The Crucible of Time
By Fujifunmum
Chapter 2"Kikyo," Inuyasha stated the obvious as he stood before her, blocking her way towards the campsite where his friends rested unaware of her presence.
"Give me the shards. Or come to hell with me now, Inuyasha. Vengeance will be mine either way."
"Tomorrow, Kikyo. I will give you the shards tomorrow. Kagome is sleeping, but tomorrow I will get them for you. Meet me at the site of Naraku's former castle. Sango is going there to pay her respects to her family. I will be able to steal the shards and give them to you while they are distracted by their grief."
"Why should I believe you? I would rather kill that sorry excuse for a Miko and take the shards now. Why should I wait?"
"I won't allow you to hurt Kagome." Inuyasha stood firm in his resolve, blocking the path of the resurrected Miko. He closed his eyes against the foul scent of her, remembering a time when her scent had brought him pleasure, not the pain of seeing her vengeful spirit.
"Your promise, Inuyasha. I have your promise. You belong to me."
"I have not forgotten, Kikyo. You have my promise. Tomorrow. I will give you the shards tomorrow. Just before sunset." His sad eyes searched hers for relief, for any sign that her humanity and gentleness had returned. He found nothing to comfort him in the dark gray orbs before him. Cold eyes and cold kisses were his destiny unless he could undo the damage of his blurted calling to her at Urasue's so long ago.
She reached out to touch him, to lull him into agreement in her embrace. He stepped aside, yet held Tetsusaiga out to block her passage towards his friends, his Kagome.
She paused to look deeply into his golden eyes, searching for something she could not find. Then she turned and retreated, disappearing into the forest without a mark of her passing. She called back to him, "Just before sunset. As you wish. The shards will be mine and you, Inuyasha will return with me to hell."
He ran his long fingers through his silver hair, pursing his lips with disgust at yet another facet of the intricate plan that could go wrong on the slightest whim. "Feh! Timing the battle to end just before sunset will not be easy," he grumbled as he sprang back up to his branch. It was nearly dawn and the others would be awake soon. Too soon their path would take them on the longest day of their journey. A day which would likely see them defeat Naraku or find them all dead at his feet.
They had lost as much as they had gained in the journey. The friendship and close-knit family relationships they had developed, despite the bickering that continued unabated, were a comfort to each of them. They were lonely individuals who were no longer alone. Yet their friendship was balanced by the knowledge that one or all of them could die at any time.
They had already lost their two oldest members and the source of much of their early strength. Naraku's kugutsu Kagura had killed Kaede nearly a year ago. She had attacked the old Miko's house with fire, using her wind power to whip it into an inferno while the Miko was trapped inside. The traveling friends had arrived to find her house aflame, with no means to put it out. Inuyasha had gone into the flames to retrieve Kaede immediately, but she had been burned almost beyond recognition. Before he could unleash the power of Tetsusaiga to repay Kagura's treachery, Kagome had purified her into non-existence with an arrow. It was the first time Kagome had come into her full power as a Miko. The arrow's true aim a foreboding shadow of her place in their plan for today.
They had buried Kaede in the shrine, next to Kikyo's empty grave. Sango and Kagome continued to tend her herb garden, which was all that remained as evidence of her presence in the village. She had shown both women all of the herb secrets and potions during their many resting spells with her. She had been generous with her care, concern and talents and was sorely missed by the entire group. Miroku's incantation and prayers at her passing had been the beginning of a more serious tone for them all. The lighthearted nature of the pace of their travels had diminished in her loss.
Myouga-jiji, too, had fallen to one of Naraku's creations. He had successfully evaded the dangers of their quest time and again, but even he had not sensed the frightful apparition of evil that Naraku had visited upon them the previous spring. They had set up camp in a remote forest area only to be surprised in the dead of the night by the onslaught of Naraku's deadly miasma. An apparition of evil created to evoke the image of an angel accompanied the poisonous aura. The winged surreal nature of the beast lulled the viewer into a false sense of beauty and peace. The deadly combination was nearly fatal to them all. Inuyasha had dissipated the miasma around them with his Wound of the Wind, his Kaze no Kizu and used Tetsusaiga to put an end to Naraku's angel. The others had recovered, but the miasma had proven fatal to the older, smaller youkai. Inuyasha had not understood the depth of feeling he had for the diminutive flea demon. Usually his knowledge arrived too late to be useful, or he had disappeared to avoid trouble. But Myouga-jiji had been assigned to help Inuyasha by the Inutaisho, his father. He was the only remaining youkai connected to his sire that had befriended him, and Inuyasha found he sorely missed him when he was no longer around to be irritating.
The friends had understood better than Inuyasha himself the depth of his grief. They had been solicitous to a fault, and the houshi had even offered prayers for him, an unheard of tribute to a full demon in Sengoku Jidai. His last tie with Kyushu, the place of his birth and fleeting home with his mother, was gone.
Naraku had suffered losses, too. Kagome had killed Kagura and Inuyasha had decapitated the angel, but it had been Miroku who dealt the deathblow to Kanna. She had been sent to spy on them to steal their souls and Miroku had absorbed her with his air void without a second thought. Neither she nor the demons Naraku had sent to protect her had even seen it coming. Fortunately the bee demons, the Saimyoushou had not been with her.
Sango and Kiara had fought valiantly and well by Inuyasha's side. He admired her persistence as he watched the sadness of her brother's plight sap her vibrancy. The end of their quest was nigh, and none too soon. All of them were weary of the fight. It had to end before they lost their strength or their will to fight.
Kagome and Shippou buoyed the spirits of the group, offering their warm and generous smiles and strength to their bruised and wounded friends. They could cajole Sango and even Miroku into smiling when nothing else worked. Kiara kept Sango's heart from breaking. It was clear that Sango and Miroku had developed a deeper friendship, but nothing could come of it while Miroku's future was in question. All of them had reason to continue, to persevere and to long for the end of the quest.
It was a clear day dawning on the last day of the quest for the Shikon no Tama. The members of the band rose silently from their fretful sleep and quietly prepared for the coming battle. They had said all of the words before. They had shared all of their hopes and plans. They had spent all of their time, energy, and life's blood working for this day. There was nothing left to do but meet their enemy on the final field of battle.
After a brief meal, the friends hugged each other one last time, looking to Inuyasha for their final direction.
"Follow me."
They left the grove and headed into battle.