The Pure Love That Restores Us All
INTRODUCTION
The reason I write this alternate ending for Inuyasha - The Final Act is because in my opinion the original ending is insufficient in giving the appropriate happiness for the three protagonist characters, Inuyasha, Kikyō, and Kagome.
I make some alterations to the original story plot & concepts.
I deliberately don't elaborate some of the supporting characters, because my emphasis is on the three aforementioned characters.
The poetry which is presented in this work is based upon my work on: crypticpoetry(wordpress blog).
IN THE MEIDŌ
Kagome finds herself being enveloped by the darkness of the all-consuming meidō, for the first time in her life she feels afraid of the dark. A voice is reverberating in the darkness, "Make a wish, make a wish, wish to see Inuyasha again, and you'll be saved from this eternal darkness".
Hearing that, she starts to remember Kikyō, after all, that what exactly she wished 50 years earlier. Kagome also realizes how terrible that wish end up for her; being forced to see her wish takes her place beside Inuyasha, Kagome finally understands Kikyō's pain.
Suddenly, she hears Inuyasha calling for her. "Don't make a wish Kagome!, he says. She screams his name repeatedly, hoping that he will find her. Finally Inuyasha successfully tears down the veil of darkness that separates them.
There in the meidō, for the first time Inuyasha realizes how much Kagome means to him, Gazing upon each other's eyes, they kiss lovingly.
Inuyasha tells her that Naraku is still alive in the meidō. Upon hearing that, she remembers how many people have fallen victims to Naraku's evil deeds in the last 50 years, including Inuyasha and Kikyō. She realizes that Inuyasha will forever bear the wound in his heart from losing Kikyō, and for a hanyō such as Inuyasha forever is a very … very long time. Kagome also realizes that one day soon Inuyasha will bear another wound from losing her, after all their togetherness is limited, she will age, he will not.
The darkness is getting louder and louder, "Make a wish … make a wish … make a wish". She remembers now that by her time, 500 years in the future the Shikon no Tama has been disappeared for centuries. So, basically her wish, whatever is that, will work.
Then, with full understanding of the ramification of this wish to her, she says loudly in her heart, "I wish that Naraku never exists".
The yōkai in the Tama is surprised to hear that, knowing that this wish will give Kagome nothing in return. After all without Naraku, Kikyō would never make her wish, therefore Kagome would never exist. Such an unselfish wish shocks the Tama to its core, purifying it immediately. Seeing that her wish is starting to take effect, she lovingly embraces Inuyasha, kisses him, and gently whispers to his ear, "Farewell my Inuyasha … my love!".
Inuyasha still doesn't fully understand what is happening, is asking her "Kagome, what has you done?!", She answers him gently, "The right thing!".
A blinding light envelops the meidō, Inuyasha screams Kagome's name repeatedly … and then … silence.
IN KAEDE'S VILLAGE
The elderly Kaede is answering a knock on her door, "Ah my sister's students, alright, I'll take you to your masters", she says.
She goes to the house next door, knocks its door, opens the door and says, "Brother, sister your students are here". There, in the centre of the room, sit an elderly couple in their 70s, still deeply in love with each other … Inuyasha and Kikyō.
The two students give respect to their masters. Inuyasha says, "Alright then, Miroku, do you still remember yesterday's lesson?", "Of course, Sensei, never wield your sword carelessly", he replies.
As Inuyasha who for the last 50 years has been a very skillful samurai swordsman leads his student to his dojo, his wife, Kikyō leads her student, a yōkai slayer names Sango to the shrine to teach her the art of exorcism and purification.
Kikyō notices how the two often stealing gazes upon each other, she asks Sango, "Do you love that young monk (Miroku)", Sango replies, "I don't know". Smiling, Kikyō says, "Never doubt your heart child, because pure love is the only thing we have in this life, treasure it, cherish it always". Sango is contemplating her Sensei's words as they walk to the shrine.
IN KAGOME'S ERA
In her room, Kagome who just graduates from university is discussing her wedding plan with her friends and mother. Eri, one of her friends suggests a Japanese style wedding just like what she and Hōjō had 6 months ago.
A knock on the door, "Come in", Kagome says. "Your fiancée is here, Sis", says Sōta.
There on threshold stands a young man named Taro Watanabe. He carries with him a hanging scroll. "What is that, love", she says. Taro says, "My father wants to show us this painting. It is my family's heirloom.". As he unscrolls the painting, all in that room are surprised. It is a painting of a young couple in their late 20s who according to Taro are his ancestors. "They are Inuyasha and Kikyō, my ancestors from the Sengoku Jidai", he says. What surprises everybody is the fact that Taro and Kagome are the perfect images of Inuyasha and Kikyō.
Kagome then focuses her sight to the poetry written on bottom right corner of the scroll. According to Taro that poetry was written by Inuyasha for Kikyō.
Unchanging Love
The thread of fate between us may be entangled, convoluted, stretched, or even seemingly broken,
yet,
being faced by your purity,
even when the thread is traversing the untraversable ocean of time, we will find each other again.
The unbreakable thread between us shall not be undone, not even by the hands of time.
Unchanging love endures eternally.
Reading that, Kagome and Taro starts to gaze lovingly upon each other's eyes, and then they kiss affectionately, well, until Kagome realizes that everybody is watching them, then instinctively she yells, "Sit boy!", and pushes him back until he falls sitting down on a sofa. She is quite taken aback by what she said. The room suddenly becomes quiet, and then everybody starts to laugh, presently, soon she and Taro laugh too.
ADDITIONAL EXPLANATIONS
Because of Kagome's unselfish wish, Onigumo never yielded to the base desire of the spider yōkai. Somehow a spark of love that he had in his heart for Kikyō enabled him to see through the evil design of the yōkai. The yōkai ended up consuming his body, yet despite that his soul was saved, thus Naraku was never born.
Before he met Kikyō, the only human that Inuysha ever loved was his mother. For hundreds of years humans has always hated Inuyasha. For them he is an abomination, something that less than a human being. Full-blooded yōkai (demons) on the other hand, hate him, simply because he is perceived as a weakling, and thus not worthy to be called a yōkai. That is why instead of dreaming of becoming a full human, he dreams of being a full-blooded yōkai.
When Kikyō asked Inuyasha to become a full human, he asked her, "What will become of you after I become human?", she replied, "The Tama will cease to exist and I can become an ordinary woman, unburdened by the unbearable burdens which arise from the Tama". Because of his pure love for Kikyō, Inuyasha was willing to forget his deep hatred toward mankind and to spend his mortal life with her.
This pure love, in the end forced the Tama to bow down to his wish and rendered its existence.