The Once and Future Taiyoukai By RosieB. (Inuyasha FanFic)

Chapter 23: Triptych

ALL RIGHTS TO ROSIE B ON FANFICTION.NET Rosie B [https://www.fanfiction.net/u/38149/RosieB]

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Chapter 23: Triptych

A/N: Hey all! Thanks for the great reviews for the last chapter. I know, I know. I promised that this story would be done by the end of 2007. Obviously, that's not going to happen. Real life has kind of been beating down on me lately and although the holidays have given me some free time, most of it has been spent either recuperating or catching up on backlogged schoolwork. I would much rather spend my time with this story, but c'est la vie.

Anyway, there were 2 main questions that you guys had, which I will sort of answer:

Question: "If a miko loses her powers when she falls in love, what about Kikyo and/or Midoriko? Why do they still have their powers?"

Answer: Because it's not when a miko falls in love, it's "when a miko takes a lover", in Kikyo's own words. Traditionally, miko were supposed to be virgins and when they got married, they weren't miko any longer. Although they've never come out and said it in the anime, this is probably the reason that Kikyo needed to get rid of the Jewel before marrying Inuyasha – without the Jewel, she had no obligation as a miko and therefore, could quit. And that's also why Midoriko was safe from Nameless – if he took her virginity, he'd have taken away her valuable powers, which were an asset to him at that point. So basically, Kikyo is accusing Kagome of sleeping with Sesshoumaru.

Question: "If Sesshoumaru kills Kagome, like he threatened, won't he die too because of the bond?"

Answer: Short answer – yes. Long answer – it's in the chapter, so read on!

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 23: Triptych

Inuyasha sniffed the air discreetly as they entered the village. Kagome had been here this morning, he confirmed, although it was really unnecessary. Several villagers were stepping forward already, smiling at his companion and calling her by another name.

Kikyo frowned slightly. "I am Kikyo," she said simply and many of the people dropped their hands and cast them both a suspicious glance. "I am a miko."

"This is a fortuitous day then," said one of the older men, smiling again, but not with as much warmth. "We had another priestess through here just this morning. You could be her twin."

Inuyasha saw Kikyo's angry glance out of the corner of his eye. "It is fortunate for you," she said, stressing the last two words ever so slightly. "I assume she looked to your needs, so we will merely pass through."

"Oh yes," said the man. "Lady Kagome was very kind. We do not want for more, although you are most welcome here, Lady Kikyo."

The priestess gave the man a tight smile. "I am certain that I am. Thank you."

The small crowd moved away, uninterested in the second miko of the day and distrustful of her hanyou companion. Inuyasha ignored the few glances he received and continued down the main avenue of the village.

"Why are we following her?" Kikyo hissed softly. "This is the second time in as many days that we have met such a reception!"

Inuyasha shrugged. "She has the shards. Naraku will go after her and even if she doesn't want my help anymore, I'm not going to lose all the shards to him. We can't depend on Sesshoumaru after all."

"He is still following her too?"

The hanyou nodded and glanced up ahead at the ridge of wooded hills that ran along the left of their path. "Yeah. He's ahead of us. He's keeping pretty close to her."