souls of the shikon no tama

But then her power surged, carrying the prayer of a sacred hand that cleansed the suffocating demonic aura within their space, both frustratingly small and seemingly infinite at the same time. Youkai would hiss, biding their time or risk delving into her light for a taste of blood, only to disintegrate in seconds.

Much like her spark of radiance, however, there existed a darkness her sword, much less herself, could never reach. At the pit of an abyss, the source of darkness stood in the form of a single man that stared into the black for a hint of her light.

Courage, kindness, wisdom, love. They made up the pure soul that sacrificed themselves for those they cherished.

Fear, malevolence, deception, obsession. The essence of corruption is what this soul clung to for their own survival.

// That’s an interesting take, anon. Although, personally, I don’t see Kikyou and Onigumo’s dynamic being equivalent to Midoriko and Magatsuhi’s, or Kagome and Naraku’s.

// I had a similar idea before I begun writing up what I have now. Where the man that loved Midoriko was the right-hand man of a shogun obsessed with her power. Basically assigned to stay at her side so that she may work under the shogun by extension. This man absolutely abhorred youkai and admired Midoriko heavily. He didn’t understand that her ability to purify didn’t necessarily mean to destroy what was impure.

Considering that, in Midoriko’s time, youkai ran more rampant than ever, I could presume that the lord wanted to keep her closer and closer to his castle to protect himself and demand her to slay the creatures that plague his land while she tried to keep the peace between human and youkai, knowing that the battles would only get worse if daiyoukai were to be involved. It gets to the point where the lord may want to imprison Midoriko or, after learning of her ‘pure’ intentions, may send her out to what he deems certain death. (Point is: she’s stressed lol)

He had lived in ruins, knew the taste of dirt and hunger pains both from lack of food and overbearing greed. Lying, stealing, seducing, killing- he had done many terrible things in his youth and knew he had no one’s name to curse other than his own when he finally met his match at a blade’s end. But luck shone upon him as he escaped death’s grasp with a wild grin and a wagon full of goods. He garnered a group to take his fall, to step upon, to stab in the back when the deed was done and no one else left alive to squeal. Few alive could recall his face and fewer still could remember his true name.

At one point, he was able to kick this life of a bandit to the side and create a new alias for himself in a castle town. No one knew his wealth, however meager it may seem in the eyes of a lord, came from plenty of unfortunate families of villages he pillaged with his men. He slew his own past as a story to tell. No, he wasn’t born from a single mother that chose to raise him, knowing how much harder it would be, rather than simply abandoning him to the youkai that would ravage their homes. In these stories, he praised himself to be the hero to finally end this terror, bringing joy and intrigue to the drunks that would rehash the tale until many knew some variant of his success.

Recommendations led him to attempt living the humble life of a soldier. He patrolled the village surrounding the castle, chasing girls that teased him into their home, harassing and secretly up-charging men late with their taxes to their lord. For a while, it was fun, and he was convinced that he could live the rest of his life like this. Then she came- and with her, the terrible stories of youkai terrorizing the lands, stories that their lord had desperately tried to hush and smother until the youkai were practically rapping at his door. He called her from afar to deal with the pests, then, with spears surrounding her, demanded that she’d stay and serve only them.

The twisted soldier, himself, was one of the few stationed to watch over her and accompany her wherever she went. Very few times, she would draw her sword to slay the beasts. Instead, a pure light radiated from her very being and subdued the angry souls. But he became captivated when she did unsheathe her blade, a wicked white light slicing through a rampaging youkai that saw no reason and rained dark, dark blood over the battlefield and over her. He would catch the look of resignation on her face as she stood still, silent over the youkai as if praying for it to find peace. Upon recounting the awesome scene, he laughed at the sentiments as if these monsters deserved any amount of pity from the priestess meant to slay them.

But, as he continued to accompany her, he quieted down and simply watched her, marveled her beauty and prowess. Instead of making fun of her habits and disturbing her focus, he observed and dared to ask her why. Why would she consider the heart of beasts that usually preyed on humanity? The answer cemented his place by her side until he eventually perished in time and darkness. Even when she managed to free herself from the lord and his soldier’s grasp, he abandoned his station, his title, and his glory all for the sake of following her.

He made sure to stay out of her way, to not wear out his welcome by her side, however welcoming she may have been. A different name was used to introduce himself, and yet, though he had done so countless times before, it had left a sick taste in his mouth to hear her repeat it. Somehow, he was enamored by her; maybe she could be the one to cure the wickedness in his heart and clean his bloodstained hands. If he kept near her, perhaps he would die- but it would be without a single regret.

At one point, in one single moment, he threw away all he knew about defending himself to protect her. It was probably needless; she had slew and purified enough youkai to last three lifetimes, certainly one that chose to attack out of cowardice from its hiding spot in the brush would mean nothing to her. But he saw the shine of saliva and venom in its fangs and the hatred in its eyes and he pushed her- he laid his filthy hands against her armor to shove her aside and take the ferocious bite that made his vision blur and blacken. Against the pain rushing through his body, a loose smile curved his mouth as he fell. For once in his life, he acted to save someone else. Even if his soul was destined to be damned, he thought he could be satisfied for this one good act.

He came to, hours later, in a cold sweat and in pain and so very thankful that he drew breath when he saw her face again. While he gave her a small grin, with tears at the corner of his eyes, she returned it with a gentle smile of her own. Very rarely had he seen her smile before, with no meaning to while kept in captivity and certainly not while she had him following at her heels. His heart ached with feeling as she informed him that it wasn’t a youkai that attacked them, but an average snake with nonlethal, but extremely painful, venom.

{➳} “Where there is darkness, there is also light. You underestimate the goodness of people. Even in the event  a new Magatsuhi is borne, there will always be those who will rise and oppose such an abomination.” Just as darkness lurked in the hearts of men, so did goodness. Kikyo had faith in mankind, to challenge the corruption for the sake of their children and the future.

Her fingers caressed the feathers of her bow as she withdrew an arrow. “The future is beyond my reach, but the present is within my grasp.” She notched the arrow onto the bow and pulled back.

     He laughs, almost maniacally so. “And so the dance continues! Light and dark. Purity and corruption. One to reign over the other. But you are not fit to take Midoriko’s place, priestess. We will not allow another to destroy what we have become before she sees how far the lost soul had fallen to arise once more.”

{➳} “Anything of worth involves struggle and sacrifice. It is the cornerstone of humanity; the aiding in shaping character and resilience for the future. It is our duty.” As if his poisonous words had any affect upon her. “What of yourself, Magatsuhi ? Your existence will cease and not a whisper of your name will be uttered once you are purified.”

     “Humanity...” The word falls from his mouth like it was something unpleasant. His grin, however, still remains. “We hope to see the human will grow stronger, still. It invites all the more chaos when their demons choose to take hold.”

{➳} “Yes, this is quite true. However, humans also have the strength of realizing their mistakes and rectifying it. In doing so, learn to prevent the development of others.”

tagged by: @ncohi

Bold what your muse prefers and tag some people.

1). go apple picking vs. go on a hay ride 2). scary vs. sweet 3). sweaters vs. boots 4). socks vs. mittens 5). bonfires vs. football 6). trick-or-treating vs. watch scary movies 9). bake pie vs. bake cookies 10). rain vs. fog 11). black cats vs. owls 12). ghosts vs. wizards 13). harry potter vs. halloweentown 14). go hiking vs. sleep in 15). cinnamon vs. nutmeg 16). reading vs. writing 17). hot chocolate vs. tea 18). live in a cabin in a forest vs. have it be fall 24/7 19). candy apples vs. caramel apples 20). blankets vs. pillows 21). roasted marshmallows vs. roasted chestnuts 22). coffee vs. apple cider 23). red leaves vs. orange leaves 24). braids vs. bows 25). scented candles vs. the smell of fresh baked goods 26). carve pumpkins vs. make pumpkin pie 27). pumpkin spice lattes vs. chai tea lattes 28). coats vs. oversized sweaters 29). beanies vs. berets 30). candy corn vs. peanut butter cups 32). jump in a pile of leaves vs. swing on a tire 33). corn maze vs. haunted house 34). bob for apples vs. visit a pumpkin patch 35). whipped cream on hot chocolate vs. marshmallows on hot chocolate

     Oh, how far he has fallen. A single soul too far gone, too corrupted to be saved. He screams and the roar of a thousand youkai drown his cries. They tear apart his desires, his heart, to devour him endlessly and ensure that he will never find his way out of the abyss. He weeps and they laugh.

     Still, the mess of a mortal continues to reach further into the depths of darkness. He dreams of a hand reaching out to him, to take him away from this hell. Lost and alone, he murmurs the name that allows him to live. 

     “Midoriko-sama... Midoriko-sama!”

     His hope is the fuel that drives the youkai together. His wish to have her- to keep her- is what helped create them, after all. She was meant to be his forevermore.