In the end, she knew it could never end well. The jewel could never be
pure, just as she could never be. There would always be that black spot of
corruption in it's shining lavender depths. There would always be that
little but if spite and resentment in her heart. When the jewel was
complete and Naraku was dead, she took an inventory of the costs.
Villages of people, countless souls of dead women, Kohaku, Kikyou, Kouga's tribe, Inuyasha's first life, and Kagome's only chance to be normal. It even consumed Onigumo eventually. In his obsession for Kikyou, he dragged both of them into hell. Miroku's family was lost; Sango's own hand buried her entire line. Shippou had witnessed his only family turned into coats by the Thunder brothers.
Kagome knew that they would never be free from the jewel. It had been what drove the, Naraku was just an excuse. Without the jewel, they could do nothing, they would have no purpose. Miroku's Kazaana was gone, Sango's Hiraikotsu broken into a million different shards, Kikyou's bow was shattered, but the Tetsuaiga and Kagome's bow remained in tact. They were the only ones who would be able to fight at all.
Kagome had never realized it before. The only reason that she and Inuyasha were even together, the only reason that they were ever apart, the only reason that they were both alive in the first place was the Shikon no Tama. And she and Inuyasha would never be content raising a family. Never. They would always be restless, fighting, their flawless teamwork becoming more and more unwoven by the minute.
So Kagome stared down the bottomless pit of the well. The inky blackness seemed forgiving. The warmth of the jewel in the sun was pleasant and completely the opposite of what she knew it could do. Sango and Miroku were clutching at each other, their hands interwoven. Shippou was leaning against the well, completely at calm with everything. He'd said his goodbyes last night.
And Inuyasha...
Inuyasha was watching her with unblinking eyes of molten gold. She wished to see them narrowed in concentration, in anger, in worry. She wanted to see him fight again.
Kagome looked at the Shikon. The jewel was cloudy as always. Midoriko...was she lonely in there? All by herself, the fight against an immortal foe? How long had it been since she slept? Since she saw another person?
The reborn miko grasped her plain bow and full quiver of arrows. She saw Inuyasha grab at Tetsuaiga out of reflex. Her madrone eyes looked at him.
"Inuyasha...we wouldn't be happy here. We wouldn't be able to survive. If we were to stay with this world for the rest of our lives, our spirits would die. We would become listless...lifeless..."
Inuyasha stiffened, waiting for her to say that she would leave him...go back to her world where she could forget about all of this. Forget about him.
Kagome closed her eyes and gently clasped the Shikon no Tama to her breast. She reached out with her free hand to place Inuyasha's hand over the jewel as well. She stepped closer to him, not caring at all about Kohaku, about the lives she could bring back, about the destiny between Inuyasha and Kikyou she could restore.
Kagome thought, for once, only of herself.
And of Inuyasha.
And Kagome wished upon the Shikon no Tama.
~*~
Well...what'd she wish for? I tried to make it blatantly obvious, but I'm not sure if it worked. So review if you liked it, review if you hated it. Especially review if you are confused. I'll try to clear it up for everyone. If more than ten people are confused and leave a review, I'll add a little second piece to tell what this was all about. Little teeny tiny fic, not even a page and a half in my word processor. But just had to write it. Such an interesting concept, and I don't recall ever seeing one with the ideals behind it that this one has.
Villages of people, countless souls of dead women, Kohaku, Kikyou, Kouga's tribe, Inuyasha's first life, and Kagome's only chance to be normal. It even consumed Onigumo eventually. In his obsession for Kikyou, he dragged both of them into hell. Miroku's family was lost; Sango's own hand buried her entire line. Shippou had witnessed his only family turned into coats by the Thunder brothers.
Kagome knew that they would never be free from the jewel. It had been what drove the, Naraku was just an excuse. Without the jewel, they could do nothing, they would have no purpose. Miroku's Kazaana was gone, Sango's Hiraikotsu broken into a million different shards, Kikyou's bow was shattered, but the Tetsuaiga and Kagome's bow remained in tact. They were the only ones who would be able to fight at all.
Kagome had never realized it before. The only reason that she and Inuyasha were even together, the only reason that they were ever apart, the only reason that they were both alive in the first place was the Shikon no Tama. And she and Inuyasha would never be content raising a family. Never. They would always be restless, fighting, their flawless teamwork becoming more and more unwoven by the minute.
So Kagome stared down the bottomless pit of the well. The inky blackness seemed forgiving. The warmth of the jewel in the sun was pleasant and completely the opposite of what she knew it could do. Sango and Miroku were clutching at each other, their hands interwoven. Shippou was leaning against the well, completely at calm with everything. He'd said his goodbyes last night.
And Inuyasha...
Inuyasha was watching her with unblinking eyes of molten gold. She wished to see them narrowed in concentration, in anger, in worry. She wanted to see him fight again.
Kagome looked at the Shikon. The jewel was cloudy as always. Midoriko...was she lonely in there? All by herself, the fight against an immortal foe? How long had it been since she slept? Since she saw another person?
The reborn miko grasped her plain bow and full quiver of arrows. She saw Inuyasha grab at Tetsuaiga out of reflex. Her madrone eyes looked at him.
"Inuyasha...we wouldn't be happy here. We wouldn't be able to survive. If we were to stay with this world for the rest of our lives, our spirits would die. We would become listless...lifeless..."
Inuyasha stiffened, waiting for her to say that she would leave him...go back to her world where she could forget about all of this. Forget about him.
Kagome closed her eyes and gently clasped the Shikon no Tama to her breast. She reached out with her free hand to place Inuyasha's hand over the jewel as well. She stepped closer to him, not caring at all about Kohaku, about the lives she could bring back, about the destiny between Inuyasha and Kikyou she could restore.
Kagome thought, for once, only of herself.
And of Inuyasha.
And Kagome wished upon the Shikon no Tama.
~*~
Well...what'd she wish for? I tried to make it blatantly obvious, but I'm not sure if it worked. So review if you liked it, review if you hated it. Especially review if you are confused. I'll try to clear it up for everyone. If more than ten people are confused and leave a review, I'll add a little second piece to tell what this was all about. Little teeny tiny fic, not even a page and a half in my word processor. But just had to write it. Such an interesting concept, and I don't recall ever seeing one with the ideals behind it that this one has.