Reborn, an InuYasha fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 11: Fiery Demise

-The next day-

"Unnh-" Sota groaned, opening his eyes and rubbing his head. "Where- am I?" He asked, not recognizing his surroundings.

"Oh, good. You're awake. Kagome was really worried." An unfamiliar voice answered. Sota looked around and saw a kind, beautiful face smiling down on him. The owner of the face was clad in a sky-blue kimono decorated with white puffy clouds and wearing a sash that both fit with the outfit and accentuated her pregnancy.

"A-are you an angel, miss?" Sota asked, still confused.

The beautiful young woman laughed. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I must be dead, and someone as beautiful as you could only be an angel." He explained, making the woman chuckle and turn just a bit pink at the compliment.

"You sound just like my husband." Sango laughed, for it was she. "He's always saying stuff like that. But you're not dead, young lad. We rescued you from Ukaran and brought you back here to Kaede-ba-chan's house. You've been unconscious for almost a full cycle." She told him- putting a cold, damp cloth on his head. "I thank you for the compliment, but I'm no angel. Just a regular demonslayer. My name is Sango."

Sota smiled and offered his hand, which Sango shook. "I'm pleased to meet you, Sango. My name is Sota Higurashi."

"I know. Kagome has told us about you before." The taijiya answered just as the young woman in question came through the reed door. She gasped as soon as she spotted her brother, then ran over and knelt at his side. "Sota! You're awake!" She cried, hugging him tightly.

Sota winced. "Not so loud, Nee-san. I have a killer headache."

The miko looked horrified. "Sorry!" She whispered. "Would you like some tea? It's the closest thing we've got to aspirin here." She offered, and the boy nodded gratefully. Sango, meanwhile, had turned her attention to her other 'patient'- who was still incapacitated.

"How is he, Sango?" Kagome asked, concerned for her Onii-sama.

The pregnant taijiya frowned. "Better than he was yesterday, but still unconscious. I'm getting worried." She answered, worry lines wrinkling her forehead.

"He'll wake up when he's ready, Sango. Don't stress yourself." Kagome comforted, busying herself with the tea.

"You're right, Kagome. Worrying too much will just give one premature wrinkles." She joked- though her chocolate-brown eyes were still on Miroku, worried for him. Then she changed the subject. "On another note, where's Inuyasha?" Sango asked, and Kagome smiled proudly. "Would you believe that he actually volunteered- of his own free will- to go to my time and explain to Mom and Grandpa what happened to Sota?"

"Really? Inuyasha?!" The young woman asked, flabbergasted. "Our Inuyasha?"

"Yep." Kagome laughed. "I couldn't believe it either. At first I thought he was kidding and I joked back, 'Who are you and what've you done with my more self-centered boyfriend?' I expected him to come back with a snarky reply, but he got this super-serious look on his face and said, 'I don' wanna be that selfish guy anymore. I wanna be the guy who takes care of the people he loves. That includes the families of said people.' Then he jumped off toward the Bone-Eater's Well."

"Wow." The taijiya breathed, too stunned to say more than that. He really has grown up. He's finally learned how to be responsible.

Five hundred years into the future, the half-demon sneezed while on his way to the house from the Well. Hmph. Kagome's talkin' about me again. Guess I shouldn' be too surprised. I really shocked her speechless earlier. Heck, I shocked myself! An' especially 'cuz I actually meant it! Eh, must be 'cuz there's gonna be a new moon tonight.

But Inuyasha knew in his heart that that wasn't the real reason. He was just making excuses to deny his 'weak' human emotions. He knew he loved Kagome, and he knew he wanted to protect her. And that included her family.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Inuyasha rapped his knuckles on the wooden part of the screen door. But when no one answered, he just shrugged and let himself in. "Higurashi-kaa-san(1)? Jii-san? It's Inuyasha. I'm comin' in."

A red-faced, teary-eyed Mrs. Higurashi came around the corner. She quickly dried her eyes with her sleeve. "Oh, Inuyasha." She sniffled. "What- brings you here?"

The hanyou smiled encouragingly- trying his best not to say anything insensitive- because now was definitely not the time. "Ya don't hafta worry 'bout yer son, Higurashi-kaa-san. He's safe an' sound back with Kagome in ole Kaede's village. He's got a few cuts an' bruises from his little 'adventure', but he'll be fine. Kagome an' the others 're takin' good care of him, an' she'll bring him back home in a few days when he recovers." He assured, and before he knew it he was holding a sobbing mother in his arms.

"Oh, thank you, Inuyasha. Bless you!" She wailed, tears of relief and joy flowing freely from her eyes. "You don't know how worried we've been! Bless you! May Kami-sama bless you!"

Inuyasha patted her back awkwardly, thinking, Huh. I usually get people cursin' me, not blessing. Then again, this is the first time I've done somethin' like this. "Hey. Everythin's okay, so stop yer crying. Yer makin' a mess." He teased gently, patting her back again.

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "You're right. I'm sorry. Pull yourself together." She chided herself. She dried her eyes with her apron and smiled warmly at her daughter's boyfriend. "How is he doing? You said he has a few cuts and bruises. Are they serious?"

Inuyasha smiled. "Nah, jus' li'l bumps an' scrapes. He was still asleep when I left, but looked like he could wake up any time. With any luck, he'll be completely fine in a couple days. In the meantime, we can show him around. So he can see what we do in the Feudal Era every day. I know he's been wantin' to see what it's like. Now's the perfect chance."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "I know you'll keep him safe, between you and Kagome and your other friends. Just don't take too long. He still has school, you know." She laughed.

Inuyasha laughed too. "If Kagome can catch up after months of bein' with us, he certainly can after only a couple days." He joked. Kagome's mother smiled at that, then returned to relay the joyous news to her father-in-law as Inuyasha ran back to the Bone-Eater's Well to return to Feudal Japan.

As it happened, Sota Higurashi exceeded all expectations when it came to recovering from injuries. The next day he was up and about, fascinated by every little thing about daily life in the Feudal Era. He was ecstatic to meet all of Kagome's friends- except for Miroku, who was still unconscious and recovering in Kaede's hut. Inuyasha was proud to finally show off his various techniques- with and without the Tetsusaiga- as was Shippo, and the two youngsters spent hours playing with the kitsune's plethora of tools.

-A few days later-

And so, a few days passed, with the young lad from the future having the time of his life. At the end of the week, Kagome took him home to their own time, promising that she would bring him back soon- likely the next time they both had a break from school. Just as the two siblings jumped through the Well, Miroku finally woke up and asked, "What did I miss?"

-A long time later-

In this manner, nearly four months passed for Inuyasha and his friends. Four quiet months of peace in which Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shippo and Kohaku worked on building a house for the growing family and Sango rested due to her pregnancy. She would often assist Kaede with harvesting various herbs and making poultices and cures for the villagers, given that she wasn't supposed to do anything too strenuous. Sesshomaru would return from time to time, bringing small gifts for Rin- most often a new kimono.

But while the heroes were enjoying a time of peace, their enemies were plotting their revenge. Most notably Ukaran. She called back her remaining hordes that were scattered around the country, hissing in disappointment and disgust when she saw that only a quarter of her once-innumerable armies had survived.

"Very soon, my children." The Queen of Arachnids promised. "Our revenge is at hand. With each of my victims, I grow ever stronger. There will be no one to stop us this time." She cackled, proclaiming her imminent victory to the heavens.

With the progression into the winter months, everyone started attiring themselves to adjust to the colder weather. Kagome started wearing sweaters and jeans instead of her school uniform, and Kirara started to get a thicker coat for winter. Even Shippo's tail looked fluffier.

Kagome was humming to herself as she sewed together some new winter clothes for Shippo and Kohaku as a surprise gift for Christmas, as it was coming up soon. She'd already brought a rather large jar of catnip from her Era for Kirara, and she would catch some fish and grill them closer to the holiday- as she knew it was one of the cat's favorite treats.

Hmm. What should I get for Inuyasha? She wondered. And Miroku? I wanna get them something useful, but what? They're both pretty self-sufficient, not really using many things. I could re-bind the handle of Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga. It's looking pretty scraggly. Suddenly, an idea came to her. Of course! That would be the perfect gift! She snapped her fingers. And I could get one for all of us! Now if only Mom would let me borrow her camera- As soon as she was done sewing the clothes together and wrapping them up nicely in packages that she'd brought, Kagome snuck off to the Bone-Eater's Well to ask her mother for the portable camera and a few other things she needed to get.

-An hour later-

"Hey, where'd Kagome go?" Inuyasha asked, coming back to Kaede's hut for dinner. Miroku shrugged, but Sango answered, "She said something about going back to her time to get a few things. She said she wouldn't be long, and to tell you not to worry. She knows you quite well, huh?" She asked, a teasing grin on her face.

"I guess." The hanyou growled, trying very hard not to show his embarrassment.

At that moment, the young woman in question poked her head in the reed door. "Hey, everyone! I'm back!" She greeted cheerfully, and was rewarded with six welcoming smiles from the group of her dearest friends and pseudo-family members. After a delicious dinner, Kagome asked all of her friends to come outside for something she called a 'group photo'. Everyone followed her out into the evening air, though they were confused. When Kohaku asked her what this was for, the miko winked at him. "It's a surprise." She answered cryptically.

Eventually she got everyone standing in the right places and set up her mom's camera on a tripod that had belonged to her father. Miroku stood with Sango on his right, his hand on her shoulder. The taijiya had one hand cradling her womb and her left on her brother's shoulder, who was standing in front of Miroku. Inuyasha was on Miroku's left, the Tetsusaiga over his right shoulder and pointing backward. Kaede was in front of him, her hands folded behind her back. Rin stood just between Kaede and Kohaku and behind Shippo and Kirara. These two were in the front- as they were the smallest of the group. Kagome would stand beside Inuyasha when she was done setting up the camera.

"I'm gonna need everyone to smile- even you, Inuyasha." Kagome instructed, teasing her boyfriend just a little bit. "There will be a small blinking light when the camera's about to take the picture, and that's when I'll run over to stand by you, Inuyasha. The flash will go off and it will take the photo. Then we can move on to individual and couples pictures." She explained, and most of the group nodded in understanding.

"Ya sure it's not gonna blow up?" Inuyasha asked, remembering a similar 'disaster' in a photo booth once in the Modern Era. Kagome giggled, remembering the same event. [See Movie 2.] "I'm positive. It won't hurt in the slightest." She pushed a button on the device and a small orange light began blinking just as she had said. Everyone put on their best smiles and looked at the device, and Inuyasha put his hand on Kagome's shoulder when she reached him. The camera flashed, immortalizing the moment forever. The group then dispersed, and the friends took pictures of each other and the various smaller groups.

Just as Kagome finished the last one- a picture of Miroku and Sango- a familiar demon lord descended from the sky, though this time without the two-headed dragon A-Un. He landed beside Rin- Jaken on his other side- and Kagome quickly snapped a picture when all three subjects looked at the camera for an instant.

Sesshomaru glared at the human girl, and she smiled sheepishly. The demon lord growled, "I know not what that weapon of yours does, but such a weak thing cannot harm me. You made a grave error choosing me as your target." He put a clawed hand on the hilt of his blade, but stopped when Rin held him back.

"It's not a weapon, Sesshomaru-sama!" She cried. "It just paints a picture really quickly. Miss Kagome wasn't trying to harm anyone!" She explained, honestly afraid for her human friend. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, but he released Bakusaiga's hilt and nodded. He wordlessly handed a small package to the child, then flew off- Jaken barely grabbing the tail of the Mokomoko as they left.

"Another gift?" Kaede asked, raising an eyebrow. She would never understand demons like Sesshomaru or half-demons like Inuyasha. And apparently their father had been fond of humans as well.

-The next evening-

"Meri Kurisumasu, everyone!" Kagome greeted her companions, who answered back with the same. Everyone was convened in Miroku and Sango's unfinished house- resting after working on it all day. "Well, technically it's only Christmas Eve, but still." She shrugged, handing some of the packages she was carrying to their respective recipients. "I've got a little something for everyone."

Everyone smiled, and Shippo put in, "Thanks, Kagome! But- we don't have anything for you." He looked embarrassed. The miko laughed. "That's all right, Shippo. Just call this first Christmas a 'thank-you' gift from me, for being the best friends and second family a girl could ask for. You can get me something next year." She smiled, and everyone began opening their presents, the smallest packages first.

"Oh wow! These are beautiful, Kagome!" Sango exclaimed, holding up a small gold locket- one of a set of seven. "Both sides have a picture in it from the photos we took yesterday. Pictures of the people we hold close to our hearts." The miko explained, and everyone opened the lockets to find tiny pictures of their loved ones inside.

"Hey, how come I didn' get one?" Inuyasha asked, disappointed.

"You already have one, remember? I gave it to you before all that business with Princess Kaguya and her strange mirror." [InuYasha Movie 2: Through the Looking Glass] Kagome answered, and Inuyasha suddenly remembered, pulling the small accessory out of his pocket and putting it around his neck. "Oh yeah." He answered quietly, holding the locket gently and looking at it fondly.

After everyone had donned their respective lockets, they each opened their second presents. Kohaku and Shippo beamed at their thoughtful friend from the future when they received their new winter clothes; Kaede put her new warming pad to use right away, as her shoulder had been bothering her for the past few days; Miroku and Sango admired their new wristwatches- after Kagome explained how they worked- and Inuyasha gained an impressed look on his face when he noticed Kagome's handiwork on Tetsusaiga's new hilt. Kirara didn't say anything, but Kagome could tell that the neko-manta was extremely pleased with her presents, as she was attacking one of the grilled fish with enthusiasm and purring loudly.

-Hours later-

Midnight found the group sound asleep in the unfinished house. Kaede, Rin and Kohaku had returned to the village, as their beds were elsewhere. The remains of a fire in the pit smoldered gently, and everyone was curled up close to it and each other to keep warm. Four walls and a ceiling protected them from the elements, but that was about the extent of their progress. So deep was their sleep that not even Inuyasha- with his keen sense of hearing- noticed the nearly silent skittering of Ukaran and her hordes until it was too late. The demon spider hung her stinger over a sleeping Miroku and suddenly jabbed it into the center of his chest. The monk cried out in shock and pain, too stunned to fight as Ukaran bound him in her giant web in seconds. Inuyasha woke immediately and tried to help his friend, but he too was stabbed with Ukaran's giant stinger. Kagome and Sango- though they put up a good fight- were easily dispatched with blows to the head from Ukaran's mighty legs. Shippo and Kirara fought too, but soon were cocooned in the Queen Arachnid's venomous silk.

-Commercial break. XD-

It was a hopeless situation. Both Inuyasha and Kagome were incapacitated- infected by Ukaran's venom and unconscious from a blow to the head, respectively. Sango was also collapsed on the floor of the half-finished dwelling, inert but still breathing. Kirara and Shippo were also down, the neko-youkai immobilized by Ukaran's silk, the bonds as strong as tempered steel. Shippo was similarly bound- though he at least had managed to stay above the waves of unconsciousness- unsuccessfully attempting to chew himself free of the webbing that bound him.

But there was one of the company whose plight surpassed that of all the friends combined. Between two of the rafters hung an enormous web- its strands like steel beams- holding fast Ukaran's helpless victim as he thrashed and gasped in agony, the venom slowly burning through his body from the entry wound in the middle of his torso. As the venom coursed through his bloodstream, Miroku could almost feel the changes taking place as he slowly transformed from human to a random race of demon. He cried out as the pain grew to an unbearable level, his eyes switching colors as he fought the venom- changing from dark blue irises to completely red and back again- swapping as the two opposing types of genes gained dominance in his body. [Just like Sesshomaru's or Inuyasha's eyes occasionally change colors in the series.]

"Miroku! Hang on! Please, hang in there!" Shippo cried as he could only watch his friend in horror as the young man struggled and fought against the venom slowly overtaking his body- demon markings appearing on his face and brow as the demon gained dominance- but fading again as Miroku gained control once more. His cries switched between those of an injured human and the snarls of a wounded demon, sounding almost feral in their tone. Above them all, Ukaran was gloating- her red eyes glowing maniacally as she watched her helpless victims struggle against her venom- smiling smugly as she savored her victory.

"Inuyasha!" The young kitsune cried as he fought to free himself. "Inuyasha, snap out of it! Use your Tetsusaiga!" His cries fell on deaf ears, though, as his hanyou friend was too far gone in his shock that he couldn't hear the young fox demon's words- much less act on them. The half-demon was immobilized next to Kagome, who stared with blank brown eyes at the back wall as she lay on her stomach. Inuyasha had his hand on her shoulder, but- because of the paralyzing venom- couldn't move a muscle in his limbs. The only action available to him was speech, and one whispered word repeated every five seconds- sounding like a broken record. "Kagome- Kagome-" Every word was punctuated with a broken sob, though no tears fell from the half-demon's eyes.

"I-Inu-yash-sha-" Miroku gasped, breaking free of the venom's influence for a moment, causing the kitsune to look up at him in shock. "Shi-shikkari shite-!(1)" He managed to choke out before the demon took over again, causing him to throw his head back in a mixture of a vicious snarl and a human cry of pain.

"Miroku-" Shippo gasped, turning to look at his friend again. He doesn't have much time left. I can see he's losing this battle. I gotta get free, before he completely transforms! At this thought, he redoubled his efforts to bite through the webs that bound him. High above the group, Ukaran cackled gleefully.

"You pitiful, insignificant fools!" The arachnid youkai laughed. "Did you really think you could defeat me? Me, the mistress of all evil, and the mate of the most powerful demon ever to exist? You shall all feel the sting of my venom- even you, little fox-child!" She crowed, grinning broadly at Shippo- who was shaking slightly. But what Ukaran thought was fear was actually resolve. Shippo had managed to free one of his hands from his half-finished cocoon-prison, and was now digging in his pockets for the only thing that could save them now: his Fox Magic. He threw the toy rattlesnake at Ukaran- praying that it would distract her- then threw his toy horse and wailing mushrooms as hard as he could toward Kaede's village.

The distraction worked as well as Shippo had hoped it would, but he was rewarded for his brave deed with multiple deep gashes in his arms and legs and across his face- leaving a bloody mess all over his clothes and on the half-finished wood floor of the house that Sango and Miroku had been working for weeks to build. Shippo bravely endured the wounds and lacerations as they tore at his small body, not even daring to risk a peek outside where he had thrown their cry for help. I only hope I haven't acted too late- Shippo thought as he remembered the events in the ruins of Tenshi no Toshi, so long ago now.

-Flashback-

"What do we do, Kohaku? How do we get out of here?" Shippo cried as the army of demon-spiders closed in on them from all sides, effectively blocking any and all escape routes. Soon the two boys and cat demon found themselves backed up against the broken stone wall.

Shippo was shaking so badly that his Fox Magic tools were clattering around in his shirt, but Kirara and Kohaku stood firm, bold and strong in the face of danger and almost certain death. There was no fear in the young demonslayer's eyes, only grim determination as he surveyed the hordes of demon-spiders that surrounded them- clicking their pincers and hissing menacingly.

Kohaku surveyed the plethora of adversaries with a hard gaze, trying to ascertain any weaknesses that the youkai might have. He looked at Shippo to his left and Kirara to his right, desperately attempting to formulate a winning strategy. Suddenly an idea came to him, and the corners of the boy's mouth bent upward in a smug grin. He knew how to beat them now. "Pst, Shippo." The boy whispered, catching the attention of his quaking kitsune friend.

"What?"

"Look at Kirara's legs. See how those spiders are giving her a wide berth? Well, that's how we'll beat them. Their weakness is-"

"Fox Fire!" Shippo cried, snapping himself back to the present as turquoise flames erupted all around the group of friends, incinerating the webs that bound them and shielding them from the true flames that suddenly were consuming the half-finished house they were trapped in. The townsfolk had arrived, led by Kaede and Kohaku. Ukaran shrieked and spat venom at the tongues of flame all around her, but her venom only served as fuel for the fire.

"Kill the spider-demons!" "Fire is their only weakness!" "Burn them to ashes!" came the cries of the villagers, and Shippo grinned. Something tells me they got the message. Nice work, Kohaku.

"You have not seen the last of me!" Ukaran screeched as her hordes were fried by the holocaust. "Mark well my words, Ukaran shall have vengeance! For myself and my fated mate, Naraku!" The Queen of Arachnids tried to scuttle away, but- due to all the lives she'd claimed- she was now too big to escape the raging inferno. "Curse you, humans! Curse you, fox-child! AAAAAHHH!" She cried as a blazing rafter snapped under her weight and she fell to the ground- both jagged ends of the beam piercing her grotesquely enlarged abdomen. Then her corpse was engulfed in flames.

Shippo grimaced in disgust, shuddered once at the sickening sight, then turned around to maintain the fire-shield around his friends. Inuyasha had lost consciousness from the venom, and Sango and Kagome were still out too. Kirara had somehow bitten herself free and was now dragging an unconscious Miroku into the barrier by the back of the neck of his robes. Well, what was left of them, anyway.

"Kirara! What are you doing? He's been infected by Ukaran's venom! He'll turn into a demon and kill us all! Don't bring him in here!" Shippo cried in alarm, adding softly and sadly, "It's too late for him."

The large neko-youkai ignored her fellow demon's words, stubbornly refusing to let her friend die- emergent demon or not. Once he was completely inside the safe area, Kirara transformed back into her kitten form and nuzzled her small nose against Miroku's cheek, licking his forehead with her small tongue- the feline version of a kiss. She then looked at Shippo with mournful red eyes, and Shippo sighed. "You're right, Kirara. He's our friend. We can't let him die, he needs our help." Still maintaining the field around himself and his unconscious friends, the kitsune carefully stepped over to where his friend lay and studied his face closely.

He's got markings like Sesshomaru now. The fox kit thought as he looked at Miroku. A horizontal red mark under each eye and a small blue moon in the middle of his forehead. But these are faded somehow. Does that mean that Miroku is in control, and not the demon? Shippo cupped his chin at this, bowing his head in consideration. With Sesshomaru, the red markings almost look like wounds, fresh and bleeding blood-red. But these- Shippo bent to Miroku's face again, to study the marks more closely. They look like they've been healing for weeks. More like an old scar. Kinda rose-colored. [I have a drawing of this up on DeviantArt. It's 'Miroku as a Tenshioni'. Look it up if you want to.]

"Shippo! Where are you, buddy?" A familiar voice called, and the kitsune was jolted out of his musings. It was Kohaku. "Over here! We're all over here!" He called back.

By this time, the fire had burned itself out- having nothing more to feed on. Shippo tentatively let down his fire shield, and everyone rushed over to the group- most of whom were unconscious. Without warning, Kirara changed back into her battle form and took off into the air- an unconscious Miroku on her back. Shippo was confused for a moment, but then shrugged. It's probably a good idea to keep him out of the public eye. We don't want anyone seeing him like this. Who knows what they would do.

Elsewhere, Kaede was barking orders at the other villagers. "Take them to my hut, and- by the spirits- be careful with the demonslayer! That baby could come any day now. I do hope the child will be unharmed by all of this." The last she muttered to herself, but Shippo heard it with his keen fox ears. Me too, Kaede-baba. Me too.

Kirara flew over the burned Forest of InuYasha to the Bone-Eater's Well, gently depositing her passenger on the ground and setting him so that he leaned with his back against one side of the structure. As she tried her best to put him in a position that was comfortable for humans, she noticed that something about her friend was wrong. Rather, she sensed that something that should be present was not. Cocking her head in confusion, Kirara put one ear to the monk's chest and listened.

And waited.

And listened.

There was no sound at all.

Miroku's heart had stopped.

End of chapter (episode) 11

Next chapter teaser: Miracles and Surprises

I should draw a picture of the 'group photo' that Kagome took of everybody, but I have no idea when I'll get around to it. I'll probably post it on DeviantArt.

Those wristwatches that Kagome got for Sango and Miroku are special. In addition to being waterproof to 200 feet, they also have a solar-powered battery, so they'll stay charged for a long time. Kagome's so thoughtful!

Aww, Kirara's so cute! Y'know, I don't think we ever heard her purring in the show. Huh.

Yay! Ukaran is FINALLY dead! This is actually the battle scene that came to me in a dream, where the whole idea started. [except for the flashback]

Don't worry. We'll see Miroku again. Although it probably won't be where you expect. * grins knowingly *

Speaking of our favorite houshi-sama, I wonder what demon he turned into? He's got markings like Sesshomaru, but we have enough dog demons running around. Ooo, mystery!

Translations:

Shikkari shite - Pull yourself together, hang in there, snap out of it, something like that. I probably spelled it wrong, didn't I? Sorry. Japanese isn't my first language.

Ja ne, minna-san!

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm