Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Heartless	By : Karaumea Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 10054 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I neither own Inuyasha nor make any monetary gains by writing this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Dreams or memories
Chapter 5: At the Castle

She sighed... again. She was so tired... It was the second day of their journey to the castle. They have been on the road since dawn. She supposed they traveled quite a distance since yesterday morning, and only God knew how much further she would have to walk. Honestly, couldn't they find an easier way to travel? Her feet had been aching when she went to sleep last night, and when she got up this morning, and now... now they were killing her. She was lucky that Sango had been able to find a pair of sandals for her to wear before they left the village. They weren't as comfortable as her sports shoes, but at least they kept her feet from getting scratched.

The sun was getting lower on the hills. That was good. They would stop anytime now to camp for the night. Then Miroku would erect a barrier like he did last night to avoid getting attacked on their sleep. He would probably do that channeling thing again. She might not be happy with her situation, but that did not keep her from learning as much as she could. For instance, last night Miroku told her how he kept the barrier intact all night by channeling his energy to the staff he always carried with him. That way he did not need to stay in a meditating state all night. So, she now knew how to erect a lasting barrier... well, theoretically. A barrier was a good thing, she decided. Otherwise, she would not be able to sleep after yesterday's events...

After Miroku had gotten her out of the well yesterday morning, she had been quite depressed. On the other hand, the monk and his wife had looked very pleased with her failure. She had been so irritated with the stupid grins plastered on their faces that she had decided to hate the couple from that day on. However, that decision had changed quickly after she had witnessed her first demon attack. The creature had been monstrous, with its snake-like body covered with disgusting spider legs. She had thought her end had come for it had seemed impossible to escape from the giant demon. Luckily, she had been proven wrong with one sutra from the monk and one swipe of Sango's boomerang. They had been amazing. When she had asked, Miroku had told her that it had been just a random demon, not one of General Inuyasha's troops. He had informed her that the said general had not worked with such mindless weaklings. She still wondered what a strong demon would be like if that one had been just a weakling. Shaking her head, she decided she did not want to learn the answer to that question. She smiled when she saw that the group finally stopped for the night. ‘Just on time.'

The good thing about being a hostage in this journey was that she did not have to help her captors with anything. All she did was to choose a nice spot to rest and wait for the dinner to be ready. This evening, she decided to sit under a magnolia tree. Making herself comfortable on the grass covered ground, she laid her head back to the tree's bark. It felt good to be finally sitting down. Of course, she would surely prefer a thick soft bed, and a hot bath... ‘Gods, I would give anything for a long hot bath...'

She felt crestfallen now that the only way she could think of to go home was proved useless. How else was she supposed to go back? ‘What if I can't go back ever? What would mama and grandpa do?' Come to think of it, they were probably already worried for her. She had no chance to leave a note or something. What did they think happened to her? Maybe they thought she had run away, or perhaps... perhaps they thought she was kidnapped, or killed by some psycho fan. ‘Please let them think that I just ran away on my own.' After the talk she had with her mother, it was possible that she would think her daughter changed her mind about marriage and left without a note in order not to face anyone. Yes, that was possible, wasn't it? She could have changed her mind... ‘Oh Gods, I was going to get married. I have a fiance, don't I?' Remembering Houjo for the first time since her last night at the shrine, she wondered what her family would tell him about her disappearance. Would he get worried for her? Was he already searching for her all around the world? ‘Hmm... probably he is.' Thinking about Houjo reminded her the last time she had seen him... and the kiss... She shook her head as if to clear it of the dreaded memory. She tried to concentrate on the now dancing flames of the camp fire. However, instead of helping her keep her mind blank, they reminded her of something else... something as hot as the flames... and as dangerous. Blushing, she remembered what happened last night at the hot springs. Now, that was a real kiss, wasn't it? That was how you should feel when you kiss the one you love... ‘Wait a minute... Love? No. This can't be love. I don't even know the guy! No. It is... attraction... an extremely powerful attraction that I can't seem to resist at all...'

Yes, it was undeniable that she was attracted to this guy she had seen only twice. No matter how much she thought about it, she did not understand her reaction to him. Well, he was gorgeous, that was obvious... and his woodsy scent made her feel dizzy... and there was something in his eyes... something in his eyes other than their blatant beauty captured her... called out to her heart... made it difficult for her to breathe. However, there was one thing she wondered more than her own feelings. What was he thinking? Was he somehow feeling the same emotions as her, or did he have an ulterior motive to act the way he did since their first meeting? She thought it would be wonderful if he felt like she did. If not, what other reason could he have to enchant her like that? It could not be that he saw her as his enemy, for he already had the chance to do her harm if that was the case, but he didn't. What else then? She wasn't even a part of this world, let alone be a part of the war.

She remembered what Sango had told her at the hot springs... that he had loved a human priestess. What exactly happened to that girl? How did she die? Was it true that he had become a heartless man after losing her? What did he do to make people think so? Did he love her that much to lose himself like that? More importantly, did he still love that priestess? ‘If he does, what is he doing with me?'

Seeing that trying to analyze and understand this enigma, called Inuyasha, was futile, she let her thoughts drift back to the night at the hot springs. Sighing, she closed her eyes to replay the memory in her head. Even now, she could feel his hot breath on her ears, his strong arms on her waist, and his soft lips on her burning ones as if it was real. ‘Gods... This will be a very long night...'

~*~

The rest of the journey to the castle was fortunately uneventful. It took them a total of three days to reach there. She was fascinated when the giant structure first came into their line of vision. Standing proudly atop a lone hill, it looked both inviting and menacing at the same time. The thick high walls surrounding the group of buildings seemed impassable from the base of the hill where the young woman stood with her mouth agape. As they got closer to the structure, she realized that those walls were not the only defense of the castle. She could make out the archers placed on top of the walls. She supposed they would not be needed at all though, for there seemed to be a shimmering barrier surrounding the whole castle outside its walls.

As they made their way up the hill, she saw another group coming from the other side. The two groups reached the large gates almost at the same time. Now that she was able to examine the newcomers from a close distance, she saw that half of the group was soldiers dressed exactly like the ones that escorted her. There was also a group of women standing in front of them. All of them were wearing white shirts and red hakamas, the traditional uniform of shrine priestesses. What were priestesses doing out there with soldiers? Were they fighting alongside them in real battles? Or were they prisoners just like her? She supposed that could not be the case, for they seemed to be quite pleased with themselves, standing proud with small smiles on their faces. ‘They look like they just won this war. Well, maybe not the war, but a great victory none the less.'

When her eyes fell upon the rest of the group, she decided that her conclusion was correct. ‘These must be demons.' Chained to each other with strangely shining robes, they presented a heart breaking sight. She felt ashamed at first in the name of her kind for the way they were treated. She hoped that this treatment was only out of necessity. Sighing she raised her eyes from the chains binding the demons together to examine their other features now that she had the chance. Their differences from the humans were obvious, with their pointy ears and sharp looking claws. She saw that some of them had fangs when they sneered to the nearest soldiers, and to her surprise and amusement, she saw that some even had tails. She thought it to be cute until she received deadly glares from the demons she had been examining. ‘Okay... maybe not that cute...' Even without those strange attributes, it would not be difficult to tell a demon apart from humans, for they were too beautiful compared to the humans standing next to them. ‘Just like him... Not as beautiful as him though... There is something else about him... Something none of these demons have.'

Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt when she realized she had been looking into two eyes that were intently looking back at her. Seconds passed, and the owner of those large green eyes refused to look away. Intrigued, she examined the rest of his features. Red hair tied back at his neck with unruly bangs falling down his forehead, two pointy elf-like ears at the sides of his head, canine fangs visible under his upper lip, and a bushy yellow tail that came into her sight as it dangled from left to right on his back. He did not look as strong as the other demons around him. That was probably because he was younger than the rest of them. He looked to be around sixteen... seventeen at most. She looked back at his face and saw that the strange look he had been giving her did not left his eyes. She did not have the chance to ask him anything though, for the next instant she heard Sango calling her. She looked in the direction the voice came from, and saw the slayer coming in her way. The couple had been in front of their group, talking to the gate keepers since they arrived. When she finally reached her, Sango informed the curious young woman that the barrier would be taken down any moment, and they would be able to get inside. The new group were indeed coming from a battle that took place near one of the surrounding villages, bringing new hostages with them. Before Kagome could ask anything else their group was making their way inside the castle. She looked back at the group of demons who were waiting aside with their guardians, but the young demon with striking green eyes was nowhere to be seen.

Once she was on the other side of the gates, she forgot about everything else at the sight before her. Inside the walls the castle was composed of many buildings of different sizes. A large paved road brought them from the gates to the depths of what seemed to be a small town. On both sides of the road she could see lots of small shops. Life seemed to be quite busy around here with shopping women, men carrying carts from one place to another, children running around and pestering the soldiers they come upon to let them touch their swords. At the end of the paved road a large building could be seen, probably the Lord's residence.

When they were half-way to the large building, a loud cheering noise was heard, and she looked back to see what the commotion was about.The other group with the hostages was making its way towards the main building behind them, and the townsfolk seemed to be happy to see the soldiers back at home safely with the obvious proof of their victory.

Turning back, she saw that Sango was quite a distance away from her now, and ran to catch up with the slayer. As they got closer to the main building, she saw another structure to her right. Seeing her questioning eyes, Sango informed her that it was a shrine building to accommodate the monks and priestesses that aided the Lords in the war against demons, also that it was where the barrier protecting the castle was erected from. While they passed the building, she witnessed a group of priestesses and monks gathered around a small statue in the garden in front of the shrine building. They were clearly meditating. She realized that they had been erecting the barrier again when the little statue of Buddha started shining like the staff Miroku used to channel his energy.

After finally arriving at the main building, Miroku asked the guardians to see Lady Keiko, only to be told that she wasn't there. Apparently, she had gone on a mission a few days ago, which had been quite a victory, and was expected to be back with the troops in a day or two. Sighing, the monk thanked the soldier, and signaled the two ladies to follow him inside.

They walked through several halls decorated with colorful paintings depicting scenes from battles, before stopping in front of a large sliding door. Miroku turned to her with a smile on his face. "This is where you will be staying until we get a chance to see Lady Keiko."

"What about you guys?"

"Don't worry, we'll be close." He indicated the room next to hers with his head. "We'll be right next to you. Don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything. I suppose someone will be bringing food to your room. Now go and have a rest. I'm sure you need one after our journey."

She nodded her head, and with a small ‘thank you', entered the room, closing the door behind her. Upon turning to face the room, a huge smile crept up her face at the sight of a comfortable looking bed lying in one corner. Not wasting a second, she made her way to the corner and lay down, letting the soft mattress take away the tiredness in her muscles. In mere seconds she was asleep, not to wake up even when her dinner was brought in.

~*~

In her second day in the castle, Sango took her to a walk in the castle grounds. When they reached the outer skirts of the town, her eyes met with a sight that greatly disturbed her. There were demons everywhere... chained like the ones she had seen the day before. They were being used for hard labor, some were breaking rocks with their bare hands, while others carried huge rocks on their backs.

Turning to face the slayer, she couldn't keep herself from exclaiming her anger at the sight. "This is outrageous! How can you do this to someone?! I thought they were hostages, not slaves!"

Sango looked at her with solemn eyes before talking. "Don't be so quick to judge, Kagome. I know how it looks like, but you must know that we are being merciful compared to what demons do to those they captured. Do you know that they only capture priestesses and force them to fight on their side? I've heard horrible stories about what they do to the priestesses that do not obey their wishes. I don't want to believe those stories, but I can't help but think it possible after seeing how much Inuyasha lost his mind... after seeing what he did to Lady Keiko."

‘What he did to Lady Keiko? What could he have possibly done to make Sango believe him capable of anything?' Already dreading the answer, she asked in a small voice. "What did he do?" ‘And why am I so afraid to hear it?'

Shaking her head, Sango refused to tell her anymore about the subject. "It's not my place to talk about it. It's her story, and she will tell you if she wants to let you know."

When Sango walked away after being called by one of the soldiers, she saw the young demon from before looking at her from behind a small building. After a few seconds he moved to walk towards her, but stopped when he saw Sango coming back. She found it strange that this demon seemed to be somehow interested in her, but did not ask the slayer about him, fearing that she would put the young one into trouble. After touring the town, and visiting several shops on their way, they returned to the main building before the sun went down.

~*~

When she woke up the next morning, the sun was already up. After stretching her completely rested body to her heart's content for a few minutes, she got off the bed, and made her way to the window to let the sunlight and the morning air in. It was a beautiful day. She looked down at the cries of the children playing in the garden. There were maybe a dozen of them, both girls and boys, running around a figure sitting on the grass and laughing with them. She couldn't see the person's face for it was cloaked with a veil, but she decided that it was a woman from the tone of her voice. She was wearing the traditional red and white clothes of a priestess, the only exception being the white veil hanging over the hat on her head, covering her face and shoulders. She could see that the children liked this priestess in abundance. It didn't surprise her though, seeing how she behaved towards them with kindness. ‘Wow... I would probably be telling them to shut up already... but then again, I'm not a priestess like they declared me to be. That woman though.... That is how a real priestess should be.' She shook her head when two of the children tackled the woman to the ground, and turned back to get ready for the day, a small smile still gracing her lips.

~*~

Later that day, she was summoned to meet Lady Keiko. An old maid escorted her to the Lady's room, all the while talking about how lucky she was too be meeting such an honorable person. By the time they arrived at their destination, Kagome had learned a lot about how kind Lady Keiko was, and how brave and giving she was for protecting them against the big bad demons.

Upon hearing the invitation from inside, she thanked the old woman, and let herself in through the sliding door. Closing the door, she turned back only to freeze at the sight of the woman sitting on a cushion right below the window on the far wall. It was her... the woman with the veil. ‘She is Lady Keiko?!'

When she stood there for a long time with her mouth agape, Lady Keiko must have noticed her hesitation, for she called out to her visitor in a warm voice. "Come here, girl."

Blushing for her idiocy, she heeded her command, and sat on the other cushion next to the window, her legs folded beneath her, her eyes fixed on her fidgeting hands in front of her. "So... you're the one that helped General Inuyasha escape..."

Her head shot up at that. She did not waste any time, did she? Her interrogation started the moment she came in. "Yes... but I didn't mean to! I mean, meant to help him, but I didn't mean to get involved in your war. I didn't even know there was a war!"

"You didn't? It's hard to believe that. Everyone in these lands knows of the war, and the enemy." Well, those words were not encouraging. Besides, it was difficult to see her expression because of the veil covering her face. However, she could somehow tell from her voice that the lady was trying to understand her motives, rather than condemn her.

"I'm not exactly from these lands."

"Oh... Where did you come from then?" The woman sounded sincerely curious. For a moment, she thought about whether it was safe to tell this woman the truth of her unlikely existence in this strange world. ‘Gods... I really don't know who I can trust here... but she seems like a good person. Besides, I have no control over how I came to be here, have I? So she shouldn't blame me for what I unknowingly did, right? Oh, what am I thinking about?! Even if I don't tell her, Sango or Miroku will. They both know everything.'

Deciding that she had no choice but to spill out everything she knew, she looked at the woman in the eye... or what she thought was her eye, for it was not easy to see anything on her face because of the veil. "I... I know this will sound crazy, but I believe I came from the future. I think I somehow traveled in time to the past..."

"Time travel?" The woman chuckled wholeheartedly. "You're right. It does sound crazy."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have another explanation."

"Tell me... how exactly do you think you traveled through time?"

"The well... I fell through the well in my family's shrine, and when I climbed out of it, I was in this strange world."

"Is it the Bone Eater's well you're speaking of?"

"Yes!" ‘How did she know that?'

"Hmm... Now everything makes more sense."

"Why? Do you know anything about it?"

"That well is known to possess strange powers. People used to throw demon bones in it, and they would disappear without a trace... I guess we now know where they went, don't we?"

"So... you believe me?" Was this woman for real? At first she was laughing at her, and now she says she believed her?

"Why wouldn't I? You seem sincere enough... Besides, I've seen my share of strange things for long enough to know that many things can happen without regard to what we think is possible."

"Oh..." This Lady Keiko was a clever one, wasn't she? She also seemed to be a good judge of character. Feeling more comfortable now that she knew this woman believed her, she decided to convey what she had learned during her journey here. "It doesn't work anymore though... I mean the well. I tried to go back, but it won't let me."

"I'm sorry to hear that. So you found yourself trapped in a world you know nothing about without a way to return home... poor child." Her voice reflected the pity this kind woman felt for her unwilling visitor. Turning to her back, Lady Keiko took the tray that had been brought in right before her visitor arrived, and proceeded to fill in two cups of tea.

Feeling solemn, Kagome turned her head left to look out the window, Lady Keiko's last words still ringing in her head. ‘...trapped here without a way to go home...' Just as she felt her eyes started pricking, her attention fell on the crowd she could see entering the castle gates. A few soldiers were running to the main building far ahead of the crowded group. ‘Figures... this must be a new group of demons recently captured.' While she disinterestedly watched the new comers, she felt the familiar sensation of being watched, and saw someone looking at her from the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see that it was one of the soldiers she saw running towards the main building. It was hard to tell these soldiers apart from each other when they wore their helmets, so she couldn't tell whether he was one of those she had met before. Shaking her head, she decided she did not care about these people at all, and diverted her eyes to the new group of hostages making their way through the main building. Seeing the demons with their hands chained reminded her that she was a hostage as well.

"What will happen to me now?"

"That is up to you."

She turned her head from the window to look at the woman's covered face. She had finished filling the cups, and now was sipping from her cup under her veil. She noticed the other cup was placed in front of her, but right now, she was in no mood for tea. "You won't chain me like you do to the other hostages, will you? By the way, that is a terrible thing, you know? They don't seem dangerous at all."

"That's because they are subdued."

"Subdued?" ‘What the heck does that mean?'

Before Lady Keiko could answer her, a small but insistent tapping noise was heard. After Keiko told the intruders to come in, a soldier got inside the room with the young demon she had seen earlier in tow.

"Excuse me my lady. We caught this one sneaking around the main building. He wasn't under the spell. He probably got in among the group that arrived the day before."

"Come closer child." Upon hearing her command, the boy took a few steps, and stopped in front of Lady Keiko, who was now standing to examine the new hostage. Although he did what he was told to do without hesitation, Kagome could see the fires flashing in his green eyes. ‘He's so angry...' It was obvious that he did not have any control over his own body, for his stance was relaxed, in contrast with the stress in his expression.

"I think I know this one... and why he is here." After looking at him in the eye for almost a minute, she gently patted his head, and turned to the soldier waiting next to the door. "Take him out to the grounds. Do not be harsh on him, but make sure that he learns not to get involved in matters that are too big for such a young one."

Once the door was closed behind them, she sat back on her place in the cushion before continuing. "You see... we found a better way to deal with the demons than killing them. We subdue them with powerful spells. Like that youngling you saw here. You saw how he obeyed every command without giving trouble. Did you notice the collar in his neck?" At her hesitant nod, the woman continued. "That is what contains the spell. It subdues their auras, and does not let them to do anything unless they are told by someone that had taken part in the spell. You see, it takes a lot to cast such a powerful spell. Unfortunately, there is no priestess alive that can do it alone. Because of that, each collar is imbued by a hundred priestesses. Once a collar is ready, it can be placed on a demon by one of those who had imbued it, and that demon will obey every command given by anyone of those priestesses. Luckily, they are powerless against our spells. Without the spell, we wouldn't have a chance against the demons in this war, because each and everyone of them is deadly... almost as mush as Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha?" She looked out the window to the afternoon sky. The sunlight dazzled her eyes, reminding her of the two golden orbs that had blinded her to everything else around only a few days ago, and a small smile graced her lips. "Everyone here tells me how dangerous he is... but it's hard for me to believe that. Although he had the chance, he hadn't hurt me at all... even before I helped him escape." She turned her gaze back to the woman under the veil. "I mean, he didn't know who I was, or where I was from, but in his eyes I must be one of you, right? His enemy... He should have killed me if he was anything like you said, but instead, he's been so kind towards me."

Lady Keiko looked thoughtful at her revelation. After a few seconds, she nodded her head as if she came to a conclusion. "I see... I shouldn't be surprised to hear that... After all, that's to be expected."

"What do you mean?"

"It's the way you look..."

"The way I look? I don't understand..."

"What do you know about his past?"

‘What does his past have to do with me?' Unsure of where the conversation was going, she started to tell what she had heard about him from Sango. "Well, Sango told me about him being a good person before... and that he had loved a human and had lost her. Then he had changed..."

Nodding her head, the priestess took up the conversation from where she left off. "Exactly. Her name was Kikyo. She had been a powerful priestess... so kind and so beautiful... just like you."

"M-me?"

"Yes. You, my dear friend, have her face."

"You mean I look like her?"

"No." Chuckling at the naivety of the young woman, the priestess tried to better convey the meaning of her words. "I mean you have her face. An exact copy..."

"What!" Eyes as wide as saucers, she proceeded to exclaim her disbelief. "B-but that's not possible! How can that be?!"

"I'm afraid I know how."

"Tell me." Her voice left no place to arguments. She had to know the reasons if she had lived her life with someone else's face.

"It's not only her face you possess. I can sense her aura in you."

"Her aura? What does it mean?"

"It means that you have her soul in you. You're her reincarnation."

"..." ‘Reincarnation?' Was that possible? Despite having grown up in a shrine, she never gave much thought to such matters. Did she believe in reincarnation? ‘But then again... I did not believe in magic, and look where I am now.'

When the young woman did not talk for a while, Lady Keiko continued her explanation. "And I believe he knows it too. That's why he behaved the way he did. You must understand... you have to be careful when it comes to him. "

The woman's voice was grim when she said that, sending chills down her spine, but she did not want to hear any more warnings about him. She had seen him with her own eyes, and she would not believe anything other than her own conclusions. She might be a stranger in this world and know next to nothing about it, but she was not a child. She formed her opinions based on her own experiences. With these thoughts in her mind, she shook her head in disbelief.

Keiko sighed at her stubbornness. When she talked, her voice betrayed her impatience. "You still don't comprehend how dangerous he is to you, do you? He's merciless! He cost us many men. He wants to enslave the human race for what he went through. All he wants is revenge. He captured many of our priestesses. Do you know what he did to them?"

When the young woman hesitantly shook her head, the priestess continued. "He didn't kill all of them. No... Only the old ones were killed, but the young and beautiful ones were not so lucky. They had been made whores to demons."

‘That is... Gods... Can this be real? Sango said something about rumors of what happened to the captured priestesses, but are these rumors true? Does this woman know that for sure? I can't believe he would do such a thing... Gods, please don't let it be real.'

At Kagome's silence, Keiko pressed on, apparently tired of her pointless resistance. "Do you want to see a proof of what he really is?"

Before the young woman could give an answer, Keiko's hands went to the veil covering her face. She slowly removed the veil under the wide-eyed gaze of her visitor. When her face came to sight, she flinched at the frightened gasp that escaped the young woman's lips. "It was before the war... sometime after he had lost his lover. He thought that I had the power to bring her back. But I refused to commit such dark magic... so he did this to me. He tortured me with his bare hands... If you had seen his face then, you would understand what people meant by calling him heartless."

‘No... no... he can't have done that! Please, no...' Despite how much she wished, she could not remove her tear filled eyes from the woman's distorted face. It was full of marks... deep claw marks... on her cheeks, her neck, her forehead... everywhere. One of the deeper cuts started on he left side of her upper lift, ending in the middle of her right cheek. Another one went through her chin and lower lip. Her right eye was almost completely closed, with another ugly scar placed on its outer edge.

"You see how far he's willing to go to get her back... Do you think he would hesitate to do you harm if there's a chance to get his precious lover back?"

She only received tears from the young woman as an answer to her question. "Let me tell you... he wouldn't. Unfortunately for you, you are his only chance to bring her back, because you have her soul. All he needs to do is to find someone with the power to awaken her."

When she said nothing, Keiko pressed on. "And what do you think will happen to you then?"

Having no answer, or rather choosing not to say what she thought would happen, she bent her head down, letting her tears fall onto her hands which were tightly clasping her skirt on her lap.

"She will have your body and soul. You will simply seize to exist." Since the young woman did nothing but continue crying silently, Keiko finished her words in a grim voice. "You must help me stop him before its too late for all of us."

Not even raising her head back, she asked in a quivering voice. "Me? How?"

"He is the only one that is immune to our subjugation spells. And I need you to change that."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know if you have noticed, but he wears a necklace which he never takes off. It contains a powerful spell that protects him against our subduing spells. I need you to take it off if you get to be close to him again."

"Why me?"

"Well, first of all, you're the only one that can get near him without being killed. Second, and most importantly, I don't think anyone other than you could remove that necklace even if they had the chance."

She raised her tear stained face, her eyes questioning the priestess' for the meaning of her words. Understanding her confusion, the priestess explained. "I believe that spell was put on him by Kikyo herself, judging by how powerful it is. With these kinds of spells, only the person who put it on can remove it... and since you have her soul..."

‘But...' Shaking her head, she opened her mouth to object, but was cut short by Lady Keiko's soft voice. "You'll be doing him a favor. You'll save his life. Once he is subdued, there won't be a need to kill him. He'll be harmless."

‘But he'll hate me...'

"And I promise you that I'll find a way to make the well work for you. I'll send you back to your home..."

Her mouth fell open at that revelation. However, before she could ask anything, a loud booming sound was heard. Lady Keiko looked out the window and with a cry of ‘Gods!' she rushed outside. Wondering what was happening, she turned to look out from the window, and to her horror, saw that the shrine building was covered in flames.

End of Chapter 5
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