Trigger warning: violence
Early update! Since this story is done, I didn't want to keep you guys waiting. Chapter 34 will be up on Wednesday and Chapter 35 will be up on Friday, so this story will be finished that day instead of Saturday, which was the original plan.
Also some exciting news…
Ukiyo: The Baker's Tale has been nominated in the category Best Angst for Feudal Connection's 2021 First Quarterly Fandom Awards! Gah!
And also…
My story, The Captain and the Hanyo, has been nominated for Best Action! Woot!
If the person who nominated me is reading this, thank you!
Alright, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 33: The Confrontation
"It's up there," Sango said, pointing ahead of her.
Inuyasha leaned forward, looking through the space between Miroku and Sango, and saw some buildings up ahead. They were all rather dilapidated and had obviously been abandoned for quite some time.
"Wow," Miroku breathed. "This is...not what I was expecting."
"It's pretty bad," Sango agreed. "I didn't even think it would look like this."
Before Inuyasha could add on, his entire body jolted.
"I sense Kagome," he said urgently. "And Naraku, too. Straight ahead."
Sango nodded. "They're probably at her old house. That's my guess."
A faint scent punched Inuyasha's senses.
"I smell blood," he said. "Hurry, Sango."
Sango sped up, driving through the small community, only slowing down when they reached the ruins of a large building.
"This is her old house," Sango said as she put the car in park.
"I see someone there!" Miroku said urgently. Inuyasha flung the door open and got out, running toward the figure kneeling in front of the house.
That's Naraku, he realized as he ran, but where's Kagome?
Then he looked at the ground at Naraku's feet.
"Kagome!" he shouted.
She was curled up on the ground, and the closer Inuyasha got to her, the more he smelled her blood.
Naraku looked up toward them from where he knelt next to Kagome with a knife in one hand and his other clenched in a fist.
Inuyasha charged right toward Naraku and tackled him to the ground, landing a few punches to his face before shoving him away and going back to Kagome.
He fell to his knees next to her, gently rolling her onto her back.
A gasp tore from his throat when he saw her stomach.
She had obviously been torn by the knife to the point that her stomach looked carved.
"Kagome," Inuyasha said, reached up to touch her cheek. "Can you hear me?"
Her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow, but she was still alive.
Inuyasha pulled off his jacket and pressed it on her stomach, trying to stop the bleeding.
"What did you do to her?" he yelled at Naraku.
Naraku sat up, his eyes wild, and raked his hands through his hair.
"It's not there," he mumbled. "Where is it? How is it not there? Where is it?"
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Where is what?"
"The jewel was supposed to be inside of her!" Naraku shouted. "Why is it not there?"
Inuyasha had no idea what he was talking about, but before he could demand answers, a shout rang through the air.
"Hiraikotsu!"
Inuyasha's eyes widened when a massive boomerang soared through the air, hitting Naraku head-on and knocking him back.
Inuyasha watched as the boomerang returned in the direction from which it came, only to see Sango catch it as she and Miroku ran over to Inuyasha and Kagome.
"What was that thing?" Inuyasha asked.
"It's the weapon I trained with as a teenager," Sango said when she reached them. Her eyes dropped onto Kagome. "Kagome! What happened to her?"
"Naraku stabbed her," Inuyasha said. "She's alive, though. Do you think that boomerang thing killed him?"
Sango shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm not used to my weapon's weight anymore so I can't throw it as well as I used to." Sango knelt down next to Kagome and moved Inuyasha's jacket out of the way.
She gasped when she saw the wound. "What was he trying to do to her?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know. There's something weird going on. He said there was supposed to be a jewel inside of her but that it's not there. He was freaking out about it when you hit him."
Sango paused. "Are you sure he said a jewel?" Inuyasha looked up at her.
"Yeah," he confirmed. "Why? Do you know what it might be?"
Sango didn't answer for a moment. "I'm not sure. We learned about something in school when we were little that sounds like that, but it's been gone for almost a thousand years."
Inuyasha frowned. "So why-"
"You worthless girl!" Naraku shouted from where he was limping toward them. "I should've killed you along with your horrible father!"
Sango grabbed her Hiraikotsu and went to throw it, but Miroku tackled Naraku to the ground before she could.
"Be careful!" Sango called.
"I will!" Miroku called back. "Just take care of Kagome!"
Inuyasha looked down at Kagome, whose face was a ghostly pale, and tried to rouse her.
"Kagome, wake up," he begged. "Can you hear me? It's Inuyasha. I'm here."
No response.
Inuyasha bit his lip and exchanged a glance with Sango, who was still trying to do what she could to stop the bleeding on Kagome's stomach.
"Shi...kon."
Inuyasha looked back down at Kagome, eyes wide, and reached out to cup her cheek.
"Kagome!" he said as her eyes slowly opened.
"Sango," she croaked. "Shikon no Tama."
"Shikon?" Inuyasha repeated. "Like the festival?"
"Yeah, but I don't think it's got anything to do with the Shikon no Tama," Sango replied.
Inuyasha nodded. "So now what do we do?"
Sango turned her attention back to Kagome.
"That's what I thought it was when Inuyasha described it," she said to Kagome. "Why did Naraku think you had it?"
Kagome's face contorted in pain. "I'm...Midoriko's reincarnation. He thought the jewel was reborn in me, but...it wasn't. Help me up. I have an idea of what to do."
"Kagome, no," Inuyasha said, stopping her from trying to sit up. "You're too injured to move."
Kagome looked up at him. "I'll be okay. Just please help me."
Inuyasha and Sango both put an arm around Kagome to help her rise to standing. Her face twisted in pain the whole time as she clutched her stomach.
Miroku shouted, obviously in pain, so Sango made sure Inuyasha had Kagome before she grabbed her weapon and ran off to help Miroku.
Inuyasha kept his arm around Kagome, wishing that the first time he'd seen her after being apart could have been in a better situation.
"Why are you here?" Kagome murmured, looking up at Inuyasha. "Why did you all come? Naraku will kill you."
"Like hell I'm gonna let you face Naraku alone," Inuyasha said firmly. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Kagome took a deep breath and nodded before explaining what happened before Inuyasha had arrived.
"So what do we do?" Inuyasha asked when she finished explaining.
"I think I can purify him," Kagome replied. "My powers are a lot weaker than they used to be, but I think I can muster up a hit. I just need to get close enough. It'll turn him back into a human so he should be easier to fight and hopefully take down."
Inuyasha nodded. "Sango's weapon seems to have weakened him. Let's move in."
Kagome adjusted her grip around his shoulders as they walked toward where Sango was keeping Naraku away with the Hiraikotsu. Miroku was off to the side, lying on the ground and gripping his leg.
"Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted. "Are you okay?"
"I hurt my leg," he called back. "But don't worry about me! Focus on Naraku!" Inuyasha bit his lip, wanting to go help his best friend but knowing he couldn't until Naraku was taken care of.
I'm glad Sango doesn't share her father's hatred of youkai, he thought to himself as he watched her land yet another hit on Naraku. She would be a pretty scary opponent in battle.
"So he did all this for a jewel?" Inuyasha asked as they slowly moved forward.
Kagome nodded. "My ancestor destroyed it, but Naraku said it was reborn in me because I'm her reincarnation. The jewel isn't in me, though."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "So he did this to you for nothing."
Kagome gently tugged on him. "He was horrifically-abused as a child. That's where all of this is coming from. We just need to keep going. Once Sango lands another hit on Naraku, I need to be there to try and purify him. He wasn't expecting you all to be here and he's freaking out about the jewel, so I think he's a little out-of-sorts from it all."
Inuyasha nodded and helped Kagome move toward him.
"You can't touch me when I do it," Kagome instructed. "I could purify you, too, so when we reach him, just set me down."
Inuyasha grit his teeth, not wanting to be away from her but knowing she was right.
Sango had just landed another hit on Naraku, knocking him off his feet, when Inuyasha lifted Kagome up and ran toward him.
Kagome jumped out of his arms when they got close enough, clutching her stomach while reaching out her free hand.
Inuyasha's eyes widened when he saw a pink light begin to illuminate her hand.
Naraku shouted in protest when he saw the power, but Kagome moved too quickly.
Setting her hand on his chest, she shocked him with a blast of spiritual power that was so strong, a chill ran up Inuyasha's spine.
Naraku screamed as Kagome kept her hand on him, soon letting go of her stomach to add her other hand.
After a moment, Naraku stopped screaming, and Kagome removed her hands as the light faded.
Naraku didn't move; he lay motionless on the ground, groaning in pain. Kagome let go of him before she started falling backward.
Inuyasha rushed over and caught her before she could fall. She still had some lingering power coming from her, which shocked him a bit, but it didn't do any real damage.
Not like it had with Naraku.
Inuyasha looked down at Naraku, who was still unmoving, and saw that his eyes were wide.
The red color had faded into a soft brown, and he looked utterly defeated. Tears rained from his eyes, and Inuyasha could see the sympathy on Kagome's face.
"It's over, Naraku," Kagome said. "Now that you're human, we can-"
Naraku cut her off by grabbing her throat, choking her tightly as Kagome tried to gasp for air.
Inuyasha acted on instinct and slashed his claws at Naraku, slicing his arm clean off.
Kagome screamed as Naraku's blood poured on her and he howled in pain.
Inuyasha yanked the severed arm off of Kagome and threw it to the side, glaring at Naraku as if to dare him to try something stupid like that again.
But Naraku didn't. The hatred faded from his eyes, only to be replaced by something else.
Naraku looked...wretched.
Vanquished.
"I failed," he said nearly inaudibly. "After everything...all the pain...how could I have been wrong? How do you not have it?"
Kagome rubbed her throat, frowning at him, and Inuyasha could already see bruises starting to form on her skin. He growled at Naraku, ready to give him another taste of his claws when Kagome set a hand on Inuyasha's arm to stop him.
Naraku's eyes slid shut as his breathing became labored, no doubt from the blood loss of his severed arm combined with the hits he'd taken from Miroku and Sango. Now a human, it was unlikely that he would survive this fight.
"My revenge," he murmured. "All the pain I suffered...it was all for nothing. Onigumo...failed."
With that, he took a final breath before he went completely limp.
"He's dead," Inuyasha said quietly.
"I feel sorry for him," Kagome croaked as she continued to rub her bruised throat. "He suffered so much. I can only hope he found peace in death."
Sango ran over and dropped down next to Kagome. "What just happened? Are you alright?"
Kagome shook her head and drooped against Inuyasha, her eyes fluttering closed as she fell unconscious.
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Kagome!"
"We need to get her to a hospital," Sango said, pulling out her phone to call the paramedics. "With those wounds and all the spiritual power she just used, I don't know how much longer she has. I think Miroku's leg is broken, too, and I know I sprained my wrist throwing my Hiraikotsu, so we need to get to a hospital as quickly as possible."
As Sango called an ambulance, Inuyasha looked down at Kagome, his eyes filling with tears, as he worried that his biggest fear was going to happen.
Is Kagome going to...die?
O.o.O.o.O
Kagome tried to follow the sound of Inuyasha's voice, but she was so exhausted from her wounds as well as the intense use of her spiritual power that it was a futile effort.
Everything went dark for a moment until a light appeared.
Two women dressed in traditional miko garb approached her, smiling as they came into Kagome's view.
"Hello, Kagome."
There was something familiar about the one who spoke...something Kagome couldn't quite place for a moment.
"Are...are you Midoriko?" she asked.
Midoriko nodded. "I am, and this is Hitomiko."
Kagome's eyes widened. "You're Naraku's sister?"
The woman shook her head. "I was Onigumo's sister."
"I'm so sorry," Kagome murmured, bowing her head. "He suffered greatly. I feel like part of it was my fault."
"You have no need to feel that way," Midoriko said kindly. "He has found peace in death. Dying as a human...you gave that to him."
Kagome forced a smile despite her confusion at their presence. "I'm honored to meet you both, but...why are you here?"
"We have come to accompany you to eternal rest."
Eternal rest?
"Wait," Kagome said. "Am I...am I dead?"
Midoriko and Hitomiko donned grave expressions.
"Your injuries were great," Midoriko explained. "You purified Naraku, but it was at the cost of your life."
Kagome's eyes filled with tears. "But...what about Inuyasha? Is he okay?"
"He is uninjured," Midoriko replied. "I'm sorry you couldn't say goodbye."
"Oh," Kagome said, her voice shaky. "I didn't...I didn't think this would happen. I thought I was stronger than this."
"You are strong, Kagome," Hitomiko assured her. "You survived long enough to purify the youkai half of Naraku. In the end, he was able to die as Onigumo. That is thanks to you."
Kagome choked back a sob. "I see. Now what? Will I see my family?"
Midoriko nodded. "Yes. They're waiting for you."
But Inuyasha…
Kagome took a deep breath as tears began to fall from her cheeks. "I'm not ready to leave my life behind. It...it feels like it had just started. Inuyasha..."
Midoriko and Hitomiko exchanged a glance.
Kagome closed her eyes and waited for whatever was coming next, whatever Midoriko and Hitomiko would lead her to.
But that didn't stop the sheer agony she felt in her heart.
To be continued...
