AN: Yeah, so this was written before it was revealed that the Tenseiga could only resurrect a person once. Just... FYI.
.:All of My Tomorrows:.
chapter twenty-one : end of yesterday
The sun was beginning to set. The last few rays of a tired sun were just appearing over the horizon, bathing the earth and clouds in a warm, golden glow. The light gave an illusion of peace to the blissfully unaware, but to Sesshoumaru, the disappearing sun simply meant that darkness would soon be upon them.
He was glad for that.
Somehow, he knew that before the sun dipped below the horizon their struggle against Magatsuhi would be a thing of the past. Kagome was destroying him from the inside out and Sesshoumaru was working on the outside in.
It was an unusual, yet effective strategy. Both working together, but neither aware of how much their actions aided the other. Sesshoumaru could see it now. He could see how his clashes with Magatsuhi allowed Kagome the time she needed to do what she had to do. Sesshoumaru could see how her effort to weaken him was what allowed him to nearly cut Magatsuhi in half and weaken his stamina.
Magatsuhi would soon be dead.
Breathing in the detestable gas of Magatsuhi's miasma was starting to make Sesshoumaru's muscles and bones ache terribly. It was not often that he fell victim to poison and the sensation was as disturbing as it was foreign. His hands tightened their hold on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga as he kept a keen eye locked on Magatsuhi. His cue was coming, the final blow was only seconds away and Sesshoumaru felt himself salivate with anticipation.
Her hands were starting to burn, but Kagome ignored the pain as she focused on Magatsuhi. The energy of the Shikon no Tama flowed over and through her, creating eddies of light as the jewel continued to be broken down into its most basic form.
All around her were the reflections of the souls the Shikon no Tama had touched. Some stood and stared at her with eyes that seemed to comprehend what was happening while others walked about aimlessly, confusion shining in their eyes. She dared not look upon any of them. She had felt their pain pass through her as she unraveled the jewel and had felt her heart break for each; friend and foe alike. Temptation beckoned her to look, but she resisted it with all of her heart. To look at any one of them would most certainly distract her from her task.
For this reason, she resisted looking at Sesshoumaru as well. She trusted him implicitly and she worried for his safety more than she worried for her own. To look at him would distract her as well and she was too close to purifying the center of the Shikon no Tama to stop now.
Her eyes locked with Magatsuhi and she saw his lip pull back from his teeth in a snarl.
"You BITCH!"
Kagome closed her eyes and focused all of her being into that last remaining vacuum of darkness the instant Magatsuhi began to charge at her. She knew what she had to do. She had to use all of her self to purify the most evil and vile part of the Shikon no Tama, the part that sustained Magatsuhi. If she could nullify the core, Sesshoumaru will be able to destroy him once and for all and the cycle that began with the Shikon no Tama's birth would end with its destruction.
The world around her felt slow and tedious as her consciousness became centered on the black spot. She felt hundreds of years of pain, greed and lust surge through her the more she forced herself into that void. It resisted her, preferring the comfort of dark nothingness to the light of purification. With a stubborn jolt, Kagome poured her self into that void, praying that her heart would be able to fill it.
Then without warning, it stopped trying to resist her and started to pull her in.
• • •
The youkai lord leapt forward the instant Magatsuhi moved toward Kagome. The Tetsusaiga hummed loudly as Sesshoumaru moved, his speed bringing him just inches from his prey.
The stench of Magatsuhi's youki was all around him, clashing and swirling with his own and mixing with the scent of miasma. The chaos of the clashing scents blinded his olfactory nerves and forced him to rely on sound alone. He waited for the thudding of Magatsuhi's heartbeat to direct him to the path the sword should take when the fog of miasma thickened around him.
His nose and eyes burned from the toxicity and his concentration was shortly broken. Sesshoumaru blinked several times, trying to clear his vision when he saw Magatsuhi launch himself at Kagome. Tendrils of miasma and parts of Magatsuhi's own flesh and innards rocketed towards her forming grotesque spikes and lances. The projectiles were accurate in their aim but most were deflected by the Tenseiga. Still, Magatsuhi did not give up as he continued in his attempt to destroy her with him.
Sesshoumaru could no longer keep his eyes open from the burning of the miasma and his sense of smell was still of no use, but he could clearly hear the strangely erratic rhythms of Magatsuhi's heart. It beat wildly in his chest, sometimes skipping several beats only to make up for those missed contractions by thumping furiously seconds later.
Then Sesshoumaru heard the low sound of Magatsuhi's throaty growl and a picture formed in his mind. From heart to head, he would cut him and sever the beast in half from the torso up. Sesshoumaru struck and was rewarded with the feel of flesh being torn by his blade. The sounds immediately stopped and Sesshoumaru heard the wet thud of a wounded body hitting the earth. Forcing his eyes open, he saw the body of Magatsuhi in two pieces and felt a spark of satisfaction come to life inside of him.
The forest grew quiet as the sun dipped ever lower into the horizon. The whirling of the Tenseiga as it rotated around Kagome several feet away was the only sound to be heard. Sesshoumaru focused on Kagome and the remains of the jewel between her palms as he tried to blink away the sting from the miasma. Beads of sweat lined her brow and her face shone with concentration. The bloodstains on her kimono were much larger than they were before and Sesshoumaru knew that she was still bleeding. He sniffed the air out of habit, momentarily forgetting the overwhelming stench of miasma instead and nearly vomited from the putrid scent as a result.
He resisted the urge to approach her. The fact that she was still concentrating on the Shikon no Tama was all Sesshoumaru needed to keep a close eye on Magatsuhi's corpse. He knew the two were linked. Sesshoumaru half expected the Shikon no Tama to be gone by now, but it stubbornly remained. It was much smaller than before and still dark in color. The light coming from Kagome surrounded it and appeared to be trying to choke it out of existence. The youkai lord glanced down at Magatsuhi and back at Kagome again, wondering if there was something else he should do.
Magatsuhi was in two pieces. Sesshoumaru sliced him from his chest up to his right ear. There was no movement coming from the corpse, no indication whatsoever that it was still alive. He poked at it once just to be certain, stabbing at Magatsuhi's face and creating another mortal wound.
It was dead. What else was he supposed to do to the thing?
Kagome's face twitched slightly and the light surrounding the jewel core blinked, causing Sesshoumaru's muscles to grow tense. He waited, his eyes watching the remains of the jewel intently. The light grew dim for a split second and Kagome fought back, causing the light coming from her hands to grow increasingly brighter until Sesshoumaru was forced to squint.
Then a fumbling beat caught Sesshoumaru's ear and he looked down at his prey in alarm. Small tendrils of miasma were trying to pull Magatsuhi back together. Worse, his heart had started beating again.
Magatsuhi was trying to heal himself.
'Stubborn bastard.'
Aggravation coursed through his veins, unconsciously causing poison to ooze freely from his hands. He didn't even notice the poison drip from his hands as he pointed the blade downward and let it hover just above Magatsuhi's reviving heart. He concentrated on his desire to destroy Magatsuhi once and for all and felt the sword begin to pulse in response to his will.
It was then that he noticed the green fluid gathered around the hilt of the sword and slowly flowing down the blade. He watched in curiosity as it dripped from the tip of the blade and into Magatsuhi's exposed chest cavity, then smiled when he heard the sound of his poison sizzling upon contact.
The beast was finally injured enough that Sesshoumaru's poison could dissolve him. Satisfied that the blade was thoroughly coated, Sesshoumaru stabbed the Tetsusaiga into Magatsuhi's chest, piecing his heart and dissolving his flesh.
Magatsuhi made a pained sound like a dying animal as his limbs started to convulse, splashing miasma on the youkai lord's face and chest. Sesshoumaru growled low in his throat and let the poison flow more freely from his hands, his ears perking as the sounds Magatsuhi made became more desperate and pathetic. Soon Sesshoumaru's grimace gave way to a slight smile as Magatsuhi's entire rib cage was dissolved and the sounds of agony faded into a whimper.
Then there was no sound at all. Only the unearthly glow coming from the girl remained.
Sesshoumaru took a deep, cleansing breath and allowed his aching muscles to finally relax. The rest was up to her and it seemed that she was almost done.
With a sudden jolt, the Tenseiga embedded into the ground at his feet and the glow that had surrounded her began to fade. Sesshoumaru realized immediately that she was beginning to fall and he moved forward to catch her, dropping the sword in the process. He caught her clumsily. Legs weak and tired from battle, he nearly fell but managed to correct his balence just in time.
Cradleing her prone form to his chest and kneeled to the ground to better assess her injuries. The air was much too thick with the stench of miasma but he was still able to detect her blood scent when he lowered his face to her flesh. He lifted her arms, turned her on her side and pulled back part of her kimono in order to locate all of her injuries, none of which appeared to be serious. Pushing her hair out of her face and cupping her cheek in his hands, he whispered her name.
He frowned at her unresponsiveness and repeated her name once more, this time with more forcefulness in his voice. Again, she did not respond and Sesshoumaru felt a distint sense of worry.
Hadn't she always said, 'If I survive?' Was she dying? There was no physical reason for her to be unconscious. Her wounds were minor and her blood loss fairly minimal, yet she remained unresponsive.
The Tenseiga lay beside Kagome and Sesshoumaru reached for it, intent on using it to revive her as he did when Magatsuhi poisoned her. He gently laid her down on the ground and stood over her, concentrating on his desire to heal her. Because she was still alive, there were no tsukai to destroy. He simply wanted the Tenseiga to restore her as it did once before. He made one quick swipe with the sword and slashed her. He expected to see the energy of its healing power emanate from her wounds and her eyes to flutter open as consciousness returned to her. He waited and saw no sign of the Tenseiga's effectiveness upon her, and so he slashed her again.
And again.
There was no miraculous healing, no sudden arousal to consciousness. She continued to lie on the ground exactly where he had left her, unmoving and deathly quiet. Her chest rose and fell with every breath, but there was no other sign of life coming from her other than her shallow breathing. Her scent didn't even whisper of death and he cursed the sword for its inability to heal her.
Frustrated, Sesshoumaru sheathed the Tenseiga and searched the area for the Tetsusaiga's scabbard. When both swords were secured to his hip, he gathered Kagome into his arms and began to make his way out of the forest, only to pause when he caught the scent of Jaken's corpse in the shifting breeze.
Altering his course, Sesshoumaru stood over Jaken and frowned as he stared at the gaping hole in the side of his neck. Hoisting Kagome up and over his shoulder, he unsheathed the Tenseiga and let his eyes wander over the blade.
Perhaps it was the sword.
Sesshoumaru concentrated on what he wanted to do and felt the sword respond, something it had not done when he tried to revive Kagome. Then he saw a single tsukai lingering near the corpse. With a sudden swipe, he severed the tsukai in half and observed the familiar glow of the blade as Jaken's body began to heal.
A sense of foreboding weighed down on Sesshoumaru as he sheathed the sword and cradled Kagome more comfortably in his arms. Tenseiga was as powerful as it had always been. Kagome herself resisted its healing.