50 Years Too Early

Chapter 10: Vicious Visions

The embers of a wild bonfire lit up the night. The flickering orange hue revealed the charred remains of a village, with the bodies of its former inhabitants stripped of clothing and valuables. The inhabitants' houses were reduced to piles of wood and ash with everything of value either taken or burned. The scorched remains of those who had attempted to hide were in plain sight. Around the slaughter, the disproportionate sound of laughter could be heard from two miles away. Bandits dressed in old armor that could not hinder even the smallest of blades, sat before the wild bonfire. Their faces drenched in blood, sweat, and dirt. Their mouths filled to capacity with sake and pilfered food. Several stood before their comrades reinterpreting the anguished cries of their victims with smiles on their faces as if they retold a scene from the kabuki theatre. Rasetsu, the captain, sat at the head of the group. The plain faced leader took a long swing of the sake jug taken from the headman's hut as he watched the men's reenactment of the raid. Already his vision blurred and his words slurred together but that did not stop him from demanding another jug.

"Not a bad score men," he said, tossing the empty jug over his shoulder. "The women were disappointing but at least they had decent wine."

"Doesn't matter how disappointing they were!" one of the bandits yelled. "We still had our fun!"

Rasetsu gave his men a knowing grin. "I bet you did."

"Where should go next chief? North? South?"

The leader pulled out the cork of another sake jug. "It doesn't matter where; the world is ours for the taking!"

A rowdy roar erupted from the inebriated bandits.

"Chief! The scouts have returned."

"Bring them to me," Rasetsu said. "They will know the closest village to strike."

It only took a few minutes for two of his scouts to make their way to him. They were scrawny young boys, whose armor overshadowed their lanky bodies. The small daggers at their waists were the only weapons they carried. Rasetsu knew from personal experience that giving these two anything more was far more dangerous than attacking a camp of samurai. The boys' chests heaved up and down from their running. Rasetsu tossed them his water sack and the two drank heartily before speaking.

"Rasetsu…." The first scout said. "We have word of Onigumo."

The leader scoffed at the name. "What's that wretch up to now?" Onigumo had been his co-captain. They had founded the gang together and commanded equally. But it soon became clear to Rasetsu that all Onigumo wanted was to take over the gang. The despicable villain often set traps for Rasetsu, no doubt hoping that through this scheming; he would die, leaving Onigumo the logical choice for leader. Yet with each trap Rasetsu came out alive. A saner man would have killed the traitorous co-captain or at the very least, expel him from the gang. But it had become a point of pride for Rasetsu the amount of traps he had escaped. It gave him a thrill that years worth of raids could not. A week ago, it seemed Onigumo grew tired of his frequent failures and left the gang with a group of men in search of the fabled Shikon Jewel.

"We believe he is dead sir…." The second scout said slowly. "He was killed by some demon woman while in search of this Sacred Jewel."

Rasetsu raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well good riddance if you ask me. Anything else?"

"Yes sir, we managed to locate the Shikon Jewel. It is in the possession of a priestess named Kikyo."

"They entrust the key to ultimate wealth and power to a mere woman?" the leader snorted. "The fools."

"They say she is the best archer in the land sir," the second scout said. "And that she has killed far more demons than feudal lords have killed men!"

Rasetsu waved them off. "These are mere exaggerations to keep others from seeking the jewel. I'm confident my archery will be enough to rid us of this Kikyo."

The bandit smirked at the thought. Yes, it was possible. If he could survive Onigumo's traps, then he could no doubt finish a woman, who most likely earned this reputation through luck alone. All he needed was high ground and a time when Kikyo was defenseless. Then in a single shot, the infamous Jewel of the Four Souls would be his and his alone. He would be emperor of this vast land, no emperor of the world. All the wine, women, and wealth would be his in a single act. Rasetsu licked his lips at the thought. And with no Onigumo to get in his way, it was the perfect time to make the attempt.

"Fetch me a horse!" the leader commanded.

"Why sir?"

Rasetsu shouldered his bow and arrow as he climbed onto the horse provided.

"I'm going to pay this priestess, Kikyo, a visit."

OOOOOO

"I said come down!" Kagome yelled up at the red clad figure atop a barren tree.

"And I said, no way in hell!" Inuyasha barked back.

Kagome held in a grunt. She had only been back for three minutes and already she wanted to go home. But she couldn't in good conscious leave Kikyo and Inuyasha with their injuries. Although that's what she thought going through the well, now that she was here….

"You need medical treatment!" Kagome tried again. "It's not gonna take long."

"Get off me!" Inuyasha said. "You act like I'm the one who lost!"

"You were stabbed at least four times, stupid! Where I come from, that calls for medical attention!"

"Don't get mad at me because I'm not weak like you humans!"

"No, I'm getting mad at you because you're being an ass!"

"I'm a demon, not a donkey!"

"Well you're certainly being as stubborn as one!"

"Yeah well, there ain't nothing you can do to get me to come down there!"

Kagome gritted her teeth, her hands squeezed into the sides of the first-aid kit. It was times like these she wished Kikyo had given him those prayer beads. Even half demon dogs needed to know when to heel from time to time. She shut her eyes and slowly counted to ten, hoping for her temper to simmer down. She extended the count to twenty when the first attempted failed. By the time she reached fifteen an idea came to her. A sly grin crossed her lips as she looked over her shoulder and let out a false gasp worthy of the movies.

"Oh no, there's a demon heading towards Kikyo!"

The full sentence barely had time to be uttered before Inuyasha bounded out his tree and landed next to her, his claws at the ready. Kagome could barely stifle her giggle.

"Where? Which direction?" he asked, his head darting left and right for the imaginary adversary.

Before he had time to realize his mistake, Kagome smacked the white haired teen with biggest rock she could find, knocking him over, and leaving only a mild bump on his head.

"Ow! What the hell did you do that for!" the half-demon shouted.

Kagome climbed on top of him and clawed at his robes. "You're so predictable. Now undress!"

He struggled against her, doing everything short of striking. "No!"

She pulled at his top robe. "Don't be such a baby about it!"

"You know to some people, what you're doing right now could be seen as rape!"

"Girls can't rape boys stupid!"

"What do you call what you're doing right now?!"

"Aggressive medical attention," Kagome said simply. "It wouldn't be so aggressive if you would just chill out!"

"I don't even know what that means!"

"It means relax! It'll be over before you know it!"

"Get off!"

"It would seem you two have conquered your differences far sooner than I expected."

Kagome froze at the sound of Kikyo's voice. She slowly turned her head to the right and sure enough, the priestess stood over them with Kaede taking refuge behind her sister's leg, her face slightly flushed. The schoolgirl's heart raced. Her current position must have looked terrible. What if Kikyo got the wrong idea? Kagome wouldn't be able to live with herself if her twin thought she wanted Inuyasha for herself. That would ruin everything. She glanced down at the half-demon, whose slacked jaw and bewildered eyes mirrored her own. He took matters in his own hands with a single shove that had Kagome skidding against the ground. She shot him glare as she nursed the new cuts on her bottom. When he merely huffed, Kagome turned back to her curious twin.

"K-Kikyo! Uh….well….this isn't what it looks like….you see…uh…."

Kikyo let out a genuine and surprisingly, vocal laugh, which made Kagome's jaw slacken once more. Did a demon replace the scarily stoic Kikyo she knew?

"You needn't explain, Kagome," Kikyo said in between her attempts to control herself. "I am aware of the situation."

"Y-you are? How long were you behind us?"

"I approached you around the time of the 'donkey' remark," Kikyo replied, her laugh subsided but the smile on her face remained. "You were so engrossed in your….activity that I did not have the heart to interrupt."

"Next time, go into the bushes if you want to do something like that," Kaede said from behind Kikyo's leg.

It was Kagome's turn to flush. "It's not like that! I just swung by to apply some first-aid, but Mr. Tough Guy over here would have none of that."

At the sound of her nickname for him, Inuyasha scoffed and pulled at his robes. "I thought you would have figured it out by now!"

The right side of his robe slipped down to his upper arm, giving Kagome a full view of his torso. Like the rest of his exposed skin, there was a slight tan, though it was milder than the tan on his face and neck. Lean muscles rippled up and down his body from what Kagome could see. His pectoral muscles looked to be hardened squares that a man could break his fist against. Kagome could see beginnings of his abs as well and could already tell the term "washboard abs" didn't do them justice. Kagome felt her face grow warm. She must have stared longer than warranted because it took Kikyo clearing her throat to remind Kagome of the true reason for the free show.

"The wounds are gone…." She said finally.

Inuyasha huffed and readjusted his clothes. "So you can keep your first-aid. I don't need it."

Kikyo sighed. "Inuyasha, you should, at least, thank Kagome for being considerate of you."

Inuyasha glanced at the priestess, making Kagome tense and ready for another bout of barking. But instead the halfling just groaned like a child being forced to apologize.

"Fine," he said, the added eye roll made Kikyo glower at him. "Thanks!"

At the sound of the low guttural word, Kagome felt the temperature in the air drop. Her body quaked as if she were trapped in her own personal earthquake. She found herself back in that open meadow, claws slashing into her back. Pain shot up her back as that evil voice spoke in her ears.

"I shall take this nonetheless….thanks!"

Kagome took a breath, but the air refused to enter her lungs. Her chest heaved up and down, trying and failing for respiration. She closed her eyes trying to will the voice away but instead it merely brought her back to the meadow. Back to the claws, the blood, and the laughter. That sickening laughter. Kagome gripped her forehead as if she attempted to keep her brain from melting out of her skull. She opened her eyes again to see Inuyasha nose to nose with her, his arms on her shoulders, shaking her and yelling. But no words seemed to come out of his flapping mouth. She gripped the sleeves of his robes and tried to mutter out a cry but her voice failed her as well. Panic gripped her already overworked chest, making her heart ram against her ribcage. Was she going to die like this?

"Kagome!" she heard. "Listen to me. Listen to my voice and my voice alone."

"K-Kikyo?" Kagome managed. The priestess appeared next to Inuyasha and placed two fingers on her forehead as she spoke.

"Whatever it is you're seeing, whatever you hear, it isn't real," Kikyo said, her fingers glowing with familiar purple light. "Latch onto my voice, use it as your tether to this world."

Kikyo's voice flooded her ears, muting the wicked sound. The amethyst radiance blinded her almost. Instinctively Kagome flinched away from it but it was warm and soothing. The light seemed to wrap her up and pulled the frightened schoolgirl towards Kikyo voice. By the time it subsided, she was back in the forest with Kikyo, Inuyasha and Kaede. She glanced between the three of them unable to speak at first.

"Breathe in through your nose and out your mouth," Kikyo instructed. "Slowly."

Kagome did as she said, inhaling as much air as she could and slowly passing it through her mouth. Kagome repeated the process for what appeared to be an hour but in reality had to be only a few minutes. When her lungs recovered, Kagome felt faint like she had just finished running around all of Tokyo. Her legs lost strength and darkness overtook her. The ground came closer and closer to her, but before she could hit a strong pair of arms engulfed her. With her eyes buried in Inuyasha's chest, the crimson red of his robes was all she could see.

The demon carefully laid her down and used his lap as her pillow. He looked down at her, his amber eyes filled with concern.

Kagome had to admit, he was actually cute when he wasn't being obnoxious.

OOOOOO

Kagome's eyes shut, causing alarm in Inuyasha at first. But the gentle and constant rise and fall of her chest informed them that the girl was merely sleeping. Kikyo let out a sigh of relief but despite the ideal resolution, this incident brought up countless questions.

"W-what the hell was that?" Inuyasha said.

"It would appear Kagome had a….." Kikyo searched the sky for the proper word to describe it. "A vision. And from her reaction, it was not a pleasant one."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "A vision? Priestesses have stuff like that?"

"It is rather uncommon and the few who do have them seldom have any so vivid. They mainly occur during times of deep meditation and fasting, when mind, body, and soul are cleansed."

"Will she be all right, Kikyo?" Kaede asked as she made her way towards Kagome's side.

"For now yes," she said. "But I will need to know more about this. Inuyasha, would you carry Kagome to our hut?"

The half-demon scoffed. "Keh, do I look like a pack mule to you?"

Kikyo sighed. "Inuyasha, please," she said, undeterred by his abrasive nature. "This is serious."

"Fine." Without another word he carefully placed the sleeping girl on his back and offered Kaede a ride as well. Kaede glanced at Kikyo for her permission. Kikyo nodded and before she knew it, he scooped up her little sister and bounded away, leaving Kikyo to her thoughts.

Visions were no simple matter, Kikyo learned as much at the monastery where she trained. Commonly, visions were out of focus and deliberately indistinct. Her master described them as streams that led to only one of countless possibilities within the ocean of fate. Too often however, visions persisted driving the seer into insanity without proper guidance and control. One of Kikyo fellow pupils, Yukina, had been blessed, or in her view, cursed with such visions. They occurred only when she slept but frequently brought her into the same state of shock as Kagome. But Yukina's visions were of the distant past. Kikyo could not be sure what Kagome saw until she awoke.

But that merely led Kikyo to another question. How could Kagome have these visions at all? The girl was her reincarnation but Kikyo did not have any proficiency with visions. Was it perhaps from her family? Kikyo recalled Kagome speaking about her family their first day together and from what she described; her grandfather had no spiritual power. So she could not have gotten this gift from him.

Kikyo carefully made her way down the hill, her leg and arm still aching from the battle with Yura. She glanced at Kagome's white box with the red cross on the front. A first-aid kid, she had called it. The priestess shrugged, believing it would useful at a later date, and took it under her arm and to the hut.

When she arrived, Inuyasha was waiting on the roof with Kagome already inside and lying down. Kaede was by her side wringing out a cloth of water. Kikyo sat the first-aid kit near the entrance and attempted to kneel. The wound made it difficult, but she managed.

"How is she?" Kikyo asked when she settled into the position.

"She's still sleeping. Will she be ok?"

Kikyo placed her palm on Kagome's cheek, checking her temperature. Slightly warm, but nothing to worry about, for now. "That remains to be seen, Kaede."

"Oh….Is there anything more I can do?"

"Why don't you take Inuyasha with you and gather some herbs for some tea. I imagine Kagome will need something to ease her stomach."

Kaede nodded and called down Inuyasha. To Kikyo's surprise it did not take much for Kaede to convince the half demon to accompany her. As their footsteps faded from her ears, Kikyo delicately shook her sleeping twin's shoulder. Kagome groaned, muttering something about five more minutes. But finally her eyes eased open, confused at first but quickly focused on Kikyo's face.

"Uh…what happened?"

"I was about to ask you the same."

"I'm…not really…sure. I was going to give Inuyasha first-aid and then….I don't really know."

Kikyo nodded, short-term memory loss was a common side-effect. The few times Yukina had a vision while she was awake, she would forget what had occurred beforehand.

"How long was I out for?"

"Merely a few minutes. Has this ever happened to you before?"

"No. Well….I mean I've never passed out like that. But I've had that dream or whatever that was, a few nights ago. It felt so real. I haven't had a good night sleep since."

"I see. Would you mind recalling what you saw?"

Kagome sank deeper under the covers. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not. What if it happens again?"

Kikyo took the frightened girl's hand, in the same manner she did when Kaede had a bad dream. She rubbed the top of her palm, hoping the added warmth would add some measure of comfort. "You have no reason to be afraid. I'm here with you and together I'm sure we can figure out this phenomenon."

Kagome looked down, still unsure. "I don't know. It's pretty weird…."

"I'm currently speaking to my own reincarnation," Kikyo reminded her. "I'm positive that 'weird' is no longer a deterring factor for me."

"Good point," Kagome admitted. "There really isn't much to tell. I'm walking in a meadow by myself. I'm looking for you guys and then suddenly something attacks me from behind. The guy takes something from me, thanks me for it and just laughs before fading away. That's it."

Kikyo tapped her chin, taking in Kagome's brief tale. It didn't sound like much but visions were often layers upon layers of hidden meanings and silent riddles. "Do you remember any other details?"

Kagome shrugged. "Like what?"

"The time of day, what you were wearing, the color of the leaves, or the angle of which your attacker came?"

"I remember seeing cherry blossoms, so I guess it was supposed to be spring."

"Were there many cherry blossoms?"

"Just the one that fell on my hand."

Kikyo looked down and tried to recall the few lessons she had pertaining to deciphering visions. Every detail of the vision was relevant information. The cherry blossoms and spring could symbolize the start of new life, or how fleeting and brief life could be. Was it the future Kagome was seeing? Or some kind of memory they shared? Kikyo attempted to recall any significant event that had happened to her in a meadow but no incident she remembered seemed worthy of being shared with her reincarnation.

"The one who attacked me, sounded like Inuyasha though," Kagome said.

Kikyo bit the inside of her cheek. "Truly?"

"Yeah….but he wouldn't do something like that. Right?"

"Of course not," she said with far more edge than she intended. "He has his abrasive moments but he is no villain."

"I didn't think so," Kagome said with a nod. "So what now?"

Kikyo sighed. "This is beyond my training," she admitted. "There is very little I can surmise from what you told me. But without the proper spiritual guidance your visions will persist until you cannot discern fantasy from reality."

"It'll be that bad?"

"I'm afraid so."

"There isn't anything else you can do? You can't like recommend me to another priestess or something?"

"It is as I told Inuyasha; very few priestesses have this gift. I do not know many who would be able to tell you more. Unless…."

"Unless what?"

"Atsuko," Kikyo said. Just saying the woman's name put Kikyo at unease. "She is a priestess. A rather…unorthodox one."

"How so?"

"Well in general priestesses, once they complete their training, wander the countryside to wherever they are needed. They battle famine, demons, disease, and aid wounded soldiers. Others take refuge in a temple in order to teach those who come to them. Atsuko took a….different path."

"Are you actually going to explain or just keep trailing off like that?" Kagome asked.

"My apologies, Kagome," Kikyo said as rose to pack a bag. "My dealings with Atsuko have never been smooth transactions. My last encounter with her resulted in my hanging over a cliff with my bow and arrows destroyed and a giant spider-demon ready to devour me."

Kagome flinched. "That's comforting…."

"Trust me, I would rather not have any further contact with her," Kikyo said. "But she is the only one I know of who can help you. She dwells deep in the mountains to the north of here. If all goes well it should be a week's journey."

Kagome sat up. "You're coming with me right? I mean you know this stuff."

"I cannot. The Shikon Jewel requires my constant protection. And my injuries have yet to fully heal. I would only be a burden on the road."

"So I'm going by myself to this crazy lady?!"

"Calm yourself, I will make sure you have an escort."

"Who?" But after a brief pause, annoyance flooded Kagome's face. "You can't be serious!"

Kikyo sighed. It would be long trip for both of them no doubt.

OOOOOO

"You want me to what!?" Inuyasha shouted.

When he and the kid returned to the hut with fresh herbs, Kagome was already up and moving around helping Kikyo pack a bag. After a while, Kagome said that she had a bigger bag back in her time so she had run back to get it. Kikyo then asked him to accompany her on one of her rounds. She was still injured of course, so there would be no doubt that demons would try to attack her. It was when they reached an open meadow with a tall cliff overlooking the area did she spring this request on him.

"Escort Kagome north to a priestess that dwells there," Kikyo said for the fourth time.

Inuyasha jogged to catch up with her. "You can't be serious!"

"Surely it cannot be that outrageous of a request. It is merely a week's journey."

Inuyasha growled under his breath. A week worth of her whining and arguing, and Kikyo wanted to know what his objections were. Clearly she didn't know her sister very well. "It's one week longer than I would like."

"You saw her today did you not?" Kikyo said, annoyance dipping in her voice. "You saw what those visions did to her. If she does not go, it will only get worse."

Inuyasha had to admit that seeing her like that, so scared and helpless, was jarring. He knew all too well what that felt like. His first day on his own in the wilderness, not even a day had passed since his mother died, and his grandfather had him banished from the castle. No doubt his face that day was the same as Kagome's today. And the idea it could get worse made his stomach churn in ways he did not expect.

"I'm surprised by your reluctance, Inuyasha," Kikyo said her voice growing lighter. "You seemed rather….comfortable with Kagome earlier today."

At the reminder of the incident Inuyasha instantly felt his face grow warm. "That was an accident! You saw!"

"Truly? It seemed as though you were enjoying yourself."

"You really think Kagome clawing at my robes is something I would enjoy?"

"As I understand it that would be a fantasy come true for most human men."

"Yeah well I ain't fully human now am I?"

Kikyo turned to face him, a smile fully plastered on her face, making his heart skip for a moment. Her hand covered her lips as she turned away, preventing him from seeing more. "Calm yourself Inuyasha, I am merely teasing you."

Inuyasha reeled back. "Since when do you do stuff like that?"

Kikyo glanced at him ready to reply but instead looked away and continued to walk. Inuyasha tilted his head but decided not to press the issue. It wasn't as if he didn't like her teasing anyway. It was a much better change than that icy stare she gave everyone.

Their walk took them past the cliff and overhead, Inuyasha picked up on a horse approaching them from above. He took a whiff of the air and the scent of blood, sweat, and mud filled his nose. Inuyasha's face scrunched together at the repulsing combination. Whoever was up there hadn't bathed in how many months. Kikyo was a few steps in front of him, her bow and arrow with her as always but with her injuries, she would not be able to react to their visitor as fast as she would like. The pulling of a bowstring caught his ears. Inuyasha had no doubt who this guy's target was. The arrow loosed and whistled through the air. Inuyasha's hand flew up, grabbing the arrow by the shaft with ease.

A growl vibrated in his throat as he leapt up the cliff in a single bound. His sudden appearance startled the horse. It threw off its rider and sped into the bushes, leaving the armor-clad attacker on the ground and confused.

"Who are you?" the man asked. "What do you want?"

His shoddy armor and worse-for-wear weapons marked him as a meager bandit. Inuyasha's nose sensed no demon aura or any demon-possessed weapons on the man either. He was a full human, a small fry.

"You're just a human," Inuyasha scoffed. In truth he was disappointed, after Yura there hadn't been any good fights recently. His claws were inching for something to cut. A human who stood no chance against him just didn't fulfill him. Inuyasha snapped the arrow in his hand like a twig. Still, fulfilling or not, this human tried to kill Kikyo and there was no way he was going to let that stand. "You got some nerve trying to cut Kikyo's life short you pathetic human. I bet you're after the Sacred Jewel too!"

The bandit scrambled to his feet and drew his sword. Inuyasha had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Like that puny sword would do anything to him.

"I've heard enough of this demon!" he exclaimed and swung at the halfling with an overhead strike, no doubt trying to cleave him in two with a single stroke.

The blade met Inuyasha's forearm protected by the Fire-Rat robes. The metal snapped in two, sending the point flying upwards. The bandit looked up at the metal in awe but that proved to be a mistake. The flying metal plummeted to the earth and imbedded itself, point first, in the man's left eye.

The man fell to his knees in pain, gripping his blinded eye socket with blood seeped through his fingers. Inuyasha cracked his claws. It wouldn't be honorable cutting him down like this but Inuyasha had learned that where there's one bandit, there bound to be fifty more hiding somewhere. He was probably some scout sent to take out Kikyo so that the others could ransack the village for the jewel. Keh, not on his watch.

"You're just lucky I'm not a full demon," Inuyasha said. And it was true. Had this bandit picked a fight with a full demon like Sesshomaru, there'd be nothing left of his body. At least Inuyasha would give his fellows something to cremate when they found him. "Prepare to die."

"Inuyasha…" he heard Kikyo call.

The half-demon let out a groan. Kikyo wouldn't approve of his taking a human life, even if that life was the lowest of the low. It wasn't as if the bandit would survive for long anyways. If he returned, his boss would punish him for his failure with death or dismemberment. Or if his boss didn't punish him, he would go into battle later down the road. With that blinded eye his fighting ability would be hindered, making it far easier for an enemy to finish the job. Inuyasha just shrugged, guess this vermin just wasn't his to kill today.

"Count yourself lucky this time," he said as he jumped onto the bare tree below the cliff.

"Did something happen up there?" Kikyo asked. "I heard screaming."

He heard the bandit scramble away, bumping into the trees as he went. He wouldn't be bothering them again. "Keh, nothing I couldn't handle."

"I'm confident you wouldn't do anything violent while I'm in your presence," she said, this time her smile in full view.

Inuyasha leapt out of the tree and to her side, his hands folded in his sleeves. "Yeah yeah. So what's the deal with this Atsuko priestess?"

"She can communicate with the Baku."

Inuyasha froze. A smirk appeared on his lips.

This trip just got interesting.

OOOOOO

Rasetsu stumbled through the forest, pain gripping his skull at every turn. Damn that sliver haired demon! That monster robbed him of his destiny! How could he rule now? How could he even lead his men being a one-eyed cripple? Damn him! The bandit slammed his fist against a nearby tree, only resulting in more pain. He crumbled to his knees both in pain and despair. There was nothing left for him.

"No," he said to himself. "There is one thing I can live for. Revenge. Revenge against that half-demon for what he did to me. And revenge against that priestess Kikyo! I'll have all their heads and the Sacred Shikon Jewel will be mine! Even if it's the last act of my pitiful life!"

"In that case, I believe I can be of some help to you, Rasetsu," a seductive voice said from behind him.

The injured bandit followed the voice to see a young woman dressed in dark lavender robes. Her ebony hair allowed her to blend into the darkness of the brush almost perfectly. A crimson tint flashed in her blue eyes for a moment as she approached him. A snake twice the length of his arm slithered past Rasetsu and coiled itself around the priestess.

"W-who are you?"

"I am called, Tsubaki."