It should say something that I started this story on my break at work sometime around 3:00am, and since then it's taken on a whole life of its own. I started writing out of my extreme dissatisfaction at how the series was left so open ended (being the anime nerd that I am, I have watched all released episodes despite the sometimes ridiculously terrible subtitling. Let's just say, you have to love the series on a pretty serious level to make it through some of those DVD's...), so I decided to write how I think it should end…with a few liberties here and there. I still have a faint hope that the series will wrap up perfectlywith the last movie that I haven't seen yet, but we'll see. Until then, this will have to be my outlet.
I wish I could say that I thought of these characters on my own, but I didn't. They're all owned and licensed beyond what I can legitimately pay to use them. However, Kanota is mine, even though he doesn't show up for a few chapters. Please don't use him without permission.
A Purpose to Fulfill
Darkness. An overwhelming darkness that served to confuse all senses, even those well beyond human standards. It swirled around him, ready to choke out his very soul if he let down his guard. Unnatural. Evil. But disturbingly familiar.
It was how the dream always started.
He was alone, waiting, knowing that he must be ready. His primal instincts sensed the danger, yet failed to recognize the source. And, as always, there was a feeling that there was a purpose for him to be here. That he wasn't just wandering blindly in the dark without reason. Unconsciously his hand slid to the sheath of his sword, more of a position of comfort than a preparation for use. He slowly made his way forward.
The noises began to sound, just as they always did. A rustle here, a soft call there. He knew they were coming, knew that nothing would appear. Still, his body reacted, sword unsheathed and ready to attack the unknown enemy. He spun towards the direction of the noise, straining his pointed ears to determine the distance, waiting for the ambush that would never come. The scenario all seemed so familiar, playing out like a story he had heard all his life.
Why couldn't he remember what happened next?
Frustrated, he decided to try to provoke the situation into one he was more comfortable with. At the sound of a nearby rustle, he shot off a warning with a resounding "Kaze no Kizu" that exploded with massive glory but no result, adding to his frustration. The sliver of patience that always teetered in such delicate balance within him gave way.
"Who's out there! Show yourself you coward!"
The swirling mist gave a chill but silent response, infuriating him all the more. In frustration, he started running blindly, not caring where he was or which direction he went so long as he was doing something. But no matter which way he went it seemed as if he was going nowhere. As if the world was shifting around him as he moved.
He was trapped.
This was new.
"What do you want from me!" he shouted to no one in particular.
Expecting no answer, he sat cross-legged on the ground, his sword stuck down into the soft soil next to him, a thin wisp of decaying steel. Admittedly, figuring out these puzzles was not his strong point. His role was more along the lines of the resident badass, more sword and claws first, questions later. It had always worked in the past. He had grown too dependant on the others since he had started traveling with them. That needed to change.
Except for when it came to locating the jewel shards. For that, he discovered, teamwork provided a significant advantage. It was still a concept he struggled with.
"What is your purpose?"
The voice was barely a whisper, but his keen ears picked it up right away. Instantly, he was on his feet, sword in hand, poised for attack. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What the hell do you want?"
"What is your purpose?" it repeated without acknowledgement of his demands.
"My purpose is to kick your sorry excuse for an ass once I find you!" His ears tweaked, trying to make out a direction of the sound, but the mist surrounding him served as a barrier, knocking the sound around so it seemed to come from all directions. He concentrated.
"You seek the shards of the Shikon No Tama."
His lips curled up to reveal a set of perfect white fangs. "Heh. Isn't everyone these days?"
"What is your purpose?" the whisper repeated.
"Repetitive, aren't you," he smiled. "But you're getting awfully nosey!" Without much more than a thought the sword had once again grown to more than double its original size and shape, and a gigantic tornado blast of wind was ripping through the heavy mist, parting it no more than momentarily. Before he could lower his sword, the thick fog was already swirling around him to fill in the gap. He growled.
"Damn it, this mist is messing with my head. I can't focus!"
Keeping his stance, he weighed his options. Without knowing his enemy, he was clearly at the disadvantage, not to mention that he was essentially blind. The sword's power didn't seem to be helpful, and no backup was coming. His only options were to retreat and find a more adventitious position, or to hold his ground and hope he was powerful enough to hold off any surprise attacks from this mystery enemy. Neither option was particularly appealing.
God, he wanted to hurt something.
"So why do you care if I'm looking for the jewel shards?" he shot out. "You think you're going to take them from me? You're in for a bit of a surprise."
"The Shikon no Tama cannot be completed until its priestess is awakened by her guardian. Only then will the balance between the human and demon realm be restored."
He smirked. "Yeah? So what's that got to do with me?"
The air around him began to swirl, carrying the mist with it so that the entire world seemed to be reforming itself. He watched as the intangible air began to take shape, quickly becoming a miasma of screeching demons in every direction. "Heh, that's more like it," he thought, releasing another wave of wind from his sword. The hoard dissipated instantly, leaving nothing but swirling wisps of fog behind, but in a blink there were more to replace the fallen. He wasn't phased. Another blast of wind erupted to match the onslaught, then another, then another. The mist was unrelenting. As a small trickle of sweat fell into his eye, he began to wonder how long he would have to endure this nuisance.
"You seem to have mastered your father's sword quickly," the whisper seemed to be right in his ear. "It should come useful with the dangers ahead."
He spun in the direction of the voice as the threat around his suddenly vanished until nothing but the fog remained. "What do you know about my father's sword?" he growled.
"Your father was well aware of the importance of the Shikon. After all, he too was destined to guard the Shikon's priestess in his time."
This caught him off guard for a moment, and he froze despite his instincts. Had his father died guarding the Shikon jewel? He knew from Myoga that he had died while fighting the demon Ryuukossei, but the details were somewhat hazy beyond that. He had never heard anything about this before. The only priestess that he had ever known was…
A gust of wind brought his attention back to the present as it tickled his ear. "The Tetsusaiga was destined to you for a reason."
He spun in the direction of the voice as his body reacted to the potential threat once again. "What, you think I should be this so-called guardian for some priestess? We have a hard enough time keeping ourselves out of trouble without having to keep track of another girl," he scoffed.
"Sometimes the roles our lives take have been preordained well before our existence for reasons we cannot comprehend. It is only when we embrace these roles that our destiny becomes complete and our lives fulfilled."
"Save the cryptic bullshit," he shot back. "Besides, the way you're talking, it sounds like we have to find this priestess in order to complete the jewel anyways. I don't suppose you'll actually be useful and give me some clue as to where this priestess might be?"
"What is your purpose?" was the only reply.
"Damn it, I should have known you'd be no help," he muttered, but as he finally lowered his sword he noticed the mist starting to part in front of him and a pinkish-red glow in the distance. He recognized it instantly. The Shikon. He took off towards it, but despite his effort, the fog felt like sludge, impeding his every movement. The harder he struggled, the more it resisted. Claws had no effect. It was in every sense a fruitless battle.
"What is your purpose?" the voice seemed to be fading in the distance.
He looked up and instantly froze. In the distance surrounded by the Shikon's glow was a painfully familiar set of red and white robes. Long black hair flowed down her back held loosely by a think white ribbon just below the base of her neck. One hand held the completed jewel out in front of her for a moment, then brought it close to her heart so only the glow could be seen.
"Kikiyo?" he whispered, his stomach dropping to somewhere around his knees.
But the girl never turned, never acknowledged the presence of the other. Slowly, the mist swirled around her as she clutched the jewel to her. As it crept closer, again the monstrous forms took shape, quickly encircling her completely. But the glow of the jewel kept them back momentarily, and she seemed to be remaining watchful for their signs of attack. He strained to see what was happening as he struggled against his mystical restraint, but never was able to make any headway to where the demons sat waiting.
"Kikiyo!" he screamed out again, but still no reaction from the other.
Then, as if she sensed their final attack, the jewel moved from her hand and absorbed into her chest, enlightening her body with its glow just as the hoard broke through. Enraged that the Shikon was beyond their reach, the demons cried out in fury, closing in the circle around the priestess. First one snake-like creature attacked, then a spider, then a centipede, and so on until all that was visible was the radiating glow through the thick fog.
"Kikiyo! No!" he screamed, fighting with all his strength to get to where she stood. But despite his struggles, his body would not move. Fighting back overwhelming fury and grief, he watched as the spawn furiously ravaged the spot where the young woman had stood until even the light that had radiated so brightly faded into the dullness of the fog. As soon as the glow was extinguished, the demons instantly disappeared, once again becoming part of the mist that surrounded him. Instantly his bonds were released, and he rushed to where his former love had stood.
"Kikiyo…" he whispered, falling to his knees. "What am I supposed to do?"
But if the priestess heard him, there was no answer from her, only a slight wind that brushed through his hair and tickled his long ears. Faintly the voice registered in his mind, almost like an afterthought, redirecting his focus back to its prior mission.
"What is your purpose…what is your destiny…"
Inuyasha awoke in a cold sweat to the feel of the wind in his face and nearly fell off the tree branch where he was perched for the night. Quickly he scanned the area for any disturbances and found nothing obvious. Below, the fire had died down to warm red coals that smoldered and danced as they consumed the last bits of wood from the night. Situated around it were his four traveling companions. Sango rested against the giant form of her demon cat Kilala, nestled between its body and fluffy tail which curled around her protectively. The monk, Miroku, leaned against a tree close to the fire, staff in hand, looking almost meditative in his slumber. Kagome chose a spot slightly away from the other two; bundled tightly in that bedding that she constantly hauled around, a sleeping bag, she called it. Only her head remained visible at the top, her expression peaceful as she lay dreaming. The little fox demon, Shippou, as usual lay nestled up next to her under the warmth of the blankets, mouth wide open as he snored softly.
The half demon leaned back against the trunk of the tree, the details of his dream rushing back with vivid clarity. There was no doubt that this was not something he could just ignore. Somehow he had been chosen for this purpose, the guardian of the Shikon's priestess. Had circumstances been different, he might have easily fallen into such a role. After all, hadn't they been battling Naraku for close to a year now, preventing him in their own small way from collecting all the jewel shards and using the Shikon for his own quest for power? But the voice had said that the jewel couldn't be completed until the priestess was awakened. Six months ago that task might not have been so daunting.
Because Kikiyo was dead.
She had to be, after all that had happened. There had been no sign of her in months, and with the state she had last been in...
Inuyasha sat for a long time, staring at his hands. "Kikiyo," he whispered, "twice I couldn't save you. How in the world am I supposed to protect you now?"
