Hey everyone! I'm here with a new story, just in time for MARIA'S BIRTHDAY! Maria, NCchick4456, my cousin, is 13 YEARS OLD TODAY! Happy birthday girl! This and all chapters posted this week are dedicated to you. (This is how I am getting out o buying you a present! Aren't I cheap?) Anyway, ENJOY THIS GUYS! This is the longest chapter I have ever written! XP
"Oh my god." Kagome gasped as she saw the battlefield before her. She stood beside Kikyo. They had just killed Naraku. It took two of the most powerful Mikos ever to destroy him. Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Shessomaru, and Koga were stuck behind a powerful barrier. Naraku had made the fatal mistake of letting Kagome through. With Kikyo and Kagome's arrows combined, they were able to strike his heart and kill him. Kagome fell to her knees with pain. I guess I used a lot of my Miko energy in that arrow. She felt herself fall completely, not having the strength to stand. The barrier fell and some of its prisoners ran too the mikos.
"Kagome, are you alright?" came from Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Inuyasha, and Koga. Shessomaru silently walked away from the scene. A pink light enveloped them all.
"Where are we?" Kagome asked. The place was just pink. There was no floor, yet you couldn't fall. She saw Kikyo stand beside her.
"Midoroku." Was all the dead priestess said. Sure enough, she stood before the two mikos.
"Yes Kikyo. It is I."
"Why are we here?"
"Relax Kagome, you are safe. I am here to settle something greater than the jewel. The beholder."
"I will take the jewel to hell with me. It will be safe with me." Kikyo stated.
"I do not think so. It will take a pure heart to be the protector of the jewel. Someone with a pure heart. A heart that can love, trust, and be hopeful. You have become tainted. You were not trusting of Inuyasha, Kikyo. You did not have hope that it was not him who hurt you. You did not love him."
"What are you saying! I loved him!" Kikyo shouted.
"You can lie all you wish, but the truth remains. You wanted to use him to destroy the jewel. Your heart was filled with greed. You are tainted."
"Kikyo, is that true?"
Kikyo stood in silence.
"You bitch! He spent all that time worrying, thinking, and loving you! All you wanted was to use him! How could you do that to him!"
"Calm yourself Kagome. You have always had hope for you and your friends' defeat of Naraku. You have trust that Inuyasha will always save you from harm. And you love him with all your heart, just as he is. You shall be the jewel's guardian."
"How did you-,"
"I have my ways."
"Bitches! My reincarnation, you shall die now, and I will take my soul and Inuyasha to hell with me!" Kikyo shouted and she an arrow fly at Kagome. Kagome held her hands in front of her, producing a barrier.
"What!" gasped Kikyo.
"You cannot defeat her in battle Kikyo. Because you are tainted, you will never be stronger than her." Midoroku explained.
"No!" Kikyo screamed.
"Kagome, please take the missing piece of your soul back."
Kagome looked at Kikyo.
"I can't. I can't kill you."
"Kagome, you must. It is the only way you can be free to protect the jewel."
"But, I can't kill her. I can't destroy her."
"Fool." Kikyo stated, and lunged at her with an arrow. "I will stab your heart and take what is mine!" Kagome made the shield again, stepping backwards as Kikyo came at her.
"No! Kikyo, you must stop!"
"Die!"
Kikyo held her face mere inches from Kagome's.
"You know what? I'm going to kill you. Then they'll be nothing to keep me from dragging him to hell with me. I'm going to take him down and torture him. 'Oh Inuyasha, didn't you realize being with me was your mistake? You could have been with a woman who loved you, but I killed her with a smile and stole her soul!' Now die!"
Kagome couldn't control it. A power from inside of her. Inuyasha, I wont let her hurt you.
"I'm so sorry I have to do this…Inuyasha." Suddenly a burst of holy energy came from Kagome's body, destroying Kikyo forever.
Kagome fell to her knees.
"No…"
Everyone was still inside of the barrier and watched as the two mikos killed Naraku. Then they disappeared into thin air.
"What the hell? Where did they go!" Both Inuyasha and Koga shouted.
"What happened to Kagome?" Sango asked no one in particular.
"Kagome, no! Where did she go!" Shippo cried. He latched onto Kirara and they both cried together. (Or mewed) Miroku just stared at his hand. My wind tunnel…my curse…it…its gone…it's finally over…
"What the fuck happened to Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted again. He was growling and his eyes almost turned a hazy red color. No! He grabbed his sword tightly and the color went away.
Suddenly, they were behind another barrier, this one pink.
"What's with all of these barriers we keep running into?" Sango asked out loud.
Be calm everyone. The mikos are safe for the time being. If you look around you, you will see where they are in the barrier. A woman's voice told them. Sure enough, Kagome and Kikyo appeared on the walls. The group could see everything.
"Who the hell are you and what have you done to us!" Koga and Inuyasha yelled to the mysterious voice. They looked at each other. "Shut up!"
Silence!
They both shut up.
"Please excuse our comrades' rude behavior my Lady. Please, tell us who you are and why you have taken our friends." Miroku calmly asked.
Thank you kind monk. My name is Midoroku, as you have heard of me before. The two women that carried the Shikon Jewel are with each other, right now, in a duel to the death.
"WHAT!" Koga and Inuyasha exclaimed.
SILENCE!
Again, they both shut up.
AS I WAS SAYING, the soul must return to its proper place. That means, one of them must die. Although I know who is the stronger, it really depends on which way the heart of these girls wishes to go. Now, you can see what happens to the mikos while I tell them what is going to happen to them. You all will not be released until one of them no longer exists.
(A/N: anything underlined is outside the barrier.)
"Where are we?" Kagome asked. The place was just pink. There was no floor, yet you couldn't fall. Kikyo stood beside her.
"Look! It's Kagome! She's okay!" Shippo cried out in joy. Miroku shushed him.
"Midoroku." Was all the dead priestess said. Sure enough, she stood before the two mikos.
"Yes Kikyo. It is I."
"Why are we here?" Kagome asked.
"Relax Kagome, you are safe. I am here to settle something greater than the jewel. The beholder."
"So that was really Midoroku?" Sango asked Miroku.
"Yes. I believe we are to see a great truths and feeling come out to play before us." He replied. Sango looked at Inuyasha. He studied the scene before him.
How can this be happening? I don't think I can stand to watch one of these women die. But why is it that I feel I want Kagome to win this fight? Do I love her more? Inuyasha closed his eyes. Yes. I love Kagome. I do not love Kikyo at all anymore. The love I have for Kagome is stronger than the love I felt for Kikyo anyway. He opened his eyes and watch the scene unfold.
"I will take the jewel to hell with me. It will be safe with me." Kikyo stated.
"I do not think so. It will take a pure heart to be the protector of the jewel. Someone with a pure heart. A heart that can love, trust, and be hopeful. You have become tainted. You were not trusting of Inuyasha, Kikyo. You did not have hope that it was not him who hurt you. You did not love him."
"What are you saying? I loved him!" Kikyo shouted.
"You can lie all you wish, but the truth remains. You wanted to use him to destroy the jewel. Your heart was filled with greed. You are tainted."
"Kikyo, is that true?" Kagome asked.
"Oh my god…" Sango gasped.
Kikyo stood in silence.
"You bitch! He spent all that time worrying, thinking, and loving you! All you wanted was to use him! How could you do that to him!"
She…cares about me? (A/N: Uh, duh Inuyasha!)
"Calm yourself Kagome. You have always had hope for you and your friends' defeat of Naraku. You have trust that Inuyasha will always save you from harm. And you love him with all your heart, just as he is. You shall be the jewel's guardian."
"How did you-,"
"I have my ways."
"Kagome…" Koga gasped. I get it now…
"Bitches! My reincarnation, you shall die now, and I will take my soul and Inuyasha to hell with me!" Kikyo shouted and she an arrow fly at Kagome. Kagome held her hands in front of her, producing a barrier.
"What's going on! Come on Kagome, kill that bitch!" Koga snarled.
"What!" gasped Kikyo.
"You cannot defeat her in battle Kikyo. Because you are tainted, you will never be stronger than her." Midoroku explained.
"No!" Kikyo screamed.
"Go Kagome! Go Kagome!" Shippo and Kirara started doing a victory dance.
"Shippo, please, do not get your hopes up. Kagome might not win this." Sango told him.
"What are you saying!" Koga shouted.
"Just because Kagome is stronger than Kikyo, doesn't mean she can win this fight." Miroku explained.
"It all comes down to Kagome having the ability to kill Kikyo. Has Kagome ever hurt anything on purpose, unless she was protecting something?"
They all knew the answer. No.
"Kagome, please take the missing piece of your soul back."
Kagome looked at Kikyo.
"I can't. I can't kill you."
"No!" Sango cried. She fell into Miroku's embrace.
"Kagome, you must. It is the only way you can be free to protect the jewel."
"But, I can't kill her. I can't destroy her."
"Fool." Kikyo stated, and lunged at her with an arrow. "I will stab your heart and take what is mine!" Kagome made the shield again, stepping backwards as Kikyo came at her.
"No! Kikyo, you must stop!" Kagome cried.
"Die!"
NO! Inuyasha cried in his mind. As did everyone else.
Kikyo held her face mere inches from Kagome's.
"You know what? I'm going to kill you. Then they'll be nothing to keep me from dragging him to hell with me. I'm going to take him down and torture him. 'Oh Inuyasha, didn't you realize being with me was your mistake? You could have been with a woman who loved you, but I killed her with a smile and stole her soul!' Now die!"
"You bitch!" Sango sobbed.
Kagome couldn't control it. A power from inside of her. Inuyasha, I wont let her hurt you.
"Whoa, did we just hear what Kagome was thinking?" Koga asked.
"I'm so sorry I have to do this…Inuyasha." Suddenly a burst of holy energy came from Kagome's body, destroying Kikyo forever.
Kagome fell to her knees.
"No…"