XXXXXXXXXX

Memoirs of a Miko

XXXXXXXXXX

"This is madness," the miko breathed as she cleanly cleaved a head off its undead host and returned to her defensive positions before having to defend against another. Protecting this half-dead half-breed was quickly becoming a suicide mission and for all she truly knew, a fool's errand anyway. Given the extremely limited briefing they'd been given supposedly the pair was at the heart of this issue and instrumental to survival but how could it be that these demons left him unprotected if that was the case? She could die defending him to some pointless end instead of joining the battle raging outside. And on top of everything continuing her defense in this death trap could not possibly end well. It might just be better to abandon this post and join the others. Although whether her contribution would make much a difference seemed unlikely to be the tipping point. No amount of spiritual attacks seemed able to kill the undying.

"This is..."

"Move," a hoarse feminine voice ordered hoarsely as several corpses were unceremoniously dispatched in a manner of seconds and a red eyed brunette suddenly materialized next to her - her hand already outstretched to catch the bow that instinctively swung towards her head. Despite the soft pink glow and audible sizzle, the newcomer did not flinch. Did not react other than to swing a giant intimidating boomerang at the incoming horde.

"I'll take it from here," Sango muttered - her voice cracking wildly as she finally released the bow and the miko stared guiltily at the slightly charred flesh.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized desperately - going against her usually hard and blunt demeanor, "I..."

"I understand. Now go," the Baku ordered as She crouched down before the battered and obviously dying Inuyasha, "There's no point in you dying for him. You're needed elsewhere."

Giving the young demon, a once over the miko squared her shoulders and took a defensive stance.

"Is he instrumental in our success?" the miko asked as she rushed forward and decapitated a corpse as it made its way into the hut. Sango let out a shuddering breath and a sigh.

"We believe so. How much do you know?" Sango replied thickly as she took out several of the beings who kept flooding in like the worlds most grotesque waterfall.

"That it's that girl's sister," the miko grunted as she landed a blow solidity down on the newest round of corpses, "That the sister wants the girl and the girl mated with him."

"They've bonded," the Baku sniffled as she tried to explain as simply as possible while also fighting for their lives, "We think souls are involved."

"Makes sense. Trap souls and control the bodies," the miko replied as she landed a solidly kick at the corpse sending it twirling towards Sango who dispatched it quickly.

"So why is he important?" the miko panted heavily during an eerie break of relative peace - one hand brushed clumps if sweat dampened hair behind her ear , "Don't women outlive men in that case?"

"The sister got in," Sango sighed shakily, "Took over the girl. Kagome. That's under control but if he's been stolen as a result, then he's her last line of defense."

"Why does that sound like an explanation made up after the fact?" the miko snorted before bracing herself as the horde came back.

"It is and it isn't," Sango laughed hoarsely - the sound dark and with obvious bite, "We only knew something was wrong with Kagome when he collapsed."

"So he didn't get injured first," the miko concluded as she braced herself against three or more undying soldiers before suddenly the room was littered with unmoving bodies before she could blink. A blood and rot covered baku stood atop of a particularly gruesome pile several bodies thick.

Eyes wide, the next words tumbled out of the miko's mouth before she could stop them.

"Where have you been all this time?" she breathed in awe as she watched the Baku take out the new encroachment effortlessly, "You left..."

"My...my mate was endangered," Sango replied almost hatefully - guilt lacing her tone, "But I was too late. He's...he's gone."

Ah yes, she had been too late, the Baku thought bitterly. The worst and most ironic part is that she would probably end up loving Miroku without him being on this plane of existence for longer than she'd loved him in life. It seemed a strange realization but the truth of the matter was that the amount of time you have with a person in no way correlated to the amount of love or the impact they had in you.

And no matter how badly her heart was breaking, the world and it's insanity didn't stop just because his heart had. In fact, the chaotic state of the world in this moment was a welcome distraction.

Maybe she was inherent selfish person. The type of person Shiori had always seen. The worst type of person. Instead of going to Kagome or even Kohaku, Sango elected to go to Inuyasha. His continued existence somehow more important to her for no expressable reason. To protect him above all others because she couldn't stand to lose him. Her heart could handle the loss of Kohaku who had been lost most of her life and whom she had grieved a thousand times over. Her heart could handle the loss of Kagome.

But it absolutely could not handle losing Inuyasha.

Maybe she was the worst person anyone had ever met but there were so many people in this world, it would be impossible to ever know. The type of person who could forsake her own brother for the sake of a man who would probably die no matter what she did. The type of person who could change the tide of this battle but who was choosing one person over the lives of the entire world.

In retrospect, everything she'd ever done had been for Inuyasha. Caring for Kagome hadn't been for the girl's sake. It had been to make her well enough to be fit for Inuyasha in the end. She stayed in the palace instead of caring for her brother because wherever Inuyasha went she traditionally followed. She let Miroku defend the wall on his own to protect Inuyasha. Let Miroku die a miserable, slow, painful death all alone while she stayed by Inuyasha's side. Her life had revolved around her friend - her best friend - for as long as she could remember. To the detriment of everyone and everything else.

She truly was a despicable creature.

A solitary broke free as she took her self-loathing and used it to turn herself into a living weapon.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The twisted creature raked its black claws against the pale hand wrapped around its neck.

"Kagome, go. Let us handle this," a gruff voice ordered firmly and the miko being addressed lifted her head just enough to look upon this unexpected newcomer. He was dressed well - formal robes worthy of his station in life. His heartbreakingly familiar silver hair pulled back into a regal looking bun. Expressive amber eyes trying to communicate what didn't need to be said.

Pressing her hand firmly against the strange wound in her stomach, Kagome unsteadily got to her feet and took a defensive stance.

"I won't leave you," she replied as fearsomely as she could, "This is my fight. That's my sister."

"Good girl," the specter chuckled darkly as her crimson eyes narrowed and suddenly Kikyo's form in life shimmered into existence. Tears welling in her eyes, the shadow of that woman reached out in silent plea.

"Help me Kagome," it pleaded as it weakly fought against the hand clamped around its neck, "Would you forsake your own..."

"Oh save it you bitch," Kagome huffed as she rolled her eyes, "Do you take me for an idiot? The only way to save my sister is to end you."

"But I am..."

"Enough," the once Great Dog Demon huffed as he slammed the creature into the ground with all his strength, "Kagome, you need to leave this battle. If you're injured, He's injured. Without you, Inuyasha will surely die. Now go to him. There is no time for argument."

"He's here?" Kagome whispered in horror and the man nodded.

"I will not be doing this alone," he promised her as he gave her what he clearly believed was a reassuring smile as the creature's true form once again appeared followed by an angry grating shriek.

"No," Kagome hissed as she closed her eyes and rushed forward. Golden flakes whipped free from the gaping hole as her power surged and a blinding flash of pink light suddenly filled the darkness around them.

"You won't."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well this is unfortunate," Miroku sighed heavily as he blossomed into existence amidst what seemed like utter chaos before glancing down at his body with a wistful look. At least here, in this place, he was whole once more. He was not a stupid man. He knew how broken his body had been. It was a relief in some ways that he was able to experience standing on his own two feet, even if it was in death, for in life he knew he would never stand again. It didn't matter in any case what may or may not have happened in life. Life, as he knew it, had ended.

Surveying the multitudes, he was quickly able to deduce that this is where the souls of the damned were being kept. Death had not discriminated between humans or youkai. All species were equally represented in this strange place. In the back of his mind, he was concerned about what his body might be doing up on that lonely wall. Concerned and yet strangely at peace with the manner in which he died. His body had been so throughly abused and broken that he was quite confident that the most an undead version of him would be capable of doing was nipping Sango on the heels and perhaps dragging his body across the cold stone. Something easily outrun by a baku even if she did decide to wallow in grief.

With another heavy sigh, he tried to distinguish certain faces to find someone familiar as his undamaged fingers traced his lips. It was unfortunate indeed that he died just as Sango confessed her love. Unfortunate that their first and only kiss had been under such circumstances. Still, he found that he regretted nothing. He would gladly die in such a way time and time again if he believed for one moment that it would save her life. At least, in the end, he knew she loved him just as deeply as he loved her.

Such a strange thing imprinting had been.

Even in death, his thoughts lingered on her. The way her smile never failed to make his heart melt even when the world was spinning out from under him. Even in those last final moments, it made him endlessly happy to hear that she loved him. To feel her lips press against his temple. Happier than he could ever remember being and he knew he would do it all over again if only to relive that moment one more time. Furrowing his brow, he began to focus on the others milling angrily about while the sounds of explosions and screams sounded off in the distance. None of them seemed familiar but they did all seem rather...disturbed. Even the small children seemed old beyond their years and were staring at him with such hatred that it made an involuntary shiver run down his spine. In his every day appearance, he resembled any human man although his own aura betrayed him if one cared to notice but here, in this place, no one had aura and all he had to rely on to tell one from the other was outward appearances alone. Something was wrong here. Very wrong.

Glancing over the heads of the masses, Miroku's eyes tried to distinguish forms in the suffocating darkness until two pinpoints of light in the distance caught his attention. One appeared to be much larger than the other. An ominous purple glow from the bigger of the two and a wavering gold sheen illuminating from the smaller. Their presence seemed to be largely ignored from the deranged souls around him but something about the lights called to him.

That alone made him reluctant to approach. If these were the souls of the creatures that had ripped his body to shreds, they were being controlled by the spirit of Kagome's sister. He too was entangled in her web. Even now, he could feel some foreign presence probing at his soul, trying to find something to latch onto. It was almost impossible to fight it. To force it out.

Knowledge without the power to do anything was indeed a curse.

"Don't you regret your last moments. Sango finally admitted she loved you and you will never see her again," a bodiless voice whispered in his ear, "Your whole way of life, everything you've ever known, gone."

Miroku's lips twitched upwards as he began moving through the crowd.

"So it's bitterness you seek," he hummed aloud to the unseen voice as several of the anger filled souls turned to face him with unseeing eyes, "Regret. Anger."

"Every being in this world has a weakness," the voice cooed as he continued pushing his way towards the light, "You are no different than the hundreds that came before you."

"Your timing leaves much to be desired," Miroku laughed softly as the lights grew closer and closer, "Had you slain me a few moments sooner, you would have found a much more bitter man. But alas, you took me too late."

"You are arrogant dragon. It will be your downfall," the voice crooned and Miroku suddenly felt his whole body spasm - his feet slowing as his vision blurred.

"Every man has bitterness in his heart and I just found yours."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"This is going really well," Kohaku hummed happily as he continued to flit at neck breaking speed around the fortress with a shit eating grin playing on his lips- Sota and Kagome in tow, "Do you want to see again? I can stop for a..."

"Whatever you do, don't stop," the young priest choked as he struggled to catch his breath, "If this really is going well, we need to keep going. You've got to keep your grip on her."

"No duh," Kohaku snorted as he stopped despite the words that had literally just left his companion's mouth and held up Kagome's body by her wrist, "You know, this is the most fun I've had in ages."

"Fun?! You call this..."

"Whats got your balls in such a twist?" the young Baku snorted, "We're winning. Or about to win anyway. You'll see."

"What about this makes you think..." Sota hissed before gasping when Kohaku took off again.

"Oh right, right, right. Almost forgot. Gotta keep moving," the boy cackled as he barely avoided a snarling herd emerging from around the corner, "Can't catch me!"

This had to be the most bizarre and terrifying thing Sota had ever experienced. Even more so than having been possessed for months on end. The fate of the entire world rested in the hands of someone who seemed to have the emotional intelligence of a five year old and that was being generous.

"Kohaku we should take cover instead of..."

"Oh! You want to see my hidey hole?" Kohaku chirped happily and Sota groaned before gasping when they came to another dead stop.

"You're...what...now?" he coughed as he struggled for air before cursing silently when the young Baku suddenly changed course and somehow scaled the fortress wall in seemingly one leap.

"It's not much but I like it," Kohaku laughed as he landed in a particularly deep snow drift, "It's pretty cool. There's a frozen waterfall and some trees and I got a bunch of blankets and stuff. You'll like it."

"So it's a cave?" Sota tried to clarify as he prayed this was an actual place and not some illusion.

"Kinda sorta," Kohaku laughed softly before coming to a dead stop a fair distance from the wall with a terrified yet torn look in his face.

"Rin..."