DisclaimerI do not own InuYasha.

Immortal We Are

Chapter One: Death

Kagome crouched in the bushed behind Naraku. The evil hanyou was so dead set on killing her team and the lord of the west that she had the chance to sneak behind him in waiting for an opportunity to attack. She had masked her aura, which she'd learned to do when she realized that Kikyou was capable of it. Their battle had been fought long and hard, and none of them would last much longer.

She knew she had to act fast, or else.

Gripping the lone priestess arrow in her numb hands, she charged at the hanyous back. With a small battle cry, she jumped up and clung to his back, jabbing the arrow through his back and into his heart. Naraku, a moment before being purified, spun and threw Kagome off. She hit a tree with a sickening crunch and fell to the ground, gasping and sputtering for breath.

All that was left of Naraku was a pile of ashes and the pink Shikon no tama. Kagome, holding her breath, walked to the jewel and picked it up.

InuYasha rushed to her side, but she pushed him away.

"K-kagome! Are you alright?" Sango asked shakily, for they all had heard the crack as she hit the tree.

"Yes. Leave me, please. I need to concentrate to rid the world of the jewel. Come back for me in an hour, 'Kay?" Her earnest eyes showed no pain but simply a silent plea. InuYasha nodded solemnly, then left with the others.

Sesshomaru stood just out of her sight. She had ordered the others to leave, but he was lord Sesshomaru of the Western Palace; he did not take orders, especially from his brother's ningen wench.

Kagome waited until everyone was gone from the clearing before she fell to her knees, coughing up blood. Her shaky breath came up short and she knew that she had a piece of broken rib piercing her lungs.

Resisting the urge to cough, just barely, she lifted two fingers to her lips and said a silent prayer.

Moments later Midoriko, Kikyou, and Hitomiko appeared before her in human form, though she new they were spirits. Midoriko was at the center and closest to Kagome, with the other two at either side of her.

"Kagome-Sama, you have done well," Midoriko smiled sadly at her, then continued, "But I'm afraid your time in this world is up."

"I know-w-*cough*…" Kagome whispered with a cough fit.

"You must command the jewel out of existence, before you may find eternal peace," Hitomiko prompted, kagome nodded.

"Shikon no tama, I-I command you to forever-r *cough* disappear from-m this w-world and never a-affect another *cough* soul again-n. Be gone!"

In a flash of light the jewel was gone. Kagome saw as the three mikos vanished with smiles on their faces; they may finally rest now that it was gone.

Kagome closed her eyes, smiling and staggering breath, and fell forward unto death.

Sesshomaru stayed silent during the odd interactions of the mikos. Kagome knew she was going to die, yet she accepted death like water for a tired dog. He heard her heart stop and become still. It almost made him pity her—almost.

Although she did deserve respect for killing his enemy, for even he had been unsuccessful in doing such. Maybe in the next life she would be at peace.

Maybe in the next life she would be free.

The wind hissed violently through the trees, crying for the diseased miko. Light faded and the sky turned a dull grey as the sun lowered itself behind the ends of the earth. Sesshomaru numbly noted that he had watched to corpse for a good thirty minutes, but he knew nothing else was expected to happen. The miko was dead; dead things usually stayed dead. Especially humans.

Still, this human miko deserved his respect, and he gave it to her. With an approving nod to the sacrifice, he swiftly turned and strode through the lush trees.