'The gods fail everyone eventually,’ she says, shrugging one shoulder. The grey sky overhead shivers angrily, and she raises an eye to the heavens.
'He won’t have liked that,’ says Kagome, and smiles. Kikyo smiles back, small and sharp. Her mouth is a shard of red glass.
'He can’t touch me anymore.’
//
He was tall and pale, and his hands looked like spiders. That’s what she remembers after, when she’s lying on the floor of her goddess’ temple. His disgusting, cold hands.
That’s what she remembers later, when her goddess appears in front of her, resplendent in her scorching anger.
//
'Who are you?’
She left fear a long time ago. Nothing can stand against her anymore, so she watches the newcomer with a sense of resignation and curiosity. Did they come to kill her, or to be killed by her? (the latter is a rarer occurrence, but it happens. She never thought someone would beg her to look at them, but they did, kneeling before her no less. She never felt so dirty)
She waits for an introduction, but it doesn’t come. The person before her smiles, their eyes closed.
'You have a beautiful voice,’ they say.
//
It hurt like nothing else ever had or ever would.
//
'What?’
Her voice almost shakes. Nothing about her had been called beautiful for a very long time.
'Your voice. it’s wonderful.’ The person, the girl, steps forward and Kikyo instinctually moves away from her.
'Come no closer.’
The girl ignores her.
'So this is the infamous gorgons lair.’ She runs a hand over the rough stone walls. 'It’s not how I imagined.’ She pauses. 'Of course, neither are you.’
'What did you expect exactly?’ Kikyo’s voice is icy.
'From the way Athena described you, something that was barely human.’
Kikyo turns at that. She can feel the familiar ache in her chest, an ache that was born with her new body. 'And what will you tell her?’ Kikyo asks.
'That she was wrong.’
//
The first man who tries is quite young. Perhaps even her own age. He grips his sword handle in a self-assured way that suggests he has no idea what she can do.
In a few moments he is made fully aware.
(after it’s done she uses his sword to hack the hands off his statue and throws them into the ocean)
//
'Kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me…’
Kikyo reaches out to the shaking body before her but it flinches away. She has no energy to remind them that it’s only her stare that is deadly. She says,
'If that is what you wish.’
//
'Who are you?’ Kikyo asks again. The mysterious girl puts a finger to her chin.
‘Who do you think I am?’
‘Someone very foolish.’
The girl’s smile widens. ‘You are afraid of hurting me.’
Kikyo says nothing.
‘I have many different names. The blooming. Venus. The goddess rising out of the sea. Common to all the people. Aphrodite. But I would ask you to call me another name.’
The girl opens her mouth. Each syllable falls before Kikyo as though a precious gem. ‘Ka-go-me.’
//
‘Why are you here?’
Kagome reaches over to touch Kikyo’s face, and it is Kikyo’s turn to recoil, but only out of habit.
‘I am here because I want to be.’
//
‘Why are you here?’
Kagome, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, smiles again, and it hurts. She is beautiful – just as they said she would be – but in an open way. A gentle way. Kikyo is repulsed by her.
‘Am I the object of your sympathy?’ she asks, almost snarling. She wishes for a moment that Kagome would open her eyes and look at her, truly. The goddess of love and beauty would surely succumb to her gaze, as so many others had. But Kagome does not, and the moment passes, leaving Kikyo empty and tired and brittle.
‘I have come,’ says Kagome, simply, ‘for you. I heard what my sister did to you, and why. She was wrong to do so, but too proud to admit it. Also…’ A flicker of something that looks like uncertainty appears on Kagome’s face, and then vanishes. ‘I thought you might enjoy some company.’
Kikyo stares at her. ‘I’ll kill you,’ she says bluntly.
‘No,’ says Kagome. ‘You won’t.’ And she opens her eyes.
//
Kikyo has only been kissed once before in her life, and it was rough. It left her lips sore and her body trembling and she wanted to wash herself for a thousand years until she could get the feel of him off her, off everywhere.
When Kagome leans in and kisses her it feels like the sun.
//
She is blind.
Kikyo can feel a heaviness on her chest. Her face is inexplicably wet with tears.
She whispers, ‘I don’t want to hurt anyone.’ Kagome takes her in her arms, and Kikyo melts.
Kagome wipes the pad of her thumb across Kikyo’s cheek, and her finger blisters.
‘Be careful!’ Kikyo snatches herself away. ‘They are venomous.’
‘I will heal,’ says Kagome.
//
When he comes, she is sleeping.
//
‘Ï don’t want to hurt you.’
‘You won’t.’
‘You don’t know that.’
Kagome places both hands on either side of Kikyo’s face. ‘May I?’
Kikyo nods.
//
A mirror. She had one with her the night she changed, and after it happened she threw it away, afraid of what she would see. Afraid of what she would do.
He used a mirror. Very clever.
//
Kagome is warm and firm and real under Kikyo’s fingers. She is kissed over and over, on her mouth and her cheeks and her eyelids, and each place that Kagome’s lips touch Kikyo feels that the curse is briefly lifted.
//
‘One, two! And through and through. The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!’
//
Kikyo lies beside Kagome. Kagome’s dark hair spills across the ground, and Kikyo’s glistening locks coil lazily. It is soft and dark in the room, and Kikyo pulls Kagome closer to her, burying her face into the crook of her neck. Kagome sighs quietly, bringing her arms to circle Kikyo’s waist.
‘How do you feel?' she murmurs.
‘Beautiful,’ whispers Kikyo.
//
He uses her curse for good. Something about saving the one he loves and defeating a kraken. Either way it’s alright, because the moment she died was a peaceful one. She was dreaming, far away, of sweet smelling skin and hands – wonderful warm hands – entwined with her own.
Kikyo is the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen in your life.
The most beautiful person, period, gender aside, disregarded, thrown away because she ascends it all and hovers above you in a utopian beauty cloud.
You feel like you’re going to fall over.
The dance floor is flashing green and blue lights, rippling, like you’re underwater. You don’t normally come to parties because the loud music means you can’t talk to anyone, and that’s the the thing you really like, talking to people, getting to know people. But maybe it’s better you meet her under flashing lights and a beat that you can feel pumping in your blood because if there was no music you have no idea what you‘d say to her, anyway. You’d have figured it out.
Your friend nudges you, and you drag yourself away from her.
‘what’s up?’ you yell into her ear.
‘you stopped dancing,’ she calls back, ‘are you ok?’
‘yeah! Fine, I just –’ you glance over your shoulder. The girl is gone. ‘Never mind!’
There’s a dip in the music, enough for you to be able to hear the simultaneous breathing of over twenty people all crowded together in the dim room, and the shuffling feet. Then the music swells again, and this time it’s a song you know. It’s a song you love.
You thrust your arms out and close your eyes and dance. You were never particularly graceful when it came to dancing, but you were never particularly self-conscious either, so it works out. You dance and dance until your feet hurt and your top sticks to your back, and then another song comes on and you dance some more. All around the dance floor, people crowd, the lights have changed from just green to blue and now they’re rolling through all the colours of the rainbow, red, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, over and over again.
You turn, hands waving above your head, and there she is. Opposite you. Looking right at you. She isn’t smiling exactly, at least not with her mouth, but with her arms and the tilt of her head. You move a little closer. She’s still watching you. You move closer still. Your heart beats heavily, constricting your throat, and then you’re right in front of her, so close you can see the faint glisten of sweat on her forehead, your own reflection in her dark eyes.
‘hi,’ you say, even though she probably can’t hear you through the tremendous noise. Her lips move, she says, ‘hi,’ back. Through your peripheral vision you can see people looking at her, at both of you, boys and girls alike, but for the moment you are her whole focus. You gesture with your head towards the door, and she nods.
Outside the air is cool and ringing with silence. You push the door closed and look at her. Out of the brightly colored lights she looks slightly more human, but still stunning.
‘hi,’ you say again, quietly.
‘hello,’ she says. Her voice is small, but carrying. She throws it like a dagger.
‘I don’t often go to those kinds of parties,’ you say, nodding back at the door. ‘they’re a bit loud for me. But I love, love, love dancing.’
‘anyone could see that,’ she says, strangely dismissive, like your adoration of dancing leaks out of every gesture. Then she smiles, just a little bit. ‘I liked it.’
‘I think you’re beautiful,’ you say. She smiles even more at that, and she kisses you soon afterwards, and it’s outside in the dark but when you open your eyes you can see every colour, like the world is cut from diamond.
That’s the first thing Kagome notices as she stirs on the floor, the thick, dark quality of the air around her. She opens her eyes, and stares up at an unfamiliar low ceiling.
“You are awake.”
She jerks upwards, her heart thrumming painfully against her breastbone. She’s in a small room, lit with paper lamps. There’s no apparent exit or entrance, and sitting with her back to the wall opposite Kagome is –
“Kikyo.”
Kagome has to restrain herself from scooting away from the priestess, instead she stays motionless in the centre of the room. She takes a deep breath, and immediately regrets it, grimacing as sludgy oxygen fills her lungs. She coughs.
“You are affected by the atmosphere.”
“Of course I am,” Kagome snaps, trying to fight off the panic associated with an inability to breath. She tries for another breath, and it feels just as wrong. She closes her eyes. “Where are we?”
“I would have thought that was obvious.”
Kikyo’s voice, cool, unaffected, makes Kagome open her eyes again and glare across the room at her. She can’t even find it in her to be scared, not now. She opens her mouth to say something back, and as she does Kikyo’s chest stutters.
She frowns.
“Where are your soul searchers?”
“They can’t come in here,” says Kikyo quietly. She looks scornfully at the walls that encase the two of them. “Naraku must be terrified.”
“Of what?”
“You.”
Kagome stares. “Me?” Then she shakes her head. “That’s not what’s important right now. What is important is getting out of here.”
“I expect Inuyasha is scurrying around looking for you as we speak,” says Kikyo indifferently, leaning back. She takes another breath, and Kagome can see in the glow of the lamp, a slight sheen of sweat on Kikyo’s forehead. Whatever she says, the room, the air, everything about it is taking a far greater toll on her than it is Kagome. Kagome moves closer to her, until they are almost touching.
“How long can you last without your soul
searchers?”
“Hours.”
“And how long have we been in here?”
Kikyo says nothing. Kagome nods. “Alright. We need to get out of here. Whether or not Inuyasha is coming for us, we can’t just sit around until he arrives.”
“What do you propose we do?”
Kagome looks critically at Kikyo. “First we need to figure out a way to give you enough energy to get through this.”
Kikyo looks scathingly up at her. “Perhaps the return of a soul to my sham body would do the trick.”
“Well tough, I’m not giving you my soul.”
“Then there is nothing to ‘figure out’.”
Kagome tries not to roll her eyes – and fails.
“Just give me a second, ok?”
They sit there in silence, while Kagome tries her best to focus on anything but the singeing gaze of Kikyo. After a moment she glares back at her.
“What.”
Kikyo says nothing.
“Stop staring at me!”
Immediately Kikyo looks somewhere else. Kagome sighs. Kikyo needs strength – because Kikyo doesn’t have her soul searchers – Kikyo gets strength from souls, or her soul – Kikyo can’t have her soul, obviously, Kagome still needs it just now – is there anything – anything – anything –
Kagome pauses. She feels a flush creeping up her cheeks; suddenly the air isn’t the only reason she’s having trouble breathing. For a few hasty moments she casts her mind around, looking for another solution. It doesn’t take long for her to give that up as a bad job, and slumps against the wooden wall of their cell-room.
Kikyo’s gaze flickers over to her.
“You have thought of something.”
“Yep.” Kagome takes one second to press her fingers against her temples. “I have an idea.” She shuffles closer to Kikyo until they’re sitting with their knees pressing, facing one another. Kikyo, slumping slightly due to her lack of strength, watches with dark eyes and says nothing.
“Close your eyes,” instructs Kagome. When Kikyo maintains her emotionless stare, Kagome feels her temper begin to bubble close to the surface. “Just – trust me, alright? We’re on the same side for this one so could you just –”
Kikyo closes her eyes.
Kagome can feel her chest tightening with nerves. She leans forward a little, and stops. They are running on precious seconds, but she can’t stop herself from simply gazing at Kikyo’s face. With her eyes closed, she looks almost peaceful. Her fringe is sticking to her forehead a little bit due to the sweat. Kagome stares at it. It makes her look – human. Her eyebrows are drawn together just slightly. Impulsively Kagome reaches out and presses her thumb into the small crease on Kikyo’s forehead. Their faces are even closer together. She can feel Kikyo’s breath on her mouth.
“Trust me,” she murmurs again, and then she’s finally moving all the way forward until her lips press gently against Kikyo’s. For one awful, shaky moment, nothing happens. Kagome’s eyes snap open, she feels the heat in her face rising at the idea that she just kissed Kikyo for nothing when a tremor runs through Kikyo’s body and – she melts.
She melts into Kagome, reaching out with cool fingers to grip her shoulders. And Kagome feels something too, something deep in the pit of her stomach, something gentle and familiar. Like a sigh. Like her whole body is relaxing fully for the first time in her life, like a switch has been flicked and suddenly everything is exactly how it should be.
She remembers that people need to breathe to survive when her lungs begin to ache, and she pulls back. Kikyo leans forward slightly as she draws back, her eyes are closed. Kagome doesn’t move far though; she stays with her forehead resting against Kikyo’s damp one.
For a few seconds, there is a strange peacefulness between them. Then Kikyo sits up and opens her eyes. Already Kagome can see the strength in them, and in the way she’s holding herself.
“It – it worked,” she mumbles. Kikyo nods, looking at Kagome with something entirely new but still unfathomable. Kikyo climbs to her feet, Kagome follows suit. “How long will it… work?”
“I do not know,” murmurs Kikyo, “so we should act fast.”
“Right.” Kagome swallows. Her heart is humming in her chest, and for some reason her whole body aches.
+
Inuyasha is there. He and Sango and Miroku and Shippo are all fighting tooth and nail with Naraku’s lackeys in the castle grounds by the time Kikyo and Kagome find them. He stops mid-punch, looking up at the two of them with open mouthed shock. Naraku isn’t there – of course – but many of his bastard children look around with surprise too.
“I thought –” they hear Kagura yell, then she shrugs. “He underestimated you again.” She grins, looking gleeful and untamed as ever. “Asshole.”
And then she’s gone, whisked away on the wind. Kagome watches her go, and wonders for the thousandth time what side she’s on. Her own, probably.
“Kagome.” Inuyasha’s voice is loud as always, but she can hear the strain of fear underneath it. He hasn’t moved, he just stands there, staring at her. At them both. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No but –” Kagome turns to Kikyo. Her eyes are closed and she is breathing in the blue air of the night slowly, ponderously. She wants to ask if Kikyo is alright now, but stops herself.
Something is hanging between them, something that wasn’t there before, and Kagome doesn’t know what to do with it.
They move together as a large group out of the castle and into the surrounding forest. Kagome takes in huge lung-fulls of uncontaminated air and sighs. Inuyasha looks around quickly, his eyebrows quirking with concern. She smiles at him. Then when they reach a clearing, Kikyo stops.
“I must go,” she says, and her eyes aren’t on Inuyasha, they’re on Kagome. “Before I do, may I speak with you.”
“Of course.” Kagome turns to the others. “You guys go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”
Sango nods, pulling Inuyasha away when he doesn’t move. His expression is confused, slightly troubled, and Kagome wonders vaguely how he feels about Kikyo choosing to speak with Kagome rather than him. But she doesn’t have much time to consider the matter, because Kikyo is speaking. She says,
“What you did – Kagome. You must never do that again.”
Kagome stares at her. For a brief moment, she’d been hoping for thanks. “What?”
“You must never do that again,” Kikyo repeats slowly, clearly. It’s the most she’s ever spoken to Kagome, and Kagome is stunned.
“I – I saved both of our lives back there. It’s thanks to me we’re out of there. And you’re telling me off? You –”
Kikyo shakes her head. To Kagome’s intense surprise, her cheeks are tinted a vague pink colour. “What you did –” she pauses. “I would… ask. That the next time, if ever, we… you…” Kikyo takes a deep breath. “Next time, I would ask that you would act because you wanted too. Not because you needed to. That is all.”
Then she turns and walks swiftly away through the trees until Kagome is standing alone and wondering what on earth that exchange could mean.
the thing that no one asked for/wanted and yet it’s Here
To ignite a green eyed monster - Pepperish
- high school au. kagome goes to prom with kikyo to make inuyasha jealous. this fic had me literally dancing around my room. honest to god, its short but its amazing.
Between stops - Aiffe
- ‘ Kikyou, Kagome, a train, a schism in reality, and a kiss.’ The first kagkik fic i read, and honestly i’m pretty fond of it. it’s very surreal, but i like it.
A consequence of life - tragicamente
- kagome and kikyo meet in the modern world. i’ve recommended this before and ill do it again. every day until i die. its just.. so much.
Understanding part 1 @sex-and-calamity
- RATED M. kagome and kikyo get down to Business. one of, if not only the m rated fic for these two that i enjoy lmao.
A rare luxury - SirForgotAlot
- I LOOOOVEEEEE THIS FIC. people take a bath together, no sex happens. its so in character and refreshing. HONESTLY A GEM.
Reincarnation games - Raihu
- ‘ KikKag fiction collection; They say that all we can ever truly fall in love with is the image of ourselves, mirrored in the faces of others.’ i actually havent read all of this but the parts i read were really beautifully written.
(and ofc ill link to stuff ive written because… well why not)
