Brother My Brother

It had been four days since Inuyasha had left Miroku and Kirara in the
meadow where Sango and Shippo now lay dead. Despite this, the
half-demon was still rather surprised when he returned to find that
neither Miroku nor Kirara were anywhere near. He sniffed the air and
picked up their scent, faint and far away, but he knew he could follow
it rather easily. However, he wanted to rest first. He laid Kagome down
next to him and sat against a tree and closed his eyes. His body and
mind were exhausted, having run from one e toe to another quicker than
he had ever gone before. Now he was all out of ideas and had no clue as
to what he was going to do. He knew he had to help Kagome, but he could
not think of a way how. He could always try and steal the Tenseiga away
from Naraku, but hell if he knew where the devious demon was, and he
knew time was running out for Kagome. He opened his eyes and looked at
her motionless body, now turned rather gray from decomposition. He
shook his head, telling himself that all would be fine once he found a
way to help her. He sighed and decided to get some sleep before he
headed out to find Miroku. After all, it was late into the night and he
had traveled all day. He yawned and closed his eyes for a moment, but
opened them again when his acute hearing picked up a familiar sound.

The sound was close by, and hissed through the otherwise silent air
over and over again. Inuyasha rose to his feet, looking for the source
of the sound, and spotted a faint glow of light through the trees. The
noise occurred again and again, and Inuyasha realized that it was not
just one creature making it, it was several of them. Another hiss and
another reached his ears, and the realization of what it was violently
overcame him. Overhead, a Soul Collector flew by, leaving behind it a
trail of light that soon faded into the dark night. Inuyasha followed
it with his eyes, all the way to the source of light deeper in the
forest. His throat suddenly felt dry, and he struggled to swallow.
What’s Kikyo doing all the way out here?

Inuyasha was suddenly confused as to what to do. He wanted to see
Kikyo, but he did not want to have to bring Kagome. That would only
anger the former priestess. However, he also did not want to leave
Kagome alone, helpless to anything that may attack her in his absence.
He looked down at her still form, contemplating and weighing out his
options when he suddenly sensed someone behind him. He turned around,
coming face to face with Kikyo herself. She had a stoic look on her
face, her beautiful brown eyes frozen in a confusing mosaic of love and
hatred.

“Inuyasha,” she said, her icy cold voice stinging the half-demon’s
ears. “It is obvious she is dead and has been for several days. Why do
you continue to hold on to her?”

Inuyasha swallowed nervously. “Well, I took her to see Sesshomaru
because he was supposed to have this sword that heals, but he didn’t
have it and now…” He looked over his shoulder at Kagome. “Now I don’t
know what to do.”

Kikyo remained motionless. “You should lay her to rest and forget about
her.”

Inuyasha cringed and faced her again. “I… I can’t do that.”

A fire began burning in Kikyo’s dark eyes. “That is your only choice.
If you do not, I will take her and do it myself.”

“No!” the half-demon cried, taking a step back. “You… You can’t take
her. I… I won’t let you.”

“Inuyasha,” Kikyo whispered. “What will you do to stop me? Will you
kill me? Do you wish me dead as well?”

The half-demon froze. “No, no,” he stammered. “Kikyo, I don’t want to
lose you. It’s not like that. It’s just…” He looked again at Kagome. “I
need to protect Kagome, too.”

“Nothing you can do can save her,” Kikyo stated firmly. “I believe not
in this foolish tale of a healing sword. I will take her, and I will
see to it that she enters the afterlife, never to return.”

Inuyasha barely had time to react when a charge of energy came from
Kikyo’s hands, burning his eyes so that he could no longer see. He
reeled blindly, trying to regain his balance so that he could use his
remaining senses to find his once love, but another hot blast of energy
collided with his chest, knocking him backwards. He landed roughly and
his body shuddered with pain.

“Kikyo? Kikyo, where are you?” he called frantically as he struggled to
his feet. The last attack had rendered him somewhat senseless and he
had a difficult time locating her. “What’re you doing?”

“I am taking her, Inuyasha,” Kikyo’s voice responded. “She will not
interfere again.”

“What’re you talking about?” Inuyasha demanded. He reached out for her,
but all that met him was another blast of energy, more powerful than
the last. He was thrown backwards, his mind struggling for
consciousness, until his back slammed against the hard wood of a tree
and there he lay still.