"I can't believe he's really gone." Kagome looked around the ruins of the valley that had become their battlefield in the battle against Naraku. Everything was in ruins. The ground was torn up, craters dotted the landscape, slime and blood and gruel and parts of the monster's awful body littered the ground, trees were toppled, large stones had been destroyed, nearly every plant had been killed by the miasma and stones were melting for the same reason… Everything was a mess, but it was worth it. It was finally over.
"Hmph. Good riddance." Koga stood nearby, his nose wrinkled in disgust. Despite Inuyasha's initial protests, they had all known that, in order to defeat Naraku, they needed all the help they could get. Granted their group's ranks had already been bolstered some time ago, but it still would have been foolish to turn the wolf away.
Kagome turned to look at her friends one by one. They were all still here. Injured and dirty and exhausted, but here, alive, smiling. It was over. It was all over, and no one could have been happier. Turning again, her searching eyes landed on Sesshomaru, who had joined their group months ago. Even after such a terrible fight, he remained pristine by comparison to everyone else. He was by far the cleanest person there. He was not, however, uninjured. No one was. Even Shippo and little Rin, who had been sheltered in a nearby cave with Jaken and Ah-Un, weren't unharmed. It had been pure luck that the brothers had been close enough to save them when the cave had started to collapse after Naraku had, in an act of pure cowardice, attacked the small group.
"Kagome! Are you okay?"
She turned once again to see her silver-haired companion running toward her, worry etched plainly on his face. She smiled. "Yes, I'm alright."
Inuyasha sighed softly in relief. Miroku and Sango, who had been riding on Kirara for the majority of the battle, landed nearby and walked over to the pair. "Excellent shooting, Lady Kagome," Miroku praised.
She smiled a bit wider and nodded. "I did my best."
"And that's all anyone could have asked."
Sango walked up to her, examining her bleeding shoulder. "You're hurt," she murmured.
Kagome glanced to the wound. "I'm alright."
Inuyasha frowned and moved toward his brother, but stopped after a few steps. "Hey, asshole!" he called out. "You alright?" Despite his unfortunate wording, concern colored his voice, reviving Kagome's own concern.
A nod was Sesshomaru's only response, and Kagome looked back to her savior, her mind flashing back to the battle. He had saved her then, shielded her from an attack that would have certainly killed her and probably even Inuyasha, had been able to reach her. Sesshomaru had protected her. He'd been injured. It was because of him that she was alive. And it was because of her that he was hurt. Without really thinking about it, she began walking toward him.
Pain. There was so much pain. He hadn't expected this. Naraku shouldn't have been able to create an attack so strong. And yet, somehow, he had… and he'd aimed it at the miko. Of course. Everyone else had been too far away. There had been no other option. He'd had no other choice. There was no time to simply pull her out of harm's way. So, in a quick, almost desperate act, he had jumped in front of her, shielding his face with his arms and her slight form with his body. It had hurt like nothing he had ever experienced before. It still hurt. And he was tired. So, so tired…
The world seemed to tilt a bit and he swayed uncertainly on his feet. He was vaguely aware of the conversation between the miko and her friends not far away, but he barely paid it any attention as his mind faded in and out of focus. Inuyasha's voice pulled him back for a moment, but it wasn't enough. He almost couldn't even respond. He swayed again. The scenery around him blurred until he no longer even knew what he was looking at. A fresh wave of pain hit him. As everything faded to black and he started to fall, his eyes falling shut of their own accord, a final desperate cry reached his ears.
"Sesshomaru!"
Posted 04-15-15.