Missing  

Forgive me, InuYasha...  A light breeze rushed through the trees, whispering through the forest. Far in the distance, the weak light of a small campfire glowed dimly against the pressing, consuming darkness of the night. Far away, a dark figure stood high on a cliff. The breeze playfully snagged on the figure’s pitch black hair, tugging it gently, and whipping it across the figure’s face. Light brown eyes sparkled gently in the wane light of the stars, for tonight, there was no moon.  

Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.

  A bow fell from the figure’s hand, dropping with a light thud to the ground. A quiver of arrows slid off one shoulder, falling slowly to rest beside the weapon. Several arrows dislodged themselves on impact, scattering on the ground surrounding the figure’s feet. They lay there, unmoving, fallen warriors who never got the chance to fight. A soft sigh rustled the figure’s loose clothes as her legs bent.   Goodbye. It should not have been this way. We never got to live our lives, the way they should have been lived. It doesn’t matter now though. You won’t miss me. You won’t cry for me. I have been forgotten.   A dark grin turned up the edges of lips, stretching muscles that had yet to be tested in such a manner.  I am not angry though. Its better this way. And, who knows, maybe someday, you’ll remember me. Someday you’ll wake up, my image before your eyes, my name on your lips.  

Maybe someday you'll look up,
And, barely conscious, you'll say to no one:
"Isn't something missing?"

  The lips relaxed once more into their customary unfeeling line.  I hope you’re happy. Happy with her. She’s good for you. I’ve seen it in your eyes, when you look at her. You never looked at me like that. You never felt for me like that. Oh Kami...  

You won't cry for my absence, I know -
You forgot me long ago. 

 A dark head bowed in pain, raven tresses spilling forward over bony shoulders. The brown orbs were covered, black eyelashes brushing against ivory pale cheeks.   Why? Why did this happen to me? Urasue. The figure gave an uncharacteristic growl of hatred. If you weren’t already dead, I would hunt you down. This is all your fault. Her dark head shook in self-disgust. It was no-one’s fault. If it was anyone’s, it was her own. If I had only done as I was supposed to. If I hadn’t fallen in love...  

Am I that unimportant...?
Am I so insignificant...?
Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me? 

 A soft sigh escaped from cold lips as the figure straightened up slowly.  InuYasha. I wish I could talk to you, one last time. Just to tell you what I never said, what I should have said. I love you. I love you so much, that I must leave you.  

Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,  

A small tear escaped from the corner of an eye. The figure stiffened with surprise as the glistening drop ran silently down a cold cheek. A hand raised and brushed against the wet trail the tear had left. I feel...cold. 
 

I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?

 A minute noise sounded behind her, but it was not what made her spin around. The over-whelming aura of the being she hated most in the world consumed her senses, blocking everything else out with its sickening presence.  A lip curled up slightly in disgust. “Naraku.”

Please, please forgive me,  

The evil hanyou smiled maliciously and sneered. “Well, I am so pleased that you remember my name, Kikyo.” He spat the name out as though it caused him physical pain.   Kikyo’s lips once again lifted slightly in a rather terrible grin. “I am pleased that you return the favor. But it does not matter. None of it will matter, for much longer.”  

But I won't be home again.

  Naraku seemed to disregard her last words and instead decided that antagonizing her before he killed her would be a much more satisfying approach. “What are you doing here Kikyo? Spying on your little hanyou lover? Wishing it was you down there with him, instead of your reincarnation? Well, to me its no wonder that he cho-” 

 I know what you do to yourself,
I breathe deep and cry out,

 His sentence was cut off as the incomplete Shikon no Tama resting above his heart glowed brightly white. “What the-?!” He grasped wildly at his chest, the white baboon pelt he wore being flung off as the Shikon seared his flesh, making its way out of his body, purifying him as it went. Within a few moments it was free and returned to the miko who had summoned it from his body. Naraku gazed incredulously at the purified Shikon resting in Kikyo’s palm. Even as he opened his mouth to ask how such a thing was possible, his body simply crumbled in upon itself, disintegrating into fine particles of dust which began falling in a slow trickle over the cliff. Miles away, the barrier surrounding a palace hidden within the mountains faded away, and a very startled kaze youkai awoke to feel her heart beating strongly within her chest.  

"Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?" 

 Back on the cliff, Kikyo stood for a moment, staring at where her arch-enemy had stood a moment before, and without warning collapsed. Her eyes sightlessly watched as the purified jewel grew tainted once more as the remains of the spiritual power keeping it pure slowly trickled out of the dying woman. With her last ounce of power she willed the jewel to go to her reincarnation. It vanished.  

Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?  

She had known that summoning the jewel would take all her power, but she didn’t regret it. For a few moments, she simply lay there attempting to gather some strength back, but realized it was futile. But, she was too stubborn to die on the ground and shakily rose to her knees, gasping for air, and slowly pulled herself to her feet, grasping at a nearby tree for support. Panting inaudibly, she leaned against the tree, and looked to the campfire she had earlier been observing. It flickered erratically now, there were obviously shapes moving in front of it with great agitation. For a moment, she fancied that she could see a young girl in a green and white fuku standing next to a black-haired man in red, staring in awe at the jewel resting in her palm, with a man in dark purple robes with his arm around another young woman dressed in a green, pink, and white kimono, all laughing with happiness, but the image quickly faded. However, she knew that that was likely what would be happening at the campsite of the small group of shard hunters. A real smile broke over her clay face for the first time.  

And if I bleed, I'll bleed,
Knowing you don't care. 

 The smile dissolved into a grimace of pain as a gash on her back rubbed against the rough pattern of bark on the tree. With a sudden jolt Kikyo remembered how hard it had been for her to actually make it this far. She vaguely recalled that young Taijia boy being sent to track her down when Naraku found she had left his range of sensing. She remembered his blank eyes, devoid of life, as his scythe tore through her flesh. And she remembered as his blood spurted out of the deep wound from her arrow, and how that same blood had stained her hands as she removed the Shikon shard from his back. And she remembered how she had left him there to die, again, tossing his shard into the forest to make sure he could not follow her. It might be a good thing she would not live to meet his elder sister.  Another image flashed into her mind. This time, it showed her how she had first met InuYasha, when she had been young, powerful, and ignorant of the harshness of the world. Unbidden, her body straightened up and one foot snaked out to balance her broken clay shell.  

And if I sleep just to dream of you
I'll wake without you there,  

Another image flashed through her mind, she was riding in a boat, the only man she would ever love propelling it with a long stick.  Her other foot moved forward as well, her body seeming to forget its fatigue and weakness.   

Isn't something missing?

 She was climbing out of that same boat, her foot was catching on an uneven plank on the dock, she was falling forward into his arms... 

 Another step.  

Isn't something...  

She was sitting on a grassy hill. Several feet away she could feel uncertainty emanating from him as she explained how he could become human using the jewel.

  Another step.

  She was walking through a field, making her way to the meeting place where she would transform the man she loved, when excruciating agony exploded across her back.  

Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.  

Another step.  

Her hands smoothly drew the arrow back to her ear as her voice shouted his name in anger.  

Another step. 

 Her arrow was sinking into his flesh, passing through his chest and into the tree behind him, effectively pinning him there. The jewel flew from his hands to land, bouncing slightly, on the ground before him.  

Another step.  

His hand was lifting imploringly to her, incomprehension in his eyes as he questioned her. Slowly the hand fell.  

Though I'd die to know you love me,

 She gasped as her foot knocked a pebble over the cliff. Once more, the breeze flared up to toy with her hair, snapping it wildly. An image danced before her eyes. A boy, with dog ears perched upon his head, gazing at her with shock as he stood ready to catch her...  Catch her...  She was falling. Maybe, maybe he’ll catch me. Maybe I’ll find myself in his arms, just one more time... The wind was rushing past her, straining her weak imitation flesh, when her mind finally registered that she was about to die. He wouldn’t be there to catch her. Not this time. This time she was going to hit the ground, and when she did, there would be no getting back up.

  I'm all alone.

 Her eyes stared at the ground as it rushed to meet her. One thought played through her mind as she allowed her captured souls to run out of her body in a bright flash, before she hit the ground.  Please forgive me, InuYasha...  

Isn't someone missing me?  

§§§ 

 Far away, a man with black hair felt an evil premonition grip him and he looked up, straight at where, if it had been daylight, a body garbed in red and white would have been seen falling from a cliff. He had no way of knowing what the darkness hid, no way he could have felt her imitation body plummeting down through the air... And he would never have really known, were it not for the bright flash that lit the night sky as souls escaped from a lifeless body, and in their light he clearly saw her limp body collide with the ground at an impossible speed, smashing instantly, and destroying any chance that the person falling could remain alive. A name leapt unbidden to his lips, as an image of a beautiful young woman sitting on a green hillside flashed before his eye.  “Kikyo...”  A light breeze whispered in the treetops, singing a sad song. It was crying out for something it could not find, something that it longed for, something that it needed, something that was missing.

 Owari... 

 §§§