Author: JediK1
Rating: K
Summary: Tragedy strikes, leaving InuYasha devastated until a sudden twist gives him one chance to set things right. Will one day be enough time to change fate? Or will InuYasha be forced to relive the death of his beloved?
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of the previously existing characters therein.
One Last Wish
InuYasha fled through the darkened tunnel, his every sense tuned in to the chaos surrounding him. The passageway behind him was beginning to collapse, and he could hear the cries of his companions ahead of him as they struggled to stay together. The hanyou could feel the rough stone barely brushing his feet as he trailed behind the group and the soft linen grasped tightly in his arms.
Golden eyes dropped for a moment, focusing on the burden that he carried. His clawed hand reached up to gently brush a dark strand of silky black hair from a porcelain cheek, and the hanyou frowned as a foreign feeling stirred in his heart. Kikyo… I won't lose you again!
Images flashed quickly through his mind, momentarily replacing the onslaught that surrounded him. They had just defeated Naraku, finally ridding the world of his evil and regaining the now-completed Shikon no Tama. Kagome and Kikyo had purified the jewel, but before any wish could be made, Naraku struck one final time.
InuYasha had barely registered what was happening before he had flown forward, destroying the last stray tentacle that had suddenly risen from Naraku's ashes. But the damage had been done; the tentacle had pierced Kikyo's old wound. She collapsed into his arms, her eyes closed.
It was then that the cavern began to collapse. InuYasha had, at Kagome's insistence, scooped up Kikyo and fled for the exit, following the others to ensure that no one fell behind.
The hanyou was ripped from his reverie as his foot caught on a loose stone, making him stumble. Kagome, who he could see farther ahead in the dim light shed by Shippo's foxfire, turned in concern. "Go!" he managed to yell as he righted his battered body and began running again.
The girl nodded, picking up her pace again in an effort to catch up with the others. They knew that the exit was close; Shippo had released his fox magic as the walls became a little brighter. Hope shone in the eyes of the small group, but it would not stay there for long.
A low rumble began somewhere deep inside the cavern, its intensity rising until the already volatile tunnel walls shook from the force. Intuition stabbed at InuYasha, and he just managed to yell a warning before a large portion of the ceiling gave way.
Everyone managed to avoid the collapse, and was now pressing on as fast as their legs could go. But there was one, much to InuYasha's dismay, who was instead slowing down.
"Kagome? What the hell are you doing? Run, damn it!"
The girl had completely stopped by now, and InuYasha shifted the unconscious Kikyo in his arms so that he could reach out to the other girl. "Kagome, come on!"
She turned to him, her brown eyes slightly unfocused. For a moment, he thought that she had been struck by a piece of rock, but there appeared to be no wound. InuYasha frowned worriedly, the expression deepening as she stared at the ceiling. "Kagome?"
"We'll never make it out, InuYasha," she whispered, the comment barely reaching the hanyou's ears among the harsh noises that surrounded them. "The tunnel is going to collapse at any moment. We won't reach the exit."
"Of course we will, as long as you don't stand here like an idiot!"
She shook her head in denial, and InuYasha's heart stopped. What was she thinking?
"The jewel…I can feel its power, InuYasha. I can use it, to save everyone…"
InuYasha stared at her, wondering briefly if he should simply throw her over his shoulder and be done with it. But there was no way he would make it out carrying both Kikyo and Kagome…no, he had to talk some sense into her. "Kagome, what are you talking about? We have to get out of here, now!"
It was obvious that his words fell on deaf ears as Kagome's eyes slipped closed, a soft pink aura slowly enveloping her. InuYasha felt it push against him, forcing him a few steps closer to the entrance. "InuYasha," she whispered, her voice stiff with concentration, "I know what I'm doing. Go. I can't hold it for too long."
"Kagome!"
"Go…"
The glow pulsed, again pushing against the hanyou and the sleeping woman in his arms. "Be happy, InuYasha." Before he could charge back after her, the glow pulsed one last time, sending out a shockwave that sent the hanyou careening through the tunnel in the direction the others had fled. InuYasha screamed in helpless rage as he struggled to run back down the tunnel, but the pink glow continued to push at him. Finally, when he could hear the entire structure explode, he turned and ran.
It lasted only a few moments, but to the hanyou, that final dash felt like a lifetime. He barely noticed the glow that outlined the rocky walls, containing the rubble that would otherwise have buried him and Kikyo. His thoughts were centered on only one thing at that moment. Kagome…!
And then he was out; the soft glow and dark walls were gone, replaced by blinding sunlight and green fields. InuYasha carefully laid Kikyo into the waiting arms of one of his companions- he was not sure who- and then turned back toward the cave entrance. There was still time! He could go back and save her!
He was only steps away from re-entering the cave when Kagome's barrier gave way. With an explosion that left his sensitive ears ringing, the entire cave collapsed.
There was no way in, no way out.
"Kagome?"
"KAGOME!"