Title: Dramatic Irony
Author: Morganna3
Rating: PG-13/T
Summary:Who's deceiving who? Nar/Kag/Jewel? One-shot.
Warning: Character death
Disclaimer: Inuyasha is copyrighted to Rumiko Takahashi, Shounen Sunday, Viz and Sunrise Communications et al. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: This fic had a mind of its own. It is very different from what I'd originally planned.
Dramatic Irony
They failed spectacularly.
Confusion reigned as dark miasma filled the air. The bodies of friend and foe alike were strewn across the battlefield. Not that Kagome could tell the difference. She could've sworn she saw Sango flying on Kirara and wasn't that splotch of white in the distance Inuyasha? Shouldn't he have been fighting Naraku? Speaking of, where the hell was Naraku?
Behind her, a muffled blast drew her attention. She pivoted rapidly, arrow drawn and lit with holy energy. Something large hurtled through the gloom and pushed her to her knees. Her bow dropped as she caught herself with her hands. What the… Slowly, she turned her head to the side. Her gaze drifted to a claw-tipped finger, along a muscular arm, past the fur covered armor and rested on Koga's sightless blue eyes. Oh no. Trembling, she twisted further to get a clear view of his torso. Oh God no. The other half of his body must've been somewhere else… No, no, no, no. No! And then she screamed.
She was jerked upward abruptly as the remaining jewel shards were thrust into her hand. Terrified, she stared at Inuyasha. He clutched her closer and whispered in her ear, "Kagome, take the jewel and run."
Run run run!
And so she did. She ran like the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels. Maybe they were. The well loomed in front of her. She caught its edge and tumbled into magic, hollow laughter echoing behind.
Somewhere between here and there, the jewel made a decision. Hadn't it known this girl since birth? She had housed its too-easily shattered body before. Now she would house its soul. Aged and weary, the jewel merged with her once more. No, not as a separate entity lying just under her skin but fused into the very blood and bones and sinew, the miko and jewel completely inseparable.
She never could get through the well again.
Her fists beat against the earthen floor as she wailed her misery to the world. Utterly alone in her despair, she knew there wasn't a being alive who could truly understand. Forever banned from the past and her friends-cum-family. Were they hurt? Had any of them survived? Should she have stayed despite Inuyasha's command? The not knowing was killing her.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and then a year slipped by. The memories of ages past often danced behind her eyes. She made others uncomfortable and her modern friends drifted out of her life. She simply did not belong. Sometimes the melancholy smothered her and sometimes she gave in to giddiness. At last, she succumbed to the numbness that had threatened to overwhelm her for so long.
Another year passed by in its relative sameness. The woman who was also a jewel gradually wasted away.
Subconsciously, they sent out a call. This state of affairs could not continue. The Guardian-Jewel needed a Keeper and a Keeper they would get.
Enter darkness.
Kagome met him one blustery afternoon under Goshinboku. Cautiously, she approached the tall black-haired man. The air of familiarity drew her like nothing else. Each warily regarded the other, red eyes boring into grey. He sighed and sank to the ground, his back resting against the great tree.
"It's a different era, a wholly different world from what we've known," he brushed a long tangle of hair over his shoulder and glanced up at her.
She too sighed and sat next to him. "Yes, yes it is."
Silence stretched between them until he again spoke softly, "I've waited a long time."
Kagome tilted her head to the side and studied his profile. She said nothing.
Rising to his feet, he began to walk away. "Perhaps we'll meet again," he called over his shoulder.
"Maybe," she replied as his dark form turned the corner.
Naraku smiled.
He'd learned patience over the years it seemed.
Three weeks later, they met for lunch at WacDonald's and over a container of large fries she finally had her questions answered. Sort of.
The salt tipped over when they slid into the booth. Seemingly fascinated, Kagome sketched geometric shapes in the mound of tiny white granules with the tip of her finger. "What happened to them?" she asked as she grabbed a sugar packet and used the edge to straighten the top of her square.
"I never touched them after your departure if that's what you're asking. After that, I don't know."
She looked up from her salt drawing, searching for some validity in his statement. Surprisingly, he spoke the truth.
The corners of his mouth angled upwards as he noted her astonishment. They were already bloody and broken. He didn't have to touch them. Possibly the carrion crows had pecked out their eyes or the villagers may have given them a proper burial. He hadn't thought about it and he didn't really care.
He'd also learned subtlety.
She stared at him for a long moment. "What do you want, Naraku?"
He popped a fry in his mouth and chewed pensively. "I want what I've always wanted." Pausing, he boldly met her gaze. "Maybe I want acceptance or maybe I want to make amends or just maybe I thought you'd give a damn." Closing his eyes, he leaned back and chuckled in exasperation. "Does it really matter what I want?"
Shrugging, she slumped farther into her seat. There wasn't much to say.
Through half-lidded eyes, he watched a contemplative expression flicker across her features.
He was always a master of manipulation.
Yet another year eased past and they became friends. Sort of.
And lovers…
Propped up on an elbow, Naraku reflected on the woman whose head rested on the pillow beside him. Finally, that which he'd obsessed over for centuries was his. All his. He'd hold on to the miko and the jewel. For eternity.
The Guardian needed a Keeper and this one would never let them go. They were content.
Kagome buried her face in the pillow and smiled.
End