Cursed Touch

By Rurouni Star

Chapter 6 – Endgame

"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."

                                    -Friedrich Nietzsche

            The world moved by silently, unswerving, unyielding… it rushed at some times and at others, it died completely to  blackness…

            He watched, unable to affect it. His hand stirred only to one will – his thoughts were not his own.

            It was then he realized that he was an observer. He leaned in closer, as though to better see and understand.

            The first thing he saw was pain.

            Excruciating, burning, crackling pain with every breath. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, it hurt to live… footsteps… they stop there, in front of him, while the aching light in his chest writhes smugly, tearing life from him…

            "You think… to kill me… while I am weak?"

            Cold eyes. A fan unfurling.

            "Yes."

            And… a sly smile through the pain… his hand squeezing only slightly on something that seemed to pulse and writhe…

            Screaming. Cursing. Something cutting into skin…

            "You wish for freedom? I can give you freedom at any moment. Freedom from slavery, freedom from pain, freedom from life… ask me, Kagura."

            A whimper.

            "Ask."

            And… she spits at him. "No."

            He smirks. "Then do as I say and kill the girl. Otherwise, this thing she left inside of me will kill me – and you will die as well."

            "…I hate you."

            "Yes."

            Because when he finds her, he will kill her slowly, taste her agony and hate her and love her while she dies…

            You won't.

            No?

            No. I won't let you.

            I'll have to kill you first, then.

            Now we understand each other.

*         

            He knew she was there before he woke. Had known it, in fact, even as he dreamt of a dying Naraku.

            Her small hand had closed on his, maybe unconsciously, rubbing absently at the beads that closed his wind tunnel. His first instinct was to pull it away – Kagome shouldn't have been that close to the Kazaana. But her hand felt right there… she knew, above anyone else, the danger of that right hand.

            Miroku didn't move as she threaded her fingers between his. He didn't open his eyes when she leant down to brush the hair from his forehead.

            "…goodbye, Miroku," she whispered.

            And… she was gone.

            He may have believed himself dreaming if he hadn't just woken from one.

            The monk sat up with effort, recognizing as he did that he had healed somewhat. But not enough.

            "Inuyasha," he said, knowing the hanyou would hear him if he were anywhere nearby. "Where is she going?"

            There was no response.

            But on the other side of the hut, a silver haired boy picked himself up from his leaning position against the wall – and walked away.

**

            The demon hunter noticed the girl's approach even before her silhouette came into view. Kagome stopped a few feet from where the taijiya was leaning against her tree.

            "My bow?" she asked quietly.

Sango stared at her. "What do you want it for?" she asked, her hand on the smooth wood of the haft.

            Kagome smiled. "Nothing we don't all want. Can I have it?"

            A pause.

            "Kagome… he won't die today."

            "No. He won't."

            "So why now?"

            Kagome took a deep breath. "You're not going to give it to me, are you?"

            Her friend shrugged – and tossed the bow to her. "I'm coming with you, is all." The woman stood and picked up her hiraikotsu, hefting it onto her shoulder. "But neither of them will be very happy."

            The reincarnated priestess before her seemed to have grown into her position. She shook her head authoritatively. "You're not coming. And I don't care."

            Sango chuckled. "You haven't got a choice. Kirara is the only way you'll make it without Inuyasha catching up to you."

            Kagome's eyes flickered to a place behind her, though, and Sango turned abruptly. At first, she thought there was nothing but the shadow of a moon – but a swirling cloud of dust came into vision. And just as quickly as it appeared, it was before her, stopping in front of Kagome.

            "Where's the dog?" Kouga asked Kagome.

            She furrowed her brow. "He's gone right now. But I needed to talk to you, Kouga-"

            "We've found him," the wolf interrupted uncharacteristically. "He's got no right to be gone when we've found him."

            "Good," Kagome said, and her voice held a strange tonality to it that neither had ever heard in it before. "It saves me the trouble of looking for him. I doubt he wanted me to go to him, but it will be a good change to do the surprising."

            Kouga's eyes widened, and he put his hands on her shoulders. "You're not going, Kagome," he said in an almost panicked voice. "You have to stay here-"

            She shook her head again. "I am. I have to. And Inuyasha isn't coming."

            "You've got something planned?" Sango asked sharply.

The girl shrugged. "Not as such, no. But I have enough of an idea. I need a clear shot – and I can't get that with Inuyasha trying to keep me out of the way."

The demon hunter's eyes narrowed. "It's more than that, isn't it? What do you have in mind? Why can't we be there?"

But Kagome turned from her, back to the wolf demon. "Please, Kouga, I need you to take me."

He seemed torn. "I'm not going to risk you, Kagome," he told her with a frown.

Her face turned pleading. "I can kill him, I know it! I just need your help!"

            She could tell he was wavering. Kouga wanted him dead almost as much as she did.

            Sango put a hand on her shoulder roughly. "What are you going to do?" the woman demanded, a note of panic in her voice. "Kagome!"

            But Kouga had picked her up, and Kagome shook off her friend's hand.

            "I'm sorry, Sango," she said quietly – and the taijiya recoiled in surprise as the wolf took off, dust left in his wake.

            Kirara brushed against her leg with a concerned mew, and the woman took a choked breath. The cloud of dust disappeared into the distance, the taijiya watching with disbelieving eyes.

            "No," she said. And she looked down at the cat at her feet. "Come on, Kirara. We're following them-"

            Sango let out a squeak as a blur of red moved beneath her, pulling her onto its back. "No. We're following them," Inuyasha said. A muttered "hold on tight" was her only warning before they, too, were running into the distance.

*

            Kagome looked over Kouga's shoulder, trying to read his expression. It was harder than she'd thought – it had no trace of emotion, only a look of concentration.

            The girl opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it. "I can't kill him alone," he said above the wind's roar. "I don't even know if I can distract him. But I'll try."

            Her heart constricted, and a strange ache bloomed in her chest as she realized that she could have loved him.

            "You… you can use these," she said, and she let go of his neck with one arm to grasp at the bottle of Shikon shards around her neck. After a moment of picking at the edge of the stopper with one hand, it came out – and went flying away behind her. Kagome dumped the shards into her hand, picking out the smallest one for herself and holding out the rest to the wolf as she wrapped her arm around his neck again.

            One arm let go of her leg momentarily, to take them – and Kouga put on a burst of speed as the two Shikon shards in his legs grew to six.

            Kagome let out a small gasp, and clutched tighter, not entirely expecting such a thing. But Kouga's grip on her legs tightened reassuringly.

            "So maybe we'll beat him," the wolf told her with a laugh, though they both knew it to be unlikely. Even so, he was grinning.

            "Yeah…" she said with a brilliant smile. "We will."

            Kouga never noticed the tears that streamed behind him in the rushing wind.

*

            …and it can all be over…

            The unfamiliar thought flitted through his mind as he struggled to his feet.

            Miroku looked down sharply – he hadn't been mistaken.

            A Shikon shard glowed dully in his hand.

            His expression hardened, even as Kirara ran through the door to rub against him. The firecat mewed emphatically, jerking her head toward the door.

            "We can go," he told her. "And you'll take me?"

            There was another mew from the cat and he smiled. "I hope Kaede will take care of Shippo," he muttered to himself as he made his way to the door, leaning heavily against the wall.

            "Kaede's not taking care of anyone," Shippo's voice said sourly from just in front of him, where Kirara had stopped. "Where is everyone going?"

            "Nowhere," the monk said, forcing an amused voice. "We're going to have a picnic."

            Shippo snorted. "I'm young, not stupid. And Kirara can hold two people." There was a burst of flame and the newly transformed firecat growled, unhappy at being referred to as a mode of transportation. "Sorry," the fox said quickly. "I meant you can take two people."

            The monk shook his head. "Look, this doesn't even have anything to do with you-"

            "Why? If everyone else is going to go into danger, I'm not getting left behind." Despite her earlier protests, Kirara now growled her assent, ducking her head so that Shippo could hop on.

            Miroku sighed. "I'm getting outvoted here. I guess there's no choice."

            …no choice…

            And he looked up, his dark eyes narrowed. "We need to leave."

*

            The single strand of hair wound easily around the wood, pulled taut almost to the point of breaking. His hand shook from the biting pain, but he was not yet so weak that he couldn't create a simple puppet.

            The pawns in his game were approaching, as planned. The endgame had been forced to an earlier time – but that was of little concern. Their weakest and most important piece had foolishly come to attack.

            His hand paused in its motions and his lips curled into a smirk as the puppet was finished. Naraku leaned against the wall to let his strength return, even as the light inside of him lashed out angrily.

            The board had been set in his favor from the beginning.

            "Attack the woman and the hanyou," he instructed the boy in front of him, tossing the puppet to him.

            A pause.

            "Yes, Naraku-sama."