Disclaimer: I own nothing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome raced towards to where she somehow knew Inuyasha was, with what could only be called, a speed born of desperation. She frowned when the sword began to pulse, as if warning her to stay away. Kirara was having trouble keeping up, Kagome could hear Sango and Miroku shouting at her to slow down and tell them where she was going, but she ignored them, focusing instead on a force that was building up inside her. She too stopped at the edge of a field, her eyes searching, but not for very long, her eyes narrowed when she saw Kikyo, smirking down at Inuyasha, who was sprawled on the ground, unmoving, just staring straight back.
'Apparently,' Kagome thought, 'fighting with me in the flux has somehow broken her desire to seem emotionless.' She nearly grinned at that thought, but stopped and raised a hand to Kikyo as she prepared to strike, "I don't think so Kikyo."
Kagome stepped into the meadow, her eyes blazing in dark contrast to the paleness of her face and the heavy perspiration dripping down her forehead. Her breathing was heavy and she leaned against a tree, bracing herself to stand with apparent effort.
"So look who has decided to join us. My reincarnation thinks that she can beat me in her pitiful state. How are you feeling?" The sarcasm that dripped off her voice irritated Kagome to no end, causing her to reply, "I don't need my full strength to beat you and I do not use petty tricks on my competition. How are you Kikyo? Caused any murder or stolen any souls lately? I think not, you look rather unhealthy."
Kikyo glared at her, tilting the pendant in her hand, ever so slightly but Kagome felt the reaction immediately. Her body betrayed her, jerking, even as she fought to control it. She sank to her knees, clutching her head and clamping her lips shut too keep herself from vocalizing the pain that seemed to swamp her entire being. Kikyo smirked at her, "Do you have any remarks now, Kagome?"
Kagome suddenly froze, her arms fell from her head and she lifted her head. She stood slowly, bracing herself once again on the tree next to her. She wrapped her arms around her torso, pale and shaking with repression. She took a shaky step towards Kikyo, stumbling but catching herself.
"I-I WILL NOT LOSE!" Kagome shouted. Kikyo stared at her, both with surprise that she had been able to stand and that she had shouted a challenge, even at her much weakened state, this was not the same clumsy girl that she had come to know as her reincarnation.
"Who are you?" Kikyo said.
"Me?" Kagome raised herself up the best she could, "I am Higurashi Kagome, Child of Light, miko and protector of this world and the other. Who are you?"
Something forced Kikyo to respond in the same but Inuyasha couldn't know what it was, all he knew was that his body refused to listen to him and move, leaving him stiff and motionless as Kikyo replied, "I am Kikyo, Child of Dark, miko and lord of these worlds. I am also your destruction."
Kikyo raised the hand that she had held down to Inuyasha and pointed it at Kagome, even as she twisted the pendant again, "Die, Child of Light."
Kagome could feel her blood pounding in her ears, she could feel the pain through her, but from far away, it seemed. Her hand reached down to the katana at her side, knowing that she was too late to stop the power that was to rip her body apart, but hoping that she could at least take her rival down with her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inuyasha was still stuck in the state where he was in his own mind, but his body was in a frozen state, he could see and hear what was going on, screaming at the two mikos to stop fighting, but his voice would not come.
'You really are helpless aren't you Inuyasha."
The voice was back.
"Can't you help them Hikari?" he thought desperately, as he saw the first force that Kikyo had throw strike against Kagome, only partially repelled by her barrier, the others slamming straight through her shoulders and her chest.
'I can't, the only way I could do anything would be if I could take over Kagome's body. But I can't.'
"Why can't you?"
'Partially because of the poison, but mostly because it's against the rules.'
"Rules? Wait, don't tell me, just get me out of this so I can save her!" Inuyasha winced when he heard something, Kagome, he thought it was, slam into something.
'I can't. It's up to the monk to save her this time.'
"Miroku?"
'Hai.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome knew only two things, that she was in terrible pain, and that she was going to die. Her hand wrapped tighter around the hilt of her sword, deflecting another power whip that would have killed her. She was limited in her movements, considering the fact that she was pinned to a tree by her shoulders and chest.
She briefly noted that Inuyasha hadn't moved at all and concluded that Kikyo must have done something to him. She lifted her sword, silently begging Midoriko to help her. Kagome whipped her sword sideways, sending a boomerang of light towards Kikyo. Kikyo merely raised her own sword and slashed through it, and sent another one, this one purely made of dark shadows, towards Kagome. Kagome raised her sword weakly, cringing as her sword split it but fragments slashed at her face. The poison was working more, she could tell by the slowness that her body responded to.
Kikyo appeared to grow tired with this 'play' and raised a hand, preparing to end the fight permanently. Kagome closed her eyes as the power was released, knowing both that she didn't have the strength to block it and that she was going to die if it hit her.
"Kazaana!"
Kagome opened her eyes when after a few moments, nothing struck her. She looked up, seeing Miroku seal up his air void and Kirara landing. Sango rushed over to her, ripping out the source of her impalement.
"It seems that you are to survive once again Kagome. You will fail in the final event, if this poison doesn't kill you first."
"I will not die until the world is out of your grasp Kikyo."
Kikyo looked annoyed and shook her head, clearing it as she pulled an arrow out and shot a purifying blast at Kagome.
Kagome reacted instantly, raising a hand, even as Inuyasha jumped to his feet, shouting for her to stop. He knew it was to late when the arrow shattered off the miko barrier that Kagome had created. She shouted out and fell, marks on her back open and bleeding again.
Inuyasha began to dash to her side, when he noticed that the youkai and Kikyo were leaving, both by air. He gave a shout of denial, leaping forwards and slicing the youkai in half before it could escape, making this all meaningless.
Kikyo turned to him, raising her hand and blasting him back with a burst of power. Inuyasha crashed into the ground, the claw of the youkai landing next to him. He got to his feet, barely dodging another blast.
"Inuyasha!" he heard Kagome call.
He realized too late what she was going to do. He turned just in time to see Kagome release one of her miko arrows towards Kikyo, and falling to the ground in a faint, the skin on her back throbbing. Inuyasha was at her side in an instant, picking her up and watching as her arrow struck the surprised Kikyo, who was to busy trying to attack him and not paying attention. Therefore, forgetting a shield.
Kagome's arrow struck her hip, going straight through, she glared at the fallen girl, "I'll get you back."
Kikyo was gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inuyasha cradled Kagome close to his chest, the paleness of her skin concerning him to no end. The youkai claw was clenched in his other hand. He burst though the door of Kaede's hut grabbing a pot practically throwing the pot at Miroku as he came through the door.
"Bouzu! Fill half the pot with water! Now!" He shouted at him.
Normally Miroku would have objected to this but this situation was serious. He went out the door quickly, filling it in the river. The instant he came back with it, Inuyasha snatched it from him, shoving both the claw and water at Kaede and barking at her to make the cure.
Only the shallow rise and fall of her chest, and the perspiration that dripped from her forehead assured them all that she was still alive, at least for the time being. There was a lingering doubt that was in everyone's minds, 'Would she make it?' But it was forced back by the forceful reply of, "Of course she will, don't even think like that!" from Sango.
"She said that she would live, so she will," from Miroku.
"She must live, the fate of the world rests on her shoulders," from Kaede.
"She is stronger than any human we have met. She will survive." from Jaken.
And "Stupid bitch can't die. She promised. She promised me that she'd always come back. I won't let her die! She promised!" from Inuyasha.
Shippo and Rin were kept away from Kagome. They knew that the small children would assume the worst and there was nothing to prove them otherwise.
The five minutes seemed like ages. Each second ticked by slower than the last.
With it finally done, Kaede opened her mouth and tried to pour it in, but it just dribbled out the side of her mouth. "It must be given mouth to mouth," Kaede finally announced.
All eyes shot to Miroku, expecting him to be very enthusiastic in volunteering. Miroku looked rather hurt but still asked Kaede who should give the cure to Kagome. Kaede said nothing and so Miroku sighed and said in a false sad tone, "Oh well, if no one wishes to give her the cure, I suppose I shall have to do it myself," his faced turned dreamy and he looked skyward, "The gods have finally granted my wish."
Inuyasha shoved him aside when he reached out to take the bowl from Kaede, taking it himself. Before anyone could say anything, and before he could lose his nerve, he lifted the bowl to his lips and drained it. Inuyasha knelt next to Kagome, lifting her up and latching his lips firmly over hers, forcing her to swallow every drop of the liquid.
Sango was openly staring. Jaken was trying to appear uninterested, but his eyes kept wandering to the scene. Miroku gave a sigh of long-suffering and said, "Ah well." He turned to Sango, "Are you feeling unwell Sango? I could make you a potion and administer it myself?"
Sango didn't even hear him.
Inuyasha knew the exact moment that the cure began to work. Her aura became visible and the mark on her forehead blazed. He felt the muscles in her back twitch. He removed his lips from hers, drawing back to see Kagome staring at him with an openly dazed expression. Her eyes locked with his and she blushed crimson. She lowered her eyes. Her eyes lost some of the daze and she grew confused. She lifted her arm, and traced the skin on his arm lightly. Inuyasha looked down to where she was tracing, as did the others.
They gasped in surprise when they saw the silver mark of light blazing and flickering in time with the one on Kagome's forehead.
Inuyasha brought his hand up, grasping hers and stopping her fingers from their movements. Her heart was still beating in the frantic pace that it had been as soon as she regained consciousness. He brought her hand up with his, taking it and cupping it together with his other.
"Are you all right Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice was worried, even though his eyes shown bright with relief and joy.
Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but nothing happened.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Note: nothing to say.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome raced towards to where she somehow knew Inuyasha was, with what could only be called, a speed born of desperation. She frowned when the sword began to pulse, as if warning her to stay away. Kirara was having trouble keeping up, Kagome could hear Sango and Miroku shouting at her to slow down and tell them where she was going, but she ignored them, focusing instead on a force that was building up inside her. She too stopped at the edge of a field, her eyes searching, but not for very long, her eyes narrowed when she saw Kikyo, smirking down at Inuyasha, who was sprawled on the ground, unmoving, just staring straight back.
'Apparently,' Kagome thought, 'fighting with me in the flux has somehow broken her desire to seem emotionless.' She nearly grinned at that thought, but stopped and raised a hand to Kikyo as she prepared to strike, "I don't think so Kikyo."
Kagome stepped into the meadow, her eyes blazing in dark contrast to the paleness of her face and the heavy perspiration dripping down her forehead. Her breathing was heavy and she leaned against a tree, bracing herself to stand with apparent effort.
"So look who has decided to join us. My reincarnation thinks that she can beat me in her pitiful state. How are you feeling?" The sarcasm that dripped off her voice irritated Kagome to no end, causing her to reply, "I don't need my full strength to beat you and I do not use petty tricks on my competition. How are you Kikyo? Caused any murder or stolen any souls lately? I think not, you look rather unhealthy."
Kikyo glared at her, tilting the pendant in her hand, ever so slightly but Kagome felt the reaction immediately. Her body betrayed her, jerking, even as she fought to control it. She sank to her knees, clutching her head and clamping her lips shut too keep herself from vocalizing the pain that seemed to swamp her entire being. Kikyo smirked at her, "Do you have any remarks now, Kagome?"
Kagome suddenly froze, her arms fell from her head and she lifted her head. She stood slowly, bracing herself once again on the tree next to her. She wrapped her arms around her torso, pale and shaking with repression. She took a shaky step towards Kikyo, stumbling but catching herself.
"I-I WILL NOT LOSE!" Kagome shouted. Kikyo stared at her, both with surprise that she had been able to stand and that she had shouted a challenge, even at her much weakened state, this was not the same clumsy girl that she had come to know as her reincarnation.
"Who are you?" Kikyo said.
"Me?" Kagome raised herself up the best she could, "I am Higurashi Kagome, Child of Light, miko and protector of this world and the other. Who are you?"
Something forced Kikyo to respond in the same but Inuyasha couldn't know what it was, all he knew was that his body refused to listen to him and move, leaving him stiff and motionless as Kikyo replied, "I am Kikyo, Child of Dark, miko and lord of these worlds. I am also your destruction."
Kikyo raised the hand that she had held down to Inuyasha and pointed it at Kagome, even as she twisted the pendant again, "Die, Child of Light."
Kagome could feel her blood pounding in her ears, she could feel the pain through her, but from far away, it seemed. Her hand reached down to the katana at her side, knowing that she was too late to stop the power that was to rip her body apart, but hoping that she could at least take her rival down with her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inuyasha was still stuck in the state where he was in his own mind, but his body was in a frozen state, he could see and hear what was going on, screaming at the two mikos to stop fighting, but his voice would not come.
'You really are helpless aren't you Inuyasha."
The voice was back.
"Can't you help them Hikari?" he thought desperately, as he saw the first force that Kikyo had throw strike against Kagome, only partially repelled by her barrier, the others slamming straight through her shoulders and her chest.
'I can't, the only way I could do anything would be if I could take over Kagome's body. But I can't.'
"Why can't you?"
'Partially because of the poison, but mostly because it's against the rules.'
"Rules? Wait, don't tell me, just get me out of this so I can save her!" Inuyasha winced when he heard something, Kagome, he thought it was, slam into something.
'I can't. It's up to the monk to save her this time.'
"Miroku?"
'Hai.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome knew only two things, that she was in terrible pain, and that she was going to die. Her hand wrapped tighter around the hilt of her sword, deflecting another power whip that would have killed her. She was limited in her movements, considering the fact that she was pinned to a tree by her shoulders and chest.
She briefly noted that Inuyasha hadn't moved at all and concluded that Kikyo must have done something to him. She lifted her sword, silently begging Midoriko to help her. Kagome whipped her sword sideways, sending a boomerang of light towards Kikyo. Kikyo merely raised her own sword and slashed through it, and sent another one, this one purely made of dark shadows, towards Kagome. Kagome raised her sword weakly, cringing as her sword split it but fragments slashed at her face. The poison was working more, she could tell by the slowness that her body responded to.
Kikyo appeared to grow tired with this 'play' and raised a hand, preparing to end the fight permanently. Kagome closed her eyes as the power was released, knowing both that she didn't have the strength to block it and that she was going to die if it hit her.
"Kazaana!"
Kagome opened her eyes when after a few moments, nothing struck her. She looked up, seeing Miroku seal up his air void and Kirara landing. Sango rushed over to her, ripping out the source of her impalement.
"It seems that you are to survive once again Kagome. You will fail in the final event, if this poison doesn't kill you first."
"I will not die until the world is out of your grasp Kikyo."
Kikyo looked annoyed and shook her head, clearing it as she pulled an arrow out and shot a purifying blast at Kagome.
Kagome reacted instantly, raising a hand, even as Inuyasha jumped to his feet, shouting for her to stop. He knew it was to late when the arrow shattered off the miko barrier that Kagome had created. She shouted out and fell, marks on her back open and bleeding again.
Inuyasha began to dash to her side, when he noticed that the youkai and Kikyo were leaving, both by air. He gave a shout of denial, leaping forwards and slicing the youkai in half before it could escape, making this all meaningless.
Kikyo turned to him, raising her hand and blasting him back with a burst of power. Inuyasha crashed into the ground, the claw of the youkai landing next to him. He got to his feet, barely dodging another blast.
"Inuyasha!" he heard Kagome call.
He realized too late what she was going to do. He turned just in time to see Kagome release one of her miko arrows towards Kikyo, and falling to the ground in a faint, the skin on her back throbbing. Inuyasha was at her side in an instant, picking her up and watching as her arrow struck the surprised Kikyo, who was to busy trying to attack him and not paying attention. Therefore, forgetting a shield.
Kagome's arrow struck her hip, going straight through, she glared at the fallen girl, "I'll get you back."
Kikyo was gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inuyasha cradled Kagome close to his chest, the paleness of her skin concerning him to no end. The youkai claw was clenched in his other hand. He burst though the door of Kaede's hut grabbing a pot practically throwing the pot at Miroku as he came through the door.
"Bouzu! Fill half the pot with water! Now!" He shouted at him.
Normally Miroku would have objected to this but this situation was serious. He went out the door quickly, filling it in the river. The instant he came back with it, Inuyasha snatched it from him, shoving both the claw and water at Kaede and barking at her to make the cure.
Only the shallow rise and fall of her chest, and the perspiration that dripped from her forehead assured them all that she was still alive, at least for the time being. There was a lingering doubt that was in everyone's minds, 'Would she make it?' But it was forced back by the forceful reply of, "Of course she will, don't even think like that!" from Sango.
"She said that she would live, so she will," from Miroku.
"She must live, the fate of the world rests on her shoulders," from Kaede.
"She is stronger than any human we have met. She will survive." from Jaken.
And "Stupid bitch can't die. She promised. She promised me that she'd always come back. I won't let her die! She promised!" from Inuyasha.
Shippo and Rin were kept away from Kagome. They knew that the small children would assume the worst and there was nothing to prove them otherwise.
The five minutes seemed like ages. Each second ticked by slower than the last.
With it finally done, Kaede opened her mouth and tried to pour it in, but it just dribbled out the side of her mouth. "It must be given mouth to mouth," Kaede finally announced.
All eyes shot to Miroku, expecting him to be very enthusiastic in volunteering. Miroku looked rather hurt but still asked Kaede who should give the cure to Kagome. Kaede said nothing and so Miroku sighed and said in a false sad tone, "Oh well, if no one wishes to give her the cure, I suppose I shall have to do it myself," his faced turned dreamy and he looked skyward, "The gods have finally granted my wish."
Inuyasha shoved him aside when he reached out to take the bowl from Kaede, taking it himself. Before anyone could say anything, and before he could lose his nerve, he lifted the bowl to his lips and drained it. Inuyasha knelt next to Kagome, lifting her up and latching his lips firmly over hers, forcing her to swallow every drop of the liquid.
Sango was openly staring. Jaken was trying to appear uninterested, but his eyes kept wandering to the scene. Miroku gave a sigh of long-suffering and said, "Ah well." He turned to Sango, "Are you feeling unwell Sango? I could make you a potion and administer it myself?"
Sango didn't even hear him.
Inuyasha knew the exact moment that the cure began to work. Her aura became visible and the mark on her forehead blazed. He felt the muscles in her back twitch. He removed his lips from hers, drawing back to see Kagome staring at him with an openly dazed expression. Her eyes locked with his and she blushed crimson. She lowered her eyes. Her eyes lost some of the daze and she grew confused. She lifted her arm, and traced the skin on his arm lightly. Inuyasha looked down to where she was tracing, as did the others.
They gasped in surprise when they saw the silver mark of light blazing and flickering in time with the one on Kagome's forehead.
Inuyasha brought his hand up, grasping hers and stopping her fingers from their movements. Her heart was still beating in the frantic pace that it had been as soon as she regained consciousness. He brought her hand up with his, taking it and cupping it together with his other.
"Are you all right Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice was worried, even though his eyes shown bright with relief and joy.
Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but nothing happened.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Note: nothing to say.
