Chapter 1
There was a loud shrieking sound as Kagome's Sacred Arrow flew into Naraku, piercing him in his heart. And slowly but surely, Naraku started to turn to ash.
Suddenly, the completed Shikon No Tama reacted to the light, soul, and spirit of Kagome. It purified Naraku instantly…but at a terrible cost…
Kagome was the one closest to Naraku when he exploded like a bomb. Inu-Yasha tried his best to run to her, to protect her, but he wasn't quick enough. Miroku and Sangou, along with Kirara and Shippou, could only watch helplessly in the side lines with horror struck faces.
When Naraku exploded, a blinding light flashed all around them, and a deafening noise much too sensitive for human ears rang out over the land. Sangou, along with Shippou and Kirara, were within Miroku's sacred barrier. The four were well protected from the blinding flash and deafening roar. They would live, unharmed and unscathed.
But Kagome, on the other hand…is a different story.
Inu-Yasha held the Tessaiga in front of him as a shield when Naraku exploded. He still tried to etch his way forward, to where Kagome was standing just seconds before, but the explosion was far too powerful for him to even move a step. He was helplessly rooted to the spot, calling out Kagome's name over and over again.
After moments that felt like hours, the rubble and dust from the explosion finally dissipated; a large crater was now imbedded into the ground, right at the place Naraku was standing before he died.
At first, no one could find Kagome. The worst possible fear gripped at Inu-Yasha's heart as he looked around wildly, trying to catch a scent of the school girl. Finally, after another few moments of searching, he found her.
She was on the ground, at least fifty yards or more away from Inu-Yasha, covered in blood.
"KAGOME-E-E-E!!!!" Inu-Yasha screamed in horror. He immediately ran over to her and kneeled down in front of her body. There was blood all over her front, as well as in her face and hair. Inu-Yasha gently cradled Kagome in his lap and cried. He tried to shake her awake, gently at first, but when she wouldn't stir, he shook her more roughly, still not believing that…
That she wasn't breathing…that there was no heart beat within her chest…
'This can't be happening!!' he cried to himself as he now held Kagome tightly to his body. 'I should have been there!! This should never have happened!! Kagome...!!!!!'
"NO-O-O!!" Inu-Yasha screamed as he hugged the girl even tighter in his lap, frantically rocking himself back and forth. "NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!!!!! FUCK-K-K-K!!!!!!!!"
Sangou, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippou rushed to Inu-Yasha's side when they heard him scream and curse wildly. Sangou gasped as she saw Kagome's battered and bloody body, and she instantly started to cry into the front of Miroku's robes, knowing that what she feared a moment ago has become a reality. Miroku started to cry as he held Sangou within his arms, as well. No mortal could have survived an explosion such as that, especially at that close of distance.
Not even a Hanyou or a Demon like Lord Sesshou-Maru could of.
"Oh no! Kagome-e-e!!" Shippou cried once he understood what was happening. He ran over to Inu-Yasha's side in tears. "K-K-Ka-Kagome!!" Shippou wailed as he jumped on Kagome's body, trying to make her wake up.
Inu-Yasha immediately grabbed the Kitsune by the tail and hoisted him up off of Kagome's broken body. Instead of throwing Shippou into a tree or into some far off land, he just gently laid Shippou on the ground next to him.
Inu-Yasha then stood up while he still cradled Kagome's body against his chest. His eyes were hidden underneath his hair as he slowly walked away from his companions. But no matter how hard he tried to hide it, they all could see the tear-stained cheeks.
Kirara mewed sadly as she watched Inu-Yasha walk away with Kagome's body. She then sadly looked up to see her Master and friend, Sangou, cry hysterically into the Monk's chest. He, too, cried.
"W-W-Wait!!" cried Shippou to Inu-Yasha. "Where a-a-are you t-t-taking K-Kagome!?" Before Shippou could run after Inu-Yasha, Kirara immediately transformed into her fighting form and grabbed the Kitsune's tail within her mouth.
"Let m-me go, Kirara-a-a!!!!" Shippou screamed as the now giant feline still held on to his tail within her gigantic canine mouth. No matter how much Shippou wiggled to get free, Kirara's jaw was like steel; there was no possible way he would be able to set himself free. Shippou wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon.
"S-should we go after them, L-Lord Miroku…?" Sangou asked in between sobs. Miroku's hold on Sangou's waist tightened when she was about to run after the Hanyou.
"No, Lady Sangou…let them go in peace…" Miroku tried his best to be stoic, but it was impossible. He grew very fond of Kagome in a very brotherly way, and he loved her, in that sense.
Miroku and Sangou continued to cry into one another. Shippou, at first, still tried to fight off Kirara and her steel-like jaws, but he gave up after a few moments, and the anger was replaced with a great sadness. He started to cry his eyes out over the loss, once again, while he also lost his fighting spirit at that very moment.
Kirara looked up into the blue and cloudless sky as she still continued to hold Shippou within her jaws. Kagome had sacrificed herself to save them…to save Inu-Yasha. At the last moment, Kagome jumped in front of Naraku's blast of dark power that was aimed for Inu-Yasha (which surely would have killed him), and she fired her sacred arrow at the last second…
Kirara knew what Kagome was thinking in her last hour. Kirara knew that the Miko finally remembered her past lives as Kikyou and Midoriko this morning…
And the only true reason Kirara knew what the Miko was remembering was because of the way she stared at the Cat Demon before they were to face Naraku. Kagome stared at Kirara with ancient eyes…with sad and mournful eyes…Midoriko's eyes…
Yet she still had a small smile etched upon her lips…
Kagome knew that is was her last hour this morning…that she was to die this day. It was the only way…
'Will it always be like this?' Kirara thought to herself as she now stared at the completed Shikon No Tama upon the ground. It was purified and it glowed very brightly; Kirara never remembered it glowing so pure and bright before in all of her centuries of living.
'Will that forever be your destiny, Midoriko? To reincarnate just to, once again, sacrifice yourself in the name of good? So you can forever destroy the powers of evil and darkness with your unselfish act?'
Kirara looked up into the sky, once again. If there was one thing she never understood about Midoriko, her once Master and friend, it was her unselfish acts of bravery and heroism. But still, something bothered Kirara as she then, once again, looked at the completed Shikon No Tama.
There was a stir of power…
Within its glowing depths, Kirara saw the future. This wasn't the first time this happened, and every time it did happen, that meant bad news. Very bad news.
As Kirara continued to stare at the completed Shikon No Tama, she saw Midoriko reincarnate once again. Kirara sighed mournfully. She knew what was coming next. There is another evil to come in the near future; an evil so powerful and strong, a hundred times more powerful than Naraku could ever have hoped to been, that no one would be able to destroy this evil…
Except for her...once again...
Kirara lowered her head sadly and dropped Shippou from her mouth in the process. Inu-Yasha was too far away for Shippou to be able to track or follow now, so it didn't matter if he decided to run after him or not. All that was on Kirara's mind, at that moment, was the rapidly approaching future she had just seen. At this exact moment, as they all mourned Kagome's death, Midoriko once again was being reincarnated…500 years into the future…
And so was the evil being...
Kirara roared angrily into the sky as she suddenly saw Midoriko's face there, staring down at Kirara with a sad smile etched onto her lips.
'Is this truly the only way to save the world!?' Kirara roared mournfully into the heavens.