series, dark and violent, and sooo well told. The story centers around two ancient rival ninja clans whose century-long peace treaty has been dissolved…
Animes of these are a little trickier to find, but you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the manga scans for free online 😊
Thanks again, Molly – I’m so stoked!! ❤️❤️❤️
I’m so checking out those Manga – I’ve heard of both but never read – they’re next on my list! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Kamisama Kiss and Tomoe. He’s my tied in first place with Sesshomaru for husbando lol
Loved this chapter. While I don’t like Kikyo, she doesn’t get to be humanized often, and almost no one puts the two of them in a room together to discuss anything but Inuyasha. This installment was refreshing and kind of sweet – especially the slight conspiratorial nature of their final interaction. It lends to the possibility of Kagome and Kikyo communicating like this in the future. Thank you, too, for making Inuyasha observant. He’s Kagome’s best friend and other than worrying, and eating and sleeping (LOL), it’s very in character for him to notice what’s going on, but it’s more normal for him to ignore the little things until he’s reminded he should be suspicious of them. ♥️ This is a very realistic progression to their relationship. Everyone’s come to an understanding and they aren’t awkward, but they aren’t trying too hard to tease or force interactions.
Yay so glad to hear you’re enjoying the relationship progressions here! Yes, Inuyasha kinda tends to be prickly and distrusting so it was fun to weave that moment in 😉 (I really do love his character! Just not so much InuKag…lol)
I don’t like how Kikyou was handled in the canon. I feel like they set out to make her totally unlikable/unrelatable. She had potential to show some real growth of character, but I just feel like it never really got there :/
So here’s my attempt to show a different path 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
<3 <3 <3
I’m so glad to see a story where Kagome and Kikyo actually get along! Also in a way where they can come to an understanding that they aren’t in competition for Inuyasha’s affections… And that Kagome isn’t heartbroken over it but actually is happy for them. Man I so wish it went that way in canon. Kagome certainly got the short-end of the stick! It was a weird circumstance but if I were her, I think it would feel weird to sort of become a kind of replacement of someone’s lover… I don’t know if I could do it. She even had to wear the same miko attire, and was still mistaken as Kikyo every so often. They didn’t even get a kiss in the original manga! While Miroku and Sango did! Something about that would just not sit well with me. It was like Inuyasha got to keep his first love by way of Kagome… but in this, I love that she has someone that will love her for her and doesn’t have precious bias (except for the sex eheh). Don’t get me wrong; I believe Kikyo would’ve been a great and honorable person to be mistaken for, but I’d always be wondering if Inuyasha would always see a bit of Kikyo when he looked at her. Thank you for making this fanfic as a better stand in (at least for me) for the original canon story. <3
<3 <3 <3
"It was a weird circumstance but if I were her, I think it would feel weird to sort of become a kind of replacement of someone’s lover… " - my sentiments precisely! There's just something about it that never really sat right with me :/ To make matters worse, if I'm remembering the canon correctly, it wasn't so much that Inuyasha chose Kagome as that Kikyou ended up dying and he just kind of went with what was left LOL Not very satisfying......
Not saying that Inuyasha doesn't care for Kagome - I think it's clear that he does, but how much does he love her for *her*? That's the part that remains unclear to me...although I have to say, it's great fuel for fanfiction! :)
<3