DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha or any other character in this fiction. They're all Rumiko Takahashi's.
Also, this fiction is written as MY take on the ending of the series. Since I haven't seen anything but the English dubs, it's probably wildly inaccurate. But take it as an alternate universe or something. Anyway, this is Part 1. Enjoy.
Inuyasha stared defiantly, for the final time, into the eyes of the one who had caused so much pain and suffering in the lives of everyone that he came into contact with. Naraku's gaze was fixed in an expression that was a mixture of horror and disbelief. How had this Hanyou, this...half-breed gutter trash of the demon world defeated him? He had the power of a nearly restored, completely corrupted Shikon jewel at his command. There was no way he could be defeated now. No way.
"H...how... How is...this...possible," rasped Naraku, his red eyes burning into Inuyasha's catlike golden irises. A trickle of black blood drizzled from his lips as he broke that gaze and looked down at his chest, only to see the hilt of the Tetsusaiga, the sword forged from the fang of Inuyasha's demon father, pressed against the open wound, the blade passing cleanly through his body and extending out his back like the fin of a shark.
"You underestimated the power of teamwork," Miroku admonished, a smirk growing on his dirty, battered face. He stole a glance at Sango, his smile, though painful, growing larger at the sight of her standing alongside him.
Naraku's eyes blazed red with fury and pain. He did not have to take such flippant remarks from that pathetic monk. He was Naraku, lord of all demons. No mere mortal could stand against his might and survive to tell the tale. How dare these insects challenge his power? Didn't they know that he would destroy them at any moment? The demons within him that made up his body would...
The demons...
"Now....DIE," cried Inuyasha as he began to force the blade of the Tetsusaiga upward through the fallen demon lord, rending flesh as well as the once fine clothing of the Lord whose form Naraku now occupied. The black and violet material shredded at the mere touch of Tetsusaiga's blade. The demon lord was seemingly unfazed however. Naraku began to laugh, his voice strained and hissing.
"Then I...leave you...with a final...gift..." Inuyasha's eyes widened as the black mist of Naraku's miasma surrounded the dying demon, completely obscuring him from view. "Die, half-breed."
Inuyasha narrowly avoided a tendril of the miasma as the last vestiges of the power of Naraku began to flee his body. Smoky, glowing figures, all in various shapes and sizes, began to flitter about in the Miasma, as though caught by some force that they were desperately resisting. Finally, each one began to break free, and as they did so, they flew skyward, then dissipated, as if blowing away on the wind. Naraku's demons, Inuyasha realized. They were abandoning him. They knew they could not survive, so their spirits were fleeing before the Tetsusaiga's power destroyed them for all time. Inuyasha's face twisted into a sort of vicious, triumphant grin as he prepared for the final strike, but from behind him, he heard a panicked shriek. He prayed to whatever divine powers existed that it wasn't what he thought it was.
The scent of blood and poison told him otherwise.
Chancing a look backward, he saw Kagome lying motionless on the ground, surrounded by Miroku, Shippo, Sango, and Kilala. He felt the sting of tears welling up in his eyes. Rather than look at that heartbreaking sight, Inuyasha's head jerked around to face, not demon-lord Naraku, but a scrawny, weak-looking human draped in bandages. Onigumo His bandages had fallen away in a few places, and completely fallen off from the area around his mouth, revealing severely charred flesh. The damage to his face from the fire he had once been caught in had been severe. There were no lips on his face. One could clearly see the sinews and muscles of his jaws, and the teeth stood out white, like those of a skull.
"May this...be...on...your conscience," he hissed, barely able to speak now above a whisper, "Half-breed. You may have defeated me, but my vengeance transcends death itself. You desire to be with the woman that you love...then so be it."
Inuyasha let out a cry of utter rage and despair, raising his claw in preparation to tear Naraku's face completely away from his skull. Before he could, a shaft of light flew over the half-demon's shoulder and pierced Onigumo's dark heart. In a blinding flash of light and howling wind, Naraku...Onigumo...was gone forever.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried, turning his attention now to the girl from the future. The one who had made his life insanely complicated ever since she'd set him free from his fifty year living death. The one who on a regular basis had planted his face in the dirt using that stupid rosary necklace. The one with whom he constantly bickered, squabbled, and argued over each and every little thing that could possibly come up.
The one whom he loved.
He knelt beside her, keeping one very wary eye on Kikyo, who had lowered her bow and positioned herself outside the group. She still wore the clothing of a shrine maiden. The white kimono stood in sharp contrast to both her raven black hair and red leggings. A breeze gently moved the loose fit clothing, as though the shrine maiden were a spirit standing outside the flow of events.. Inuyasha wasn't thrilled with the prospect of Kikyo perhaps taking this opportunity to be rid of Kagome forever. Kagome's breathing had become labored, now. She took shallow breaths, panic beginning to set in.
"Inu..yasha...I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I couldn't move fast enough..."
Inuyasha's eyes grew watery and he gently took Kagome into his arms, staring into her large brown eyes. She was afraid, he could tell. She was truly afraid.
And then, her eyes grew dull, and Kagome was gone.
"Kagome...c'mon....wake up.... You've gotta wake up..." Inuyasha was frantic. "You'll..uh..miss more school....you've got a test or somethin'...c'mon! Please...."
"Inuyasha," began Miroku, who could barely speak, "We are all in pain...but we must be strong...for Kagome's sake." Inuyasha would not be consoled. He simply held Kagome's limp body in his arms and sobbed into the cloth of her school uniform shoulder. His long white hair draped over her face, hiding both from view. He had his ears folded back now, like a dog that had been abandoned by its best friend.
"Inuyasha," came a soft female voice from behind the grief-stricken warrior. "There may be a way, still, to save the girl's life."
Inuyasha turned with a start. He'd forgotten about her. "Kikyo..." A torrent of conflicting emotions ran through his heart. Could he trust Kikyo? Should he trust her? "H..how?"
"With..this..." The priestess reached into her pouch, pulling out a small, round, glowing stone. Inuyasha recognized it instantly.
"The Shikon Jewel!?"
"Yes...it has been purified of Naraku's taint, though...it is still incomplete." Inuyasha's eyes flitted to the jewel, noticing the chip in its otherwise complete surface. One shard, it looked like. "However, it may still possess the power needed to revive her. But... It must be your decision, Inuyasha. Your...love...for her," Kikyo had almost spat that word, as if it was something bitter and distasteful, "Your love for her...is the only thing that will allow the attempt to succeed."
Kikyo passed the jewel to Inuyasha, who barely seemed conscious of the action at all. He knelt for what seemed like an eternity in the dust of the deserted castle courtyard. His tears had dried up, but the trails that they had traced through the dust on his cheeks remained. Even for love, this was the hardest decision that Inuyasha had ever had to face.. This was his one chance to become full demon without the loss of his personality, memories, or control. But...what good would any of it be if Kagome had to die for it? If he used the jewel's power, it would mean that all the fighting that the group had done, all the pain and suffering inflicted by Naraku, would be completely meaningless.
"Live, Kagome," the half-demon whispered, holding the Shikon jewel out over her still form. There was a pause. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and that wait threatened to tear Inuyasha's insides out. But the jewel had heard his wish, and began to react. The glowing intensified, and the jewel lifted free of Inuyasha's grasp, floating down to rest over Kagome's heart. The jewel's glow began to pulsate, and then, it spread, enveloping Kagome with a soft halo of light. A moment or two later, her eyes slowly opened, looking upward at an expectant Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha?"
"Kagome...oh god, Kagome, you're alright!" He pulled her close, into a tight embrace. "I thought I'd lost you..."
"You almost did, Inuyasha...How did..."
"The jewel."
The priestess, Kikyo, in the meantime, had disappeared, unable to witness the emotional display. She took the opportunity to leave behind the memories of Onigumo and Naraku...and Inuyasha.
-
Kagome stood quietly outside of the home of the priestess Kaede, accompanied by her stalwart companions, all save Inuyasha, who was inside sleeping. The night sky was filled with stars, shining diamonds in a cloth of black velvet. There was something different about the feudal sky, now that Naraku had been destroyed. Something peaceful. The uneasy feeling that had always permeated it had vanished. Could Naraku have been that powerful, or was it merely Kagome's imagination that made her so edgy before? Kaede had begun to speak, and the tone made Kagome feel very concerned.
"If ye would return to your own time, Kagome, ye must decide now. With the taint of Naraku's evil power gone from this world, the joining of our two eras is nearly at an end."
"But... Kaede," replied Kagome, looking very startled and thoroughly unsure of what to do, "That...that can't happen..."
"I'm afraid it already is. Do ye not feel it? 'Tis an unnatural wind that blows this day."
"But.."
"Kagome," interrupted Miroku, who had until now been silent. His robes, normally quite clean, were torn and muddy, and he leaned a little harder on his staff than usual. He looked very tired, as would anyone who had just come through a battle with a demon like Naraku and lived. The cloth and beads he normally wore to cover his wind tunnel were gone, revealing a normal, complete hand. Proof positive that Naraku was dead for good. "It's about Inuyasha..."
"Wh...what about him," she questioned, concern growing on her face. They'd left him inside to heal and rest. He'd played a pivotal role in the fight against the demon lord, and had sustained injuries, just as they all had.
"Whether or not ye take this opportunity to return home, your only one I fear, is up to ye, Kagome. If you go, I'm afraid that Inuyasha will not survive." Kaede's one good eye met Kagome's gaze, concern showing from deep within.
"What? What do you mean?" Kagome was confused. Inuyasha had been wounded, that was true, but he'd come through his injuries before. What was different this time?
"It was something Naraku said, just before he was destroyed... He smiled at Inuyasha, even as his body began to turn to ash around him. He said that his vengeance transcends death. And it may well do so."
Kagome's head spun. "What the heck is that supposed to mean? Naraku's dead! His power is gone forever, he can't hurt Inuyasha anymore!!"
"I'm afraid that he can, Kagome. The final dark wish of a man with a soul as black as his has great power," said Sango, quietly.
"Th...then...then I'll stay here. I'll make sure nothing happens. I'll stay here!"
"No you won't, Kagome," came a voice from behind the group. Inuyasha had awakened and now stood, leaning on the doorframe of Kaede's hut. His voice was strained a bit from pain and fatigue, but he was not to be taken lightly. "You belong in your own time, no matter what happens to me. You've got a family there who cares about you."
"But...I have a family who cares about me...here...too..." Kagome was fighting back tears that, despite her best efforts, were trickling down her face. She didn't want to have to make this choice.
"We do care about you, Kagome...that's why you have to go home," said Inuyasha, looking down, not wanting to see the hurt that was in Kagome's eyes. She began to cry. They'd beaten Naraku, but now she wasn't entirely certain it had been worth it. She wasn't sure at all.
"Ye must go soon, child..."
"I...know."
Kagome's last night in the Feudal Era had passed far too quickly for her. She hadn't been able to sleep. Nor did she really want to. The air was cool, and a slight breeze blew through her hair as she stood at the top of the stone steps which led to the shrine. From here she had a wonderful view of the countryside as the sun began to rise. Everything here was so slow-paced. It was peaceful, even for being a time of clashing armies and warlords. It was, to her, perfection. It was perfection not only because of the great beauty surrounding her, but because Inuyasha was here.
No matter what was said aloud, she couldn't deny it to herself. She loved him. He was like the other half of her. He was brash, abrasive, and downright rude sometimes, but for all the arguing and bickering she did with him, nothing changed what she knew in her heart. The problem was, now that she had admitted it to herself. Now that she had allowed herself to love him, he was going to be torn away from her forever. The very thought caused her eyes to water. It wasn't as though if she worked at it, she could still see him, like he lived in another country. She couldn't even say that he was a lifetime away, because he would be several lifetimes away. She would never see Inuyasha again.
"It's time to go, Kagome," said a familiar voice. Inuyasha. Kagome almost broke into tears at the very sound of those words. She didn't want to go. It wasn't right!
"I don't want to, Inuyasha. I don't want to go," she sobbed, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his shoulder. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
"I know," he softly replied, trying to think of anything he could to soften the moment. "But...you've got to. You don't belong here. As much as I want you to stay, I love you too much to-"
"You....what?"
"Huh?"
"You just said...you loved me..."
"I...uh...well...that is..."
"I love you too, Inuyasha," she said, tears flowing unrestrained down her face. She met Inuyasha's gaze, drawing closer and closer until finally their lips met. They'd kissed before. But Kagome had never been so certain that he meant what he had said as she was now.
"We've got to meet the others at the well," he said with a sigh, breaking the kiss. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you, Kagome."
They passed through the village to the Bone-Eater's Well without speaking. Kagome walked slowly, trying not to think about her destination. But the journey was not a long one, and soon they arrived at the well, where they were greeted by Sango, Shippo, Miroku, and Kaede.
"What...is all this," blinked Kagome.
"It is your farewell celebration, Kagome," smiled Miroku, arm around Sango's waist.
"Yeah, Kagome! We're gonna miss you somethin' awful." Shippo had run up to Kagome while she was listening to Miroku. He leaped upward, hugging her. She couldn't help but smile and hug him back.
"Aw, thanks, Shippo, I'm going to miss you too."
"We all brought farwell gifts for ye, child," said Kaede, handing Kagome a bundle wrapped in cloth.
"Yes. You will be truly missed, Kagome," said Sango, also presenting Kagome with a gift.
Miroku was next to hand her a bundle, followed by Shippo. The rest of the goodbyes were a blur to her as she began climbing down the ladder into the well. She stepped off onto the dry earth of the well floor, when something flitted through her mind.
"Inuyasha, wait! The well will let you come too!" she cried. She looked upward to See Inuyasha leaping over the well's side, but the blue glow had already embraced Kagome, and Inuyasha faded from her view, being replaced by the roof of the shrine well-house.
Kagome fell to her knees, sobbing. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair at all. She pounded her fist into the dust. Damn the well...why had it had to do this to her? WHY?