Warning: I got the idea of my 'final battle' from chapter 517 of Inuyasha, so there will be spoilers.
Disclaimer: Nuh-uh. Inu Yasha and Bleach are not mine.
Pairing: Histugaya/Kagome. Because I have a fetish for short guys with attitude problems. I'd also like to point out that Shirou-chan is technically very much older than Kagome; so it's not pedophilia or anything! Plus, his voice is way too mature to be that of a kid, at least, in my opinion. (And man, does he have one sexy voice!)
Summary: One day, after limping out of the dreaded depths of that wretched well and having her miko powers just go 'poof' and disappear on her, Kagome gets flattened by a short, white-haired student. Who was incredibly rude to her. Kami! After all the good deeds she had done, this is what she gets? Her Karma must be seriously screwed up. With a Menos Grande nearby, Hitsugaya had, as per custom, let his Ginkongan run free within his body. The next thing he knows, an angry girl keeps accosting him. The living world, he decided, was entirely too troublesome for his liking.
(This was written right after I had read chapter 517, therefore it won't be compatible with chapter 518. And even though Sesshoumaru will get his arm back, alas, there will be no Bakusaiga.)
Prologue-ish Chapter
"Argh!" Kagome half stomped, half hobbled forth from the well's abyss. She just knew that she shouldn't have tried it today. As her gut feeling had warned her, the stupid ido(1) hadn't intended to work. Ever since Naraku had finally, finally been killed off and the Shikon no Tama(2) had finally, finally been completed, the well's magic had started fluctuating, turning itself on and off with aggravatingly sporadic intermissions.
The injured girl grumped in frustration. Sitting upon the wooden rim, she gently removed her shoe and her loose white socks. Poking her ankle in several haphazard places, she winced as she hit the newly acquired raw spot. Rubbing it tenderly, she sighed. If only she could heal it with her miko(3) powers. Sadly, that was not the case. It seemed that she would only ever get that one chance to use her priestess abilities to the fullest. Afterwards, it had been, once more, sealed up. By that… that vile, wretched, despicable Magatsuhi(4), no less.
Kagome groaned. 'Kuso tama(5)! How am I supposed to protect you if your stupid 'dark portion' keeps segregating my powers?'
There was no reply.
The teenager sulked, fidgeting with the chain on which the Shikon hung from, glistening artlessly. It was so unfair…
( -♥ - ﻛ q Ц Д ک И ΐ N Ģ - ع N © O ųη Ґ εЯ ﯼ - ♥- )
After having met and freed Hitomiko(6) from Naraku's hold, she had pondered the information that the more experienced miko had imparted to her. Sealed. Her powers had been sealed. And, of course, the first logical person she could come up with who would (and was given the opportunity to) seal her powers off was Kikyou, her predecessor. Even so, after much deliberation, it still didn't make sense. Why would Kikyou, the unadulterated and authentic Kikyou, seal off the powers of her successor? That would have only impeded the other in the protection of the Shikon no Tama, and Kagome disbelieved that her incarnation would have ever wished for that.
Subsequently, when it had been confirmed that Kikyou wasn't the one to blame, but rather, the Jewel itself, Kagome had been baffled. She had distinguished that the Shikon was a cognizant being who could lure others in with their own shady yens, but she hadn't conceived it possible that it could act on its own, without a bearer's help.
And as luck would have it, Naraku had then decided to somehow unleash the Magatsuhi from the Jewel. The damn creepy sinister part of the Shikon no Tama had, of course, proceeded to sap her powers dry!
In spite of this, Naraku had been overly presumptuous and precipitate. His plan had ricocheted, flinging itself into an entire180˚ turn.
Magatsuhi had been underestimating Sesshoumaru and unaccustomed to the auto-reassembling body Naraku had granted him. The mending limbs, mingled with Tenseiga's healing powers, had somehow bestowed the demon lord his precious arm back
Kagome thought the paradoxical events an exceedingly well-timed joke of the fates, silently thanking them for the irony they had cast. Who would have thought that, in the end, Naraku would be the one to restore the western taiyoukai's(7) left arm?
Meanwhile, during Magatsuhi's absence, which resulted in the lessening of her darker counterpart's powers within the coveted tama, Naohi(8) had hurriedly pervaded the Shikon, purifying it and blitzing Naraku to an immeasurable extent. Incapable of approaching the Jewel any longer, the hanyou(9) had enjoined Magatsuhi to recede in order to stifle Naohi's virtuous clarity.
The shard-hunting group, along with Sesshoumaru and Kohaku, had taken the opportunity and pursued the malevolent spirit back to the ever-elusive (though not anymore) Naraku. Sesshoumaru, with his new arm; Inuyasha, with the newly acquired Meidou Zangetsu Ha(10); Sango, with the new poison induced Hiraikotsu; Miroku, with an immunity to pain; Kohaku, with a shard that just might be the key to overcoming Naraku's dark youki(11) and, lastly, Kagome, who was dead to the world, power drained, with a worried Shippou fretting over her unconscious body.
As soon as they had neared both the jewel and Naraku, right before Magatsuhi had reentered the collision against Naohi, the purified jewel had flared a dazzling white. A forceful tug to her soul woke the slumbering teenager from her drained sleep as something inside of her rent. A deluge of excruciating, agonizing, unbearably incisive pain unleashed itself upon her body. Her muscles clenched as her soul devoured her flesh. She had felt it expand and grow, swell and strengthen; feeding off of the purity Naohi was hastily and forcefully shoved into her. Faraway, the distant yelp of a scorched Shippou and the painful roar of Inuyasha grazed her mind. She distinctly remembered the sting of her hair whipping her face as she fell from the inu(12) hanyou's hold, only to be caught by Kohaku.
And then, the sacred power that had been so generously poured onto her had brusquely ceased. The Shikon glinted angrily as Magatsuhi reentered its sparkling depths, slowly overcoming Naohi with the help of Naraku's omnipresent miasma and wicked intentions. As soon as the Jewel's vitiation had recouped, Naraku had snatched the round entity up and tried to flee. Still weakened by the attack the Jewel had expelled upon him during Magatsuhi's leave, he sent a reluctant Byakuya their way.
The bored detachment dispassionately sent out mirages after mirages. Though his illusions did serve their purpose of stalling them, it had also resulted in infuriating and invigorating the combatants with ire-boosted, impatiently pumping adrenaline.
Still supported by Kohaku, Kagome's unsealed and throbbing powers had subliminally reestablished Kikyou's purification of the dead boy's kakera(13). Looking skywards, she frowned as she noticed Inuyasha's slightly quivering black hands and Shippou's burnt face, framed with a few strands of singed carroty bangs. Silently, she conjectured how they had gotten those terrible burns as Kohaku kicked off, transporting her to a formation of rocks a little higher up and closer to the fraying battle. The young slayer deftly set her down and stood to her side, scrutinizing and waiting. Still a little disoriented, Kagome didn't question him and followed his lead.
She watched as Byakuya sent handfuls of fluttering paper figures that transformed into youkai(14). Watched as the separation weaved landscapes of deception around her friends' minds. Watched as Naraku's cloud of miasma drew further away. Watched as Miroku, having had enough, suddenly pulled off his prayer beads, reaping all the paper figurines into his Kazaana(15), along with the pernicious Saimyoushou. Sango trapped his arm and frantically pulled the binding rosary back on, agitatedly chiding the monk while Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha both sliced at Byakuya.
With the area clear of stymieing hallucinations, Kohaku wordlessly lifted Kagome and chased after the escaping Naraku. She felt gauche, being carried by someone younger and shorter than herself, but Kagome thought that she was embarrassedly blushing through it quite well.
After having caught a balloon-looking Shippou who had fallen from a roused Inuyasha's jerky shoulder, Kirara and her passengers soon followed the pair. Leaving the two brothers to deal with Mugen(16) no Byakuya. Which Inuyasha had later complained about ("What the hell? How come I was just left there to deal with the fucking small-fry?! Did you guys really think you could've taken on that Naraku bastard alone?!"), whereas Sesshoumaru had given them all his customary derisive look of distaste ("Hn.").
As they gained on him, the machiavellian hanyou had distractedly dispatched another one of his children, siphoning off of the re-tainted. However, through still his weakened state, the severance only emerged as a feeble, disfigured demon who scarcely managed to decelerated them a fraction of a second; as that was all the time it had taken for Miroku to hurl his immobilizing ofuda(17) and for Kirara to tear the pitiable creature apart with her jagged claws.
Whilst their nakama(18) were eradicated the frail youkai, Sango had tossed her Hiraikotsu and Kagome, awkwardly positioned and mindful of the jarring movements Kohaku's lengthy leaps made, had sent a burningly vivid arrow towards Naraku. The Hamaya(19), soused with the young miko's aching outsized powers and Naohi's supplementary energy that had remained within the girl, struggled somewhat before smoothly cutting through the hastily thrown barrier of the spider-marked mastermind. Kagome breathed out a giant heave, relieved; it had hit! Hiraikotsu, shadowing the miko's attack, swiftly worked its sake generated poison through the enemy's body the moment it touched skin. Twirling passed the miasma mass twice, the large boomerang left only bits and pieces of flesh behind; no more than the head had somehow escaped its biting reach.
Kagome squinted, trying to ignore the unaccustomed itch her bursting ki was creating all over her body. "The jewel is in the floating member between his hand and his… I think it's his shoulder!" She announced, already preparing another arrow, only to be stayed by Kohaku's hand on her arm. With a determined look and a nod her way, he dashed off, his black eyes fixed upon the portion of flesh she had referred to.
Naraku's eyes narrowed on the deceased taijiya(20). As Kohaku neared his goal, miasma enshrouded them, blocking everyone else out. Sango shouted her brother's name anxiously, directing Kirara to fly toward the mounting black murk.
A cackle was heard. The nekomata(21) halted hesitantly at the sound.
Progressively, the air cleared, allowing Sango to view her brother's partially disengaged head. She froze. Kirara mewed consolingly at her mistress's rigid frame. Watching on helplessly, Miroku tightened his protective hold around the slender demon slayer while Shippou closed his eyes and whimpered against the monk's shoulder.
Kohaku lifted dull, lifeless orbs up to meet his sister's horror-struck ones. The severed, blade-shaped arm dug in deeper, planning to hack the entire head off. "Gomen(22), onee-san." His voice was hoarse, broken. The whisper drifted softly to Sango's ears, relayed by an empathetic passing breeze.
"Why! Thank you," cooed Naraku in a foully syrupy timbre, "for having so willingly sent me the last shard." The bladed arm slipped a little further, taunting the panic-stricken sister, as more crimson blood gushed forth, staining Kohaku's slayer ensemble and creating sharp splatter patterns on his pale face.
Kagome trembled. Fear and disgust, horror and desperation; they shot through her, goading her already riotous Reiryoku to erupt into torrents of lashing lights. She cried out. It hurt. She wasn't used to containing so much… So much!
Another tug to her soul distracted her. She rammed the pain away and searched... for what?
At that moment, she had glimpsed it; the shard in Kohaku's neck was still glowing a defiant white. It beckoned to her. And so, she followed, taking a few hazy steps before stumbling down the rock face, not having paid attention to her footing.
'I'm leaving the rest to you.'
Kikyou. She had made Kikyou a promise. She was… She was going to do it. She was going to complete the Shikon no Tama and stop Naraku from gaining more power. She was going to do it. Had to.
As her resolution was finally set, she opened eyes she hadn't realized she had closed and… noticed that she was, once again, plummeting through the empty space between her and the furry ground. 'Furry?'
Landing on something soft yet firm, she was immediately swathed into a cocoon of welcoming security. "Oi! Dog-breath!" Someone shouted in her ear, the voice ringing from one ear to the next, adding to her soreness and making her wince. "I thought I told you to protect my woman!"
None of the usual retort came; the recipient was still diligently engaged with Byakuya while wrestling his older brother over who got to smite the illusionist.
"Hey," Kouga said, this time in a much softer tone, conscientiously maneuvering his Goraishi away from her flimsy human skin, "are you alright, Kagome?"
She stiffly lifted her head, her muscles still screaming and body still prickling. Glancing up, her gaze sank into concerned clear blues. "Mm-mmm." She forced out in a raspy hiss. "Kouga-kun, could you take me to Kohaku-kun please?"
The ookami no ouji(23) frowned, his worry doubled as he took in where exactly said 'Kohaku-kun' was. Nevertheless, he nodded and complied to her request. Though he had lost his shards, he still had his naturally fast youkai speed to fall back on, and Kagome was grateful for that; she didn't think Kohaku was going to last very much longer. There was only two centimeters or so left before the integral cleaving of his skull from his shoulders. They landed several feet away, followed by the sabretooth. A tearstained Sango was still staring at Kohaku with glazed eyes, unresponsive to Miroku's affectionate murmurings or Shippou's reassuring pats.
Kagome rushed forward, her muscles straining against the pain and her seemingly newly added weight. She struggled as the large quantity of Reiryoku(24) oppressed her every move, drawing her to the floor like a heavy load. Kouga ran beside her, hovering as he kept his sharp eyes on their surroundings.
Nearing the laughing Naraku and the profusely bleeding Kohaku, she felt another compelling tug. Kagome staggered, lurching forward. The only pure shard left glowed, one last time, giving her soul a good jerk, and her powers came pouring out yet again. However, this time, they seemed to have found a focus; instead of flowing erratically and burning her from the inside out, they streamed toward Naraku's baleful mist.
As the flood touched them, Kohaku's neck cleanly sewed itself back together while Naraku's pieces reemerged into one.
"What the hell are you doing? Kagome! You do realize you're healing that bastard too, don't you?"
She blinked. Kouga was right, but there was nothing she could do, she couldn't control any of it.
'I'm leaving the rest to you.'
She didn't know what to do. This was wrong. This was all wrong. She didn't understand. Why was she healing Naraku? Kagome sobbed. 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Kikyou. I can't; I don't know how.'
'I'm leaving the rest to you.'
'No! I can't. I can't! I don't know how!'
'I'm leaving the rest to you.'
It rang over and over and over in her head. But she didn't –couldn't.
A delighted chuckle startled her into awareness. Naraku was grinning triumphantly at them. "Ara ara…(25)" He flexed his recently healed arm, "It seems like the little reincarnation can be useful sometimes."
Kagome glared at him, but started when she noticed that her energy was still flowing out.
'I'm leaving the rest to you.'
And then, she saw. The shard had given her another feeble twinkle, almost as if it was winking at her. Oddly enough, it was all the reassurance she had needed, as her breathing softened.
Naraku's reassembled arm lifted, still equipped with a very pointy blade. It ruthlessly slashed through Kohaku's recovered neck. The half-breed chortled. But his fun swiftly vanished as the head re-glue itself back to the boy's body. The hanyou frowned, and tried again with the same results.
Although he didn't seem to feel any pain, Kohaku looked bemused. He gawped at her, wide-eyed and uncomprehendingly, as Naraku hacked away at him relentlessly. The slayer blinked, having lost count of the number of times he had just recently died.
Sango, though having come out of her anguish filled stupor, still looked shocked. As did everyone else who followed the motions of the dark hanyou's hand with disbelieving eyes.
Just then, a heavily bleeding Inuyasha dropped before them, deep cuts littering his entire body. Sesshoumaru arrived next; he seemed uninjured, save for a small cut to the cheek, he looked as blankly composed as ever, but a few drops of sweat lingered on his face and his breaths seemed a little faster than usual. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Kagome would have giggled at her friend's thoroughly stumped look and the ever-stoic Sesshoumaru's imperceptibly –by a slight millimeter or two– parted lips (which, for him, she presumed, would have been the alternate of a jaw drop).
But her amusement faded when she felt Kohaku's shard dim. The taint was spreading and Naraku was laughing again, still chopping Kohaku's neck. Again, panic assaulted her senses from all sides.
'I'm leaving the rest to you.'
Kagome froze. 'What to do? What to do? What to do?'
Sango was first to react as she launched her trusty Hiraikotsu. Surprisingly, it seemed that, with the help of Kagome's impromptu curing spree, Naraku's barrier was once again in superlative shape, and maybe even stronger. Soon, everyone was raining their favored attacks on Naraku, but the barrier remained unyielding.
A tentacle reached out to the solitary shard, not touching, but waiting for the taint to cover more ground. Then, cautiously, it reached out and tentatively brushed against the kakera.
Nothing happened.
Everyone's efforts doubled.
Kohaku earnestly struggled against the callous grip of several tentacles, trying to stop the extraction of the shard, but they coiled themselves sternly around his trashing body.
The individual, repulsive feeler twisted itself around the shard, harshly wrenching it out and carelessly flicking the residual corpse away. Sango hastened to her brother, curling him to her, while Naraku's eyes gleamed. He carefully placed the shard within the small space allotted to it, no longer paying attention to the tickling sensation their abortive attacks produced. The Shikon no Tama was whole again. What's more, it was in his possession.
He bellowed with laugher.
Kagome shook her head. 'No! This is not happening! Not real!' She rubbed her eyes, blinked repetitively, but the scene just wouldn't go away and her mulish brain refused to wake up from the nightmare.
'Kikyou! Kikyou, tasukete kudasai!(26)' She thought desperately. 'What am I supposed to do now? Tell me! Tell me! I'm not like you! I'm not calm and collected and always ready and all knowing and-! What should I do?! What can I do?'
'I'm leaving the rest to you.'
Kagome groaned. 'That's not helping me one bit!' Resigned, she closed her eyes and tried to think of a way to rectify the situation. Her eyebrow twitched. Kami! If only that itch would leave her!
Though the ache her unsealed powers had created was steadily dissipating, the tingling had still remained, giving her the urge to frantically scratch herself everywhere, as if she were covered from head to toe with itching powder. If only her soul could also weigh a little less, her back was bending under all that-
There! She felt it again! Though much, much feebler then all the other times, it was still there. That tug! She frowned, peering at the completed Jewel, and gasped. A tiny, tiny, indiscernibly tiny sliver of the tama was still pure, camouflaged by all the blackness around it. And it was calling to her.
'What?' She asked, silently hoping for an answer. 'Tell me! What do you want me to do?'
'I'm leaving the rest to you.'
'I don't understand!' Kagome gripped her bunched up skirt tightly. She had to calm down. She had to. This wasn't good and she knew it. And Kikyou was gone.
'Kikyou had said that she'd leave the rest to me.' She bit her bottom lip, tasting the metallic tang of her own blood. 'Does that mean I have to find a way out of this on my own?'
She looked down at the sacred bow lying beside her. There must have been a reason why her predecessor had left it with her, right?
She resolutely wrapped her fingers around it, standing up. A thrum slithered through her. She shivered. It wasn't the excruciating sensation of her own uncontrolled power or the discordant quality of the Shikon. It was the cool, calculated hum of calm, miko magic: Kikyou's magic.
'Kikyou's feelings are planted within this bow as well?' Shocked but pleased, she inspected the wooden arc before walking toward the barrier, led by the dead priestess's bow. The hallowed weapon glowed, shattering the obstacle.
Immediately grinning at the broken defenses of the enemy, Inuyasha brashly swung his sword out with vigor. Following suit, everyone's previously useless onslaught showered once more upon the acrimonious spider. This time, without his shielding barrier. Regrettably, it seemed that Kagome's previous healing was still in effect, given that Naraku's body repaired instantly, even when the upgraded Hiraikotsu hit him.
"Oi! Wench! What the hell did you do?! He ain't getting no weaker 'cause of you!" Groused Inuyasha, discomfited.
"I don't know! Stop making it sound like it's my fault!" Riposted Kagome.
"Keh! I don't need to make it sound like it's your fault, 'cause it is your damn fault!" Shouted Inuyasha distractedly while giving Tetsusaiga another swing.
"Watashi no sei desu ka?!(27) Inuyashaaa-!" A shiver from the bow interrupted their row. She looked down as it shot forward violently. Unsuspecting of the sudden yanking haul, Kagome's fingers loosened, allowing the sacred bow to slip from her grasp.
The wood connected with the Shikon no Tama as if magnetized. Kagome could feel the small speck of undiluted purity being beckoned to the surface of the Jewel. It glowed, responding to the bow's appeal. Gradually, the speck overcame the corruption inside the Jewel. Naraku, frenzied, had immediately dispatched a few other detachments to occupy his attackers while trying to push his tarnished ki into the Jewel.
His efforts were useless, as something seemed to have nullified his youki. Soon, the Shikon no Tama had become a blazing beacon of purity. Naraku screeched, instantly dropping it. But in the end, his jumpy response hadn't been expeditious enough. The cleansing energy had reached out and trounced him. Minutes later, naught but his ashes were left, shrouding the air.
They waited, but the heavy blanket of dust wouldn't abate. Finally, a frustrated Inuyasha assured himself that everyone was far enough away and swept out his new attack, Meidou Zangetsu Ha. The dirty, powdered air became agitated, almost as if it were still alive and resisting the Meidou's pull.
Before the debris could attempt to take flight, a strong, almost disdainfully so, gust of wind quickly swept the cinders away, into the dark spherical entrance of hell. Absently, Kagome had wondered if it had been the doing of Kagura's spirit; now free of her repressive master, coming to erase away all evidence of his vile existence and collecting her due. Okay, so it was hackneyed and corny, but if it had been Kagura, since she was, for some odd reason, practically sure that it was… Kagome smiled, 'That would make a nice ending.'
Hastily making her way through the cleared air and to the tranquilly shimmering Jewel, Kagome gingerly picking it up, along with the now drained bow.
With the battle over, none had wanted to stay longer than necessary. Feeling a fragile bond form between them because of the experience they now shared, everyone wordlessly meandered away in the same direction.
Sango quietly wrapped her brother's taut body in her arms, silent tears falling as Kirara growled soothing while carrying the two siblings. Miroku limped behind them, occasionally casting concerned glances their way. Shippou, having felt a little left out since he hadn't offered much of a contribution to Naraku's demise, had jumped into his usual spot, enfolded in Kagome's arms, seeking reassurance.
Kagome hugged the little fox snugly. She sighed. After having defeated Naraku and restored the Shikon no Tama, she would have expected the mood to be lighter, happier, more festive. But all she could feel in the leaden atmosphere was a morose relief coupled with the odious taste of great losses.
Rin, Jaken and the two-headed dragon, along with Ginta and Hakkaku, had joined them somewhere along the way. Having caught on to the hushed ambiance, they nervously observed the victors, marching behind them in a subdued manner.
The group calmly made camp near a small stream, a long ways from the recent battlefield.
Kagome looked around, then huffed. She couldn't take anymore of the muted stillness. Kneeling on the soft, lush grass, she set out to assess Shippou's burnt marks, and cried out in surprise. "Shippou-chan, where did you get these? They look serious!"
"Eeto… Kagome…You did that. Right before Kohaku caught you." He lifted a hand, idly touching his seared face, then stopped, wincing. "That's why you fell; because Inuyasha got burnt too, so he had stupidly let go." He gave the red clad figure a pointed look.
Inuyasha grunted angrily, before pausing, then he snorted dismissively, not rising to the bait.
The teen's nose wrinkled as she thought back to the recent events. "I… did?"
The kitsune(28) nodded solemnly, then hurried to reassure her when he saw her guilty expression. "Shinpai shinaide(29)! They're just a few scratches for us super strong youkai, it'll probably heal in no time!"
Kagome furrowed her brows uncertainly, "If you say so…"
Suddenly, her countenance brighten, "Hey! Maybe I could heal it up for you! Like I did for-" She stopped, risking a glance Sango's way.
"It's fine, Kagome-chan. Don't worry." Sango reassured her, brushing aside Kohaku's bangs with a reticent smile. The blue-eyed girl still appeared dubious, so the exterminator expounded. "Really, I knew it was going to happen and I was expecting it."
'But that doesn't seem to have lessened the damage it's doing to you.' Kagome had wanted to say. She searched the taijiya's eyes, then clamped her mouth shut. Sango didn't need this right now. Maybe later, but not now.
Letting go of the subject, she turned her attention back on Shippou. "So? Want to give it a try?"
"Eh… sure." He didn't sound very convinced, but she brushed it off. The itch was still there, and she needed something to focus her powers on. Maybe, she supposed, relieving herself of some of that boiling energy would relieve some of the irritation.
She grappled with it. Her control had always been lax, but now, with an even larger amount of force to deal with, she had no clue on how to go about it. And it was hard to do anything without the aid of that exasperating but useful tug. Just as she had finished the thought, the pull came back, guiding her powers onto the unsuspecting kit.
Shippou exhaled deeply, she wasn't accidentally burning him. Good. But then, all deliberations and qualms flew away, replaced by the sensation of warm water being poured all over his body, although the end result didn't make him feel wet. Warmth seeped through his skin as a feather-like texture lightly brushed against his injuries. The next thing he knew, he was all healed up.
"Wow!" He exclaimed. "Kagome! How did you do that!"
Slowly the edginess eased, conversations (and loud brawls) took place, ridding them of the tiring calm. Smiling giddily, the time traveler made her way around the small site, gladly offering her services and happily using her newfound ability. With the exception of Sesshoumaru, no other wounded had been left unattended. Though she had not dared approach the proud Lord of the Western Lands, he had given her a frigidly impassive look when she had timidly peeked his way, a clear message for her to keep her human self away.
The next day, they had parted ways. Though (a still itchy) Kagome had been slightly worried about the issue of to whom went the Shikon, fearing that Kouga would claim it for himself and clash claws with Inuyasha again, she had been pleasantly surprised when the subject hadn't even been touched. It seemed that they were fine with her keeping it. And she didn't have any objections to the arrangement.
A grave was dug for Kohaku as they passed by Sango's old village. He lay beside his father, and Sango had mourned his death with light sniffles and some wild flowers. Kagome had fretted over her friend (as well as the increasing prickle all over her skin), giving the older girl tacit looks, telling her that she was there if the need for a talk arose. But she should have known not to be so concerned. It appeared that Sango had sought and found her comfort elsewhere. The futuristic schoolgirl had discreetly hidden a grin and a raised eyebrow when the houshi(30) and the taijiya had come back from a late night out in the forest together.
Gaily, the inu-tachi(31) treaded their way back to Kaede's village with Kagome giggling elatedly every time Sango would blushingly forgo the monk's title in order to call him by his first name (and scratching herself every other few seconds).
Sitting inside the little hut, they had each recounted their version of the tale to the elderly priestess, and were now speculating over the events. It was then theorized by Miroku that Kikyou had probably very specifically planned Kagome's role in the fight.
"Having given Kagome-sama a very holy bow infused with Kikyou-sama's own ki that would then connect with the energy she had inserted within Kohaku's shard was no small coincidence." Miroku had said, while nodding his head sagely. "Though she probably hadn't expected Naohi to unseal Kagome-sama's powers. And if Kagome-sama hadn't healed both Naraku and Kohaku with her uncapped Reiryoku, our winning chances would have most likely dropped. But we still would have had some likelihood of being successful."
"What do you mean 'if Kagome hadn't healed Naraku'?" Asked an annoyed Inuyasha, still not fond of the idea.
"What Miroku here means," cut in Kaede, "is that Kagome's patching up of Naraku, was also one of the catalysts to the hanyou's ruin. Do ye not see?"
At Inuyasha's reluctant silence she grunted, blowing on her steaming tea exasperatedly before continuing her explanations. "Because it healed 'im, he had accepted the energy within 'imself readily. But Kagome's powers are pure. Even if they were not meant to harm, their latent purity would still remain within ye for a while before, eventually, evaporating. The purity he had unknowingly accepted within 'im had served to blind his senses and cancel out his youki. That is why he could not feel the hidden goodness inside the jewel. That is why he was permitted to touch the pure shard. And that is why, when the battle inside the tama had begun, Naraku could do nothing to aid the taint, for the large sum of Kagome's purity, that still resided within his own body, had quelled out his youki."
"I also believe, " Added Miroku, "that, while her healing had re-pieced him, it had also prevented Naraku from attacking or absorbing us with his cut-off, independent body parts, as he had done in our former battles."
Inuyasha's ear twitched (Kagome smiled at the endearingly small indication that his mind was still sorting through the newest facts, before scratching her chin) as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Feh, whatever."
Shippou tapped his chubby indexes to each side of his forehead in a thinking pose. "But then, why was I able to show Rin-chan my Kitsune-bi(32) right after Kagome had healed me?"
Kaede calmly sipped her tea, "Because it was only used in a small dose on ye."
His auburn tail swished before he nodded, accepting the explication. "Ah. Wakatta(33)!"
"It was," the aged archer's lone eye moved back to Inuyasha, "also well thought out of ye to have banished 'im with the Meidou Zangetsu Ha, Inuyasha."
"Tch. I just didn't feel like waiting for all that dust to settle. It was blocking my view." Replied the silver-haired male casually.
Kaede's single eye narrowed, "Is that so?" She shook her head, disheartened. "And I had thought ye had planned it."
"Of course he didn't! Inuyasha never thinks! He's just a big bunch of muscles and instincts with no brain!" Piped Shippou enthusiastically, only to receive a thorough pummeling from an angry Inuyasha, who, consequently, underwent a thorough sitting from a protective (and itchy) Kagome.
"I see." Nodded the wise old lady. "Of course, I should not have thought differently."
"Oi! Why you-! Baa-baa(34)!" Inuyasha straightened from the floor and shook a threatening fist at her, which resulted in a few more 'Osuwari!' shouts.
"You were saying? Kaede-sama?" Asked the purple clothed monk, ignoring the long series of decadently rich curses spouting out of his crude comrade's muffled mouth.
The wrinkled woman serenely sipped her tea. "Yes," She cleared her throat. "With a regenerative demon like Naraku, there was always the peril of 'im coming back, especially when we put into consideration the might of his dark desires. Tsumari(35), his tarnished soul could have stayed in this world and leisurely waited until his strength had recovered before exacting retribution. That is, unless ye banish 'im for good. Which is what ye have unknowingly done, Inuyasha."
"Keh."
( -♥ - ﻛ q Ц Д ک И ΐ N Ģ - ع N © O ųη Ґ εЯ ﯼ - ♥- )
And so the Shikon no Tama's hunting saga had ended. It has already been a three weeks since then.
Inuyasha had, by now, perfected the hobby of lazing about the village, sometimes exterminating a few hostile demons when he felt like it.
Shippou was free to play with children his age. Though they were all human, he didn't seem to mind, especially since it made his tricks that much more awing. He also seemed to have an affinity for herbs, often accompanying Kaede on her forest trips to replenish her storage of herbal remedies.
As for Miroku and Sango, they had gotten married, just like everyone had anticipated. The high schooler had attended their wedding just last week and had found out from a furiously red slayer that she was already with child. Kagome smiled at the memory, 'As expected from the pervert!'
The time traveling miko still traveled to and fro, juggling her two lives in two diverse eras. Sadly enough, after she had first guardedly passed through the well with the completed Shikon no Tama secured around her neck, two things had occurred.
Firstly, her powers had once again been quarantined, though, this time, fully. She had no miko abilities whatsoever left. She didn't mind that part too much, because they were no longer needed (and the maddening itch had, thankfully, gone away along with them), except for when she obtained some rather annoying cuts and scrapes or sprained ankles –like now.
Secondly, the well's previously strong aura had waned considerably. She had known that it would have to close itself off eventually, but she was grateful that it was still holding on a little longer. As if it knew her feelings. Smiling appreciatively, she smoothened her hand over the ancient wood, softly thanking it. Wistfully, she gazed at the old, claw-like dent marks on the abused frame, entwining herself with the intangible threads of her treasured memories.
Her peaceful humor was brusquely crushed, when a large 'baki' sounded nearby. Hurrying out, she scoured the vicinity. House? Nothing. Street? Nothing. Nearby store? Nothing. Neighbors? Nothing. Sky? White.
'White?' She blinked; her eyes closed…
And when her lids slid open, she found herself lying on the freshly cut grass with her breath knocked out of her lungs. A downy white engulfed her vision and something warm shifted on top of her. 'Nani(36)?!'
Translations (this was added due to the request from SemiPrecious... Oof! And I really didn't think it'd take this long for me to do. Gah!):
(1)Ido: Well.
(2)Shikon no tama: Jewel of Four Souls
(3)Miko: Priestess.
(4)Magatsuhi: The evil spirit of the Jewel of Four Souls who was given a body by Naraku. First appearance in chapter 513 of the manga.
(5)Kuso tama: Kuso literally translates into 'shit' and tama is a 'spherical object' (in my case, the Jewel of Four Souls). So the end result gives you: "Shitty jewel!" or something along those lines...
(6)Hitomiko: A priestess that was introduced in chapter 507.
(7)Taiyoukai: Greater demon, though people usual use it for 'demon lord'. And I think that, technically, it should actually be 'daiyoukai'... But since nearly everyone's using 'taiyoukai', I decided to just go along with the flow.
(8)Naohi: The good spirit of the Jewel of Four Souls. I searched online and actually found that, in the Omoto Religion, a human is composed of one spirit and four souls, the spirit was called Naohi, and it represented the (and I quote) simplest, purest, innermost aspect of the human spirit, embodying supreme good and ultimate beauty.
(9)Hanyou: Half-demon.
(10)Meidou Zangetsu Ha: It translates into 'path of darkness of the cutting moon' (or something similar). It is a technique that sends the opponent directly to hell by cutting open a path that leads said place.
(11)Youki: The ki (internal force in our bodies, the manifestation of our spirit) of a demon. Or, more simply put, a demon's power.
(12)Inu: Dog.
(13)Kakera: Fragment; shard.
(14)Youkai: Demon (most commonly used translation); apparition; spectre; phantom and etc.
(15)Kazaana: Air hole. In this case, Miroku's wind tunnel/Air rip.
(16)Mugen: Illusion.
(17)Ofuda: In the Shinto religion, it is a talisman (made of a a piece of wood, paper, cloth or metal) on which we write a god's name. It is believed to have powers of protection. In Miroku's case, it's a small strip of paper, infused with his holy powers, that can purify/desintegrate demons.
(18)Nakama: Companions; comrades; friends.
(19)Hamaya: Arrow used to fend off evil; sacred/purifying arrow.
(20)Taijiya: Demon hunter/exterminator.
(21)Nekomata: A two tailed magical cat. Quote: 'Mythological creature believed to evolve from domesticated cats. It was believed that after a cat reached ten years of age, its tail would slowly split into two tails, and along the way would develop magic powers.'
(22)Gomen: Sorry.
(23)Ouji: Prince.
(24)Reiyoku: Spirit power/energy.
(25)Ara ara...: My, my...
(26)Tasukete kudasai: Please help me.
(27)Watashi no seda desu ka: My fault, is it?
(28)Kitsune: The literal meaning is 'fox'. However, in a lot of Japanese folklore, they are also depicted as intelligent beings who possess magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom.
(29)Shinpai shinaide: Don't worry.
(30Houshi: Buddhist monk.
(31)Inu-tachi: The dog's group.
(32)Kitsune-bi: Fox-fire.
(33)Wakatta: 'I understand' or 'understood'.
(34)Baa-baa: A derogatory way of saying 'grandma'.
(35)Tsumari: In other words.
(36)Nani: What.
I hope I made Naraku's death believable enough and that I didn't give Kagome too big of a role, or made her too powerful. I sincerely hate it when Kagome becomes a Mary Sue, so I tried to not make her too much of one, but at the same time, I had to be realistic. If Kagome could already pass through Kikyou's barriers, be immune to Naraku's miasma, shoot purifying arrows, shatter the Shikon no Tama, and reclaim her soul from her forebear while still having her powers corked up, then she had to have had a considerable amount of power if it was let loose. Either way, I tried to make it realistic… not too sure if I pulled it off.