Dearest, beloved readers--
Please! I beg of thee, don't hate me! *pokes head out from behind a doorway that has been attacked by various objects* I want to announce that I have decided to do a sequel, so take heart! One can not expect me to do an Inuyasha story--even a sequel--without Inuyasha! How, you ask? Read and find out! *sniffles* Last chapter, I'm so bummed...oh well, just have to get into the sequel, muhahahah! Enjoy the final chapter of Surviving a City!!!
Whyndancer sez:
Yes, take heart. A Sequel usually means everybody comes back to life. Happy endings are a very necessary thing.
Disclaimer: Since I don't own him, I can't really kill him, can I?
Chapter 15: Surviving
The arrow sliced through the air, a high pitched whistling sound filled the room in it's wake. The metal head of the arrow, charged with enough aura and energy to kill a hundred demons embedded itself into the flesh of the demon known as Naraku. The wounded demon howled in pain as the pure energy ran through his system and the momentum of the arrow sent him flying back into the wall of the room. The arrow, passing through the skin and muscle of Naraku's shoulder and heart, pinned itself to the wall and Naraku along with it. Power surged around the demon and he felt impending death.
"Naraku," the icy, voice of the Shikon Guardian addressed him. She stepped forward, around the writhing, agonized lumps of flesh that had been his tentacles only moments before. Now they shriveled, their power being pulled back into Naraku's main body.
"What have you done to me Kagome!" he shrieked. Paralysis had set in and he could no longer feel or move his feet, legs, hands, or arms.
"I have imprisoned you," Kagome said. Her voice was emotionless, holding no sympathy or grim pleasure. Naraku saw her eyes, lifeless and overflowing with tears, as she stared at him without hate or vengeance. "The Enchanted Arrow of my ancestor. It was once used to imprison a demon over 500 years ago. Now I give it to you, a gift from all the lives you've taken."
Naraku was numb, no longer able to move or speak. He only glared at the woman he had once coveted. He had offered to make her his queen, to stand at his side as he destroyed the pathetic realm of the humans to build a new empire for himself. But she had spat in his face. Now, she had fulfilled her vow and killed him by her own hand. Hatred rose in his throat as thick as bile. Oh how he wanted revenge. He had succeeded in killing the half-breed. It had been such a pleasure to watch him fall. But, Kagome had risen against him once more. And now his perfect victory was slipping away.
"Death is too good for you, Naraku," Kagome continued, still moving closer to him. She only stopped a foot from his now-limp body. "You will hang here, suspended in a slow death. You will not see or feel, but you will hear and you will know everything that goes on around you. For the rest of a century, until the final breath of life oozes from your wretched body, you will watch as life goes on around you. And you, Naraku, once the proud and powerful demon leader of this city, will learn that the human race is unconquerable. No matter what you try to do, we will survive. We will live on."
There was a catch in her voice now, a suppressed sob. Tears fell freely from her eyes. Naraku convulsed once, his eyes falling closed against his will. There was nothing he could do to stop the power of the spell that was overtaking him. "I hope that, as you hang here, you suffer every moment of ever day for as long as you live. I curse you," she whispered. "No one will remember your name. No one will remember what you tried to do. You will be forgotten. But I can guarantee that you will think of me and of this city forever."
Then the spell overtook him, and Naraku was lost unto darkness. His senses faded, leaving only a vague hearing and a general feel of the city surrounding him. He could not move or speak, only think and plot. Only hate and hate and wait, wait for a day when he might come to life once more and destroy this city of humans. Destroy the entire human world. But mostly, destroy the woman named Kagome.
The woman named Kagome watched her enchanted arrow finally subdue the demon Naraku. Her job was done. She let the empty quiver fall from her shoulder, letting it hit the ground with a cushioned thud. There were no arrows, not clatter sound in the now strangely silent room. The wooden bow fell to the ground with a louder sound as she turned away from the sight of the suspended demon. He sickened her. But it was when she looked behind her that she realized her worst fears had come to pass.
"Inuyasha!" she cried, falling to her knees beside him. He wasn't moving, wasn't breathing. The large pool of blood from the wound in his abdomen was still spreading slowly. The warm and sticky fluid covered Kagome's hands as she felt his neck for a pulse. There was none to be found. He was gone. Inuyasha was really and truly dead. "No," she whispered, tears raining from her eyes. She made no attempt to stop them, there were just to many. "Please Inuyasha, please come back!"
Kagome pressed a bloody hand to her mouth to keep from breaking out in uncontrollable sobs. She just stared down at him. She ran shaking fingers down his cheek. It was still warm. Still soft. She left a bloody smug on his cheekbone. Kagome willed his eyes to open, wished air into his lungs, prayed for his heart to beat again. But none happened. His golden eyes were closed for the last time. His lungs had taken their last breath. His heart was forever stilled. Unable to stop herself, Kagome just leaned over him, hands pressed to her face, her forehead resting on his chest.
Oh how she wanted to scream, to curse, to beat something to a bloody pulp. Oh, how she wanted to kill Naraku more then she had ever wanted to kill anything before. But he was already sentenced to his fate, she could not revoke it now. She could not change anything now. Inuyasha was dead--dead because of her. Because he had loved her and wanted to protect her. She wanted to beg his forgiveness, but she knew that he'd only scoff at her and say that it was his decision. They had all made the choice to come here, risking their lives. But Kagome hadn't told anyone of the silent vow she had made. The vow that said if anyone had to lose their life, it would be her. And here she went breaking her own vow and letting Inuyasha die in her place. It was unfair.
It was at this moment, when Kagome had decidedly hit the rockiest of rock bottoms, that Miroku and Sango regained consciousness. With a loud groan, Sango sat up from where she had been thrown across Miroku. He had broken her fall when they had been rammed into the wall by Naraku. She quickly looked back over to him, shaking him awake, her heart in her throat.
"Miroku, Miroku wake up!" she called. His violet eyes fluttered, then opened.
"Oh...I have such a migraine." He looked up at Sango and smiled. "That's definitely going to leave a mark." Sango, tears flowing from her radiant brown eyes, threw herself on to Miroku, hugging him around the neck.
"Thank the stars, you're alive!" she whispered into his ear, holding him tightly. Miroku didn't try to grope, he was too happy to hold her to him to care. They had been to hell and back, a little roughed up, but alive. That was when Sango pulled back at the sound of a low sob. They both looked across the room to see Kagome hunched over a red figure. Inuyasha.
"Oh God...Inuyasha!" Miroku breathed, getting to his feet and pulling Sango along so that they limped quickly to their friends' side. "Kagome, Inuyasha!"
Kagome looked up, her face streaked with tears. Her eyes were broken, so lost and sorrowful. She looked down at the unmoving half-demon beside her. "Naraku...stabbed him," she choked out between sharp breaths. Then she went to pieces again. Sango quickly wrapped her arms around Kagome and rocked her back and forth, like a mother would. Sango wanted to comfort her, but knew there would be no words to ease this pain. She looked to Miroku who leaned over his friend, grief written all over his face. As Kagome had done, Miroku felt for a pulse and discovered none. Inuyasha, his best friend, the only person he had ever fully trusted...was dead. It left a part of him numb and shaking. He looked up at Sango, the woman he loved, his eyes as empty as Kagome's had been. Sango shed silent tears, not knowing what to say to ease the pain in the three of them.
"Why..." Kagome rasped, pulling away from Sango enough to grab her friend's shoulders and look her in the face. "Why is it the 'one thing' I wanted to save was the one thing I couldn't protect?" She sniffled deeply and shook her head. "I wasn't strong enough to save him."
"Oh Kagome, don't say that!" Sango said, hugging her friend once more. "You did everything you could. You saved the city from Naraku."
"Inuyasha went into this with his eyes open Kagome," Miroku said, taking her hand in a comforting way. "He knew what he had gotten himself into. He wouldn't like you to beat yourself up over this when it wasn't your fault."
"I know," Kagome said, smiling through her tears. "He'd yell at me to stop being guilty." Miroku gave her a small smile and nodded. The three then sat in silence, holding each other and mourning their fallen friend. "We...we should go back," Kagome said, breaking the silence.
"Yes," Sango agreed. "Kirara is outside, she can carry Inuyasha back home with us Kagome." Kagome nodded and Miroku helped her to her feet. She was too drained to carry herself. Her mystical powers had all gone into the arrow, her physical energy too, and the shock of Inuyasha's death had left her numb inside.
Sango called in Kirara, still fully transformed, and she and Miroku laid Inuyasha's body carefully upon her back. Next they helped Kagome on to the cat demon's back. Miroku and Sango were the both worse for wear, but Kagome was far worse, and they could still walk well enough. Kagome rode on Kirara, holding Inuyasha's body to her, willing the warmth from her body to stay in his. This way, she could at least pretend that he was still with her for a little while longer.
The small group slowly made their way back to the border to receive a warm welcome. It turned out that the Golem army had retreated at the exact moment that Naraku fell under Kagome's arrow. The Loyal Gangs of the city were victorious, and ravenously laid claim to the long barren Heart of the City. It was theirs again. The city was free to the peoples that called it home.
Although the small resistance army had taken heavy casualties-including Nyla of the Fox Gang and Skyris of the Ravens-they were, for the most part, very well off. Kouga had been wounded by the enemy, and taken back for medical treatment in both legs and his right arm. Kagome made a mental note to find him later. Right now, she wanted to see no one but Katia. And she found the Death Dealer leader in her meditation pose over the dead. She blessed each of them before they were taken away, wishing each of their souls a good afterlife or reincarnation. Katia balked however, upon seeing Kagome with Inuyasha.
"He fell to the enemy," Kagome said quietly. Kirara lowered herself to the ground so Kagome to ease Inuyasha's body from the cat demon's back and place it before Katia for a blessing. "He protected me." Her voice caught, and Katia took to girl into her arms.
"Shed no more tears, Guardian," Katia told her softly. "He is not lost to you." Kagome drew back and looked at Katia with wide eyes.
"What do you mean?" Katia only smiled.
"It is within your power, as it always has been, to save his life. But think hard because once it is done, it can never be taken back. For now, I will have him taken to your shrine, and he will be taken care of properly. Go home Kagome, rest with your comrades, and I will come to you at nightfall." For indeed, the time had past to where it was dawn already. The dawn of a new day, and a new era of this city. Kagome nodded mutely as Katia summoned two of her Dealers to take Inuyasha's corpse to the shrine to be cleaned and prepared. Sango and Miroku came to her side, and the three of them followed the Death Dealers back to the shrine. All the while, Kagome pondered the meaning behind Katia's words. She cursed herself for it, but the sparklings of hope reigning in her. Perhaps there was a way, a way to save Inuyasha.
The reception at the Shrine of Four Souls was loving as both grandfather and brother hugged Kagome as she arrived. She tried to return their affection, she really did, but it was no use. The shock of Inuyasha's death, the pain of the day had taken a toll on her far worse then she wanted to admit to her family. The two Death Dealers easily passed the family, the body on the stretcher they carried was covered in a blanket so that it was impossible to tell who it was. But Kagome knew, as did Sango and Miroku, but they were too tired and in too much pain to speak of it.
Higurashi seemed to sense this pain, seeing the sorrow and weariness in his granddaughter's eyes, as well as in the eyes of her companions. He also noted rather pointedly that the white-haired half demon was no where to be found. Suddenly it came together. The silence and the sorrow, the body taken to the back shrine for cleansing, as if preparing for a burial. It was him who was killed. Without a word to the three companions, he led them into the house and offered them anything they needed.
Miroku and Sango picked at some food, but Kagome was neither hungry nor thirsty. She went to the bathroom and showered first, washing Inuyasha's blood from her body, washing the smell of Naraku away. She knew though, that no matter how hard she scrubbed, the pain wouldn't bleed out through her skin. Kagome then dressed and went to her room, collapsing on her bed and falling into a deep slumber. She slept through the rest of the day, her dreams filled with fleeting images of Inuyasha.
She barely even felt like she had fallen asleep at all when there was a chaste knocking at her door, and Sango appeared at her side. "Wake up Kagome," she said quietly. "Katia is here for the last rights on Inuyasha."
Kagome rubbed her eyes, bringing them into focus. She noticed that Sango was wearing a very traditional style of clothing--funeral wear. It brought a fresh flood of tears to Kagome's eyes. While she slept, she had been able to bask in the dreams that Inuyasha really was still alive, or that Katia's words were in truth, that she could find a way to save him. But there was no way to bring the dead back to life. There was only the pain of knowing that they were gone from this world forever.
"I'll be ready in a few minutes," Kagome assured Sango, quickly wiping the tears from her face. Sango nodded and then returned downstairs.
Everyone was quiet as they sat in the living room. Katia sat cross-legged on the floor again, Miroku at her side in the same meditation-orientated position. Souta and Higurashi sat on the small cough, heads down and looking sad. the two Death Dealers were just finishing Inuyasha's cleansing in the Shrine itself, so the rest of the household waited in silence. Sango sat next to Miroku, drawing comfort from the warmth of his body next to hers. Sango had known Kagome forever and a day. She had been there when Kagome's parents were killed in the accident. She had been there when Kagome had taken the rituals to become the Guardian of the Shikon Jewel, a ritual that nearly cost Kagome her very life. And she was with her when Naraku drove her from home, seeking the very same Jewel. But through all of that, Sango knew that Kagome could endure. But this time she wasn't sure that Kagome would bounce back.
"I think we should give her some time alone with him," Katia said quietly, her eyes still closed.
"Yes," Sango agreed. "This will be very hard on her..."
They were silent again. Katia's dealers entered the room, told their leader that the task was complete, then returned to caring for the wounded at the front once more. They waited a moment longer before Kagome came down the stairs. She was dressed formally, all in white, with her dark hair pulled back into a braid. She had washed her face of the tears, but her dark eyes were as red as Katia's. The Shikon Jewel hung glittering on it's chain around her neck.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," she muttered, looking at her feet.
"It's alright, child," Katia said, getting to her feet. "Come, you and I will visit Inuyasha together." Kagome nodded gratefully and followed the woman into the Shrine. Sango, Miroku, and Kagome's family watched, but didn't follow-yet.
Inuyasha was laid out on a pallet in the Shrine. All the blood had been washed from his body and he was, once more, dressed in the red kimono armor that Katia had given him before they left. Kagome curiously noted that the armor had been mended because there was no hole in the abdomen where Inuyasha had been stabbed. He looked like he was merely sleeping to Kagome's eyes, and she felt the tears prickle in the back once more. Taking a deep breath, she moved to his side, kneeling next to him, and taking one of the hands that had been resting over her heart in her own. She sat there silently for long moments, occasionally running a hand through his hair or tracing his cheekbone with a finger. But mostly she just held his hand and willed herself not to cry.
Katia stood a silent vigil over this, her immortal heart breaking at the sight. It truly was an unjust and unfair thing to ask this girl to give up the one thing that held the most value in her life. Destiny truly did repeat itself, now didn't it? Well, Katia would be damned before she allowed this girl to suffer any more. Her past life had suffered just as much.
"Kagome," Katia said, going to the Guardian's side. She kneeled beside her and turned to face her. "What I said before is true. Inuyasha is not lost to you."
"But he is," Kagome whispered, the held back tears pouring down her face. "He's dead Katia! He's dead and I can't bring the dead back to life! No one can!"
"You have the power to do so Kagome. It hangs on a chain around your neck." Kagome's head snapped up in realization as Katia took her hand.
"You must think long and hard about this, my darling girl. To do this will change all the lives who are part of this today. You must choose, but do not take too long, or it will be hard for him to return to you." Katia leaned forward and kissed Kagome on the forehead, then stood to leave. "The decision is yours and only yours, Guardian of the Jewel. I will now return to the place that was once mine. The Heart of the City." And with that, Katia was gone.
Kagome sat, stunned and saddened. She finally understood what Katia hinted. She could use the Jewel to wish for Inuyasha's life. But what would happen if she did that? The Jewel...it would disappear. Then what would become of her family? They were so tied and connected to the Jewel, to the Shrine, it would be the ultimate selfishness to use it for her benefit. But then she looked at Inuyasha, where he lay so still and cold, and something in her heart tightened.
"He gave his life for this...this Jewel. It's because of the Jewel that Naraku came to me, because of the Jewel that I had to flee and even involve Inuyasha. Would it really be so wrong to use the Jewel...to give him back the life that was stolen from him? All because of the Jewel..."
Kagome reached to her neck and closed her fingers around the Jewel. She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled against the chain. It broke off and the Jewel stayed fisted in her hand. She walked calmly to the door of the Shrine, calmly to the steps of her home, calmly to her grandfather's side. "Grandpa," she began.
Old Man Higurashi looked up at her, surprised, as did the other three people in the room. "Kagome!"
"I'm going to use the Jewel," Kagome said bluntly.
"What?" was echoed back at her in four voices. Kagome smiled grimly at them and held her fisted hand in front of her.
"This Jewel has taken enough from me. I'm using it to bring Inuyasha back."
"Kagome, you can't!" Old Man Higurashi yelled, getting to his feet. "I forbid it! The Jewel is a priceless, sacred artifact. It can not be simply used and cast aside on a whim."
"A whim?" Kagome said, her voice without a tone. "Was it a whim that Naraku came for it, Grandpa? Was it a whim that Inuyasha gave his life to protect me and this infernal Jewel? Is it a whim that for as long as this thing exists, more and more demons will come for it? They'll never stop Grandpa. Hasn't our family suffered enough? Can't you let me end it?"
"Kagome, you simply do not understand!" he said again, taking her fisted hand in his own. "The Jewel is only ours to protect, we can not use it. That is the law of our tradition."
Kagome drew herself up and looked at her grandfather, her brother, and her two friends. Sango and Miroku stared at her with smiles. They knew her best. "I'm sorry Grandpa, but to hell with law. I am the Guardian of the Jewel and the choice is mine. I was just letting you know." And with that, Kagome left as calmly as she had come.
Old Man Higurashi would have gone after her, but Souta stopped him. "Let her do it Gramps," he said. "It's her decision." With that, Souta led his grandfather to the kitchen to have a talk. Miroku and Sango watched them for a few seconds, then went after Kagome.
They came to the door to the Shrine and saw Kagome kneeling next to Inuyasha. She was talking to him in a low voice and they dared not to interrupt. " Inuyasha, I don't know if this can work or not, but I'm going to try it. I owe you that much. If it works, then you can come back here, and we'll all be waiting for you. But if you can't...then you have to promise to wait for me. It's a deal then." She leaned forward enough to brush her lips against his, then got to her feet, holding the Jewel in her cupped hands.
"Shikon Jewel, created of Midoriko, created of demons, I call upon you, answer my wish!" A great wind began to blow in the Shrine, surrounding Kagome. Her braid came undone, making her raven hair whip violently around her face. Her voice rose over the howling winds to continue. "Grant my wish! I, Kagome, Guardian of the Shikon Jewel, call upon you Midoriko! Please, give Inuyasha back his life!"
Kagome watched as the wind backed away from her, surrounding her in the eye of a miniature hurricane of sheer power. The Jewel in her hands began to glow with a frightening intensity, then it seemed to disintegrate into a million shining points of violet light. They pooled in her cupped hands only to spill over her fingers to the floor in front of her. Kagome watched in fascination as the lights from what once was the Jewel formed the shape of a human. Then, the shape which had once been an outline of transparent light, took on the image and flesh of Midoriko herself.
"Midoriko," Kagome breathed. The woman before her, stunningly beautiful with long raven hair and dressed in medieval armor, smiled at her and nodded. The apparition had taken on a temporary body to grant the wish of her descendant. "Will you...bring him back?" Kagome asked, looking to Inuyasha, who lay at her feet.
Midoriko looked at Kagome, then looked to Inuyasha. She rubbed her hands together and kneeled beside the dead half-demon. Kagome watched eagerly as Midoriko ran her hands up and down the length of Inuyasha's body, her palms a few inches above contact. There was a look of intense concentration on the apparition's face as she searched the body, then she smiled and stood. She held out her hands to Kagome, and the girl reluctantly took them.
Much to Kagome's surprise, Midoriko's hands were very warm. 'Kagome,' a voice spoke in her mind. 'Can you hear me?'
"Is that you?" Kagome asked Midoriko. The apparition smiled and nodded.
'I have no voice as a specter, so I must communicate through physical contact. You wish for the life of the half-demon, and I can give it to you, but you must give it back to him. I have no body, and the life needed would not pass from the dead to the dead. Will you do this?'
"If it will bring him back, I'll do anything," Kagome said, meaning every word.
Midoriko smiled once more. 'Then I give you the life of Inuyasha.' Suddenly, a hot-almost painful sensation ran from their joined hands into Kagome. Images of memories flashed in her eyes, but they were not her own. They were Inuyasha's. His feelings, his thoughts, everything that made up Inuyasha was flowing into Kagome through Midoriko's hands. Kagome took in a sharp breath, doubling over, but not breaking their joined hands. 'It will be over soon, and then you can give it back to him,' Midoriko explained sympathetically.
And as suddenly as the pain began, it stopped. All that was left was a warm feeling in her chest. Inuyasha's soul was within her. 'Now you must give it to him, and he'll awaken as if he had never been harmed. All the memories you have seen, all the feelings you have felt, everything in his heart with be his once more.'
"But how do I give it to him?" Kagome asked, looking into the eyes of her ancestor.
'As one would always awaken a sleeping love,' Midoriko said with a smile. 'With a kiss.'
"Is that all?" Kagome asked, looking down at Inuyasha again.
'That is all,' Midoriko told her. 'When the wish is fulfilled, the Jewel will disappear from you, Kagome. You can not look to me again.'
"I know," she said, looking at their still joined hands. "Thank you, Midoriko."
'You are welcome, my child,' Midoriko said with a smile, pulling Kagome into an embrace. 'My family has lasted long through the ages, and I am glad to see that they have stayed as true and pure as I hoped they would. I wish you luck Kagome.' And then, Midoriko stepped back and her image faded back into the violet lights, which reformed the Jewel. But the Jewel did not return to Kagome, it faded away into nothingness.
The whirlwind that kept Miroku and Sango at bay was still raging, but the winds were dying. The Jewel's power was ebbing. It was now or never, and Kagome never hesitated. She fell to her knees and leaned over Inuyasha. She closed her eyes, two tears dripping on to Inuyasha's cheeks as she pressed her lips to his, willing the warm soul and life that lay within her back to it's proper place. The rush of the soul leaving her was jarring, but not as painful as when she had gotten it from Midoriko. It ran from her lips into Inuyasha, and she felt him become warm under her fingers once more. She felt the first beating of his heart under her palm. She pushed every bit of life that was not her own into Inuyasha, then pulled back.
Blood raced through his body, color returning to his face and skin. His chest rose and fell with new breaths. Kagome pulled up his shirt and saw the gaping hole in his chest close and heal without so much as a scar. As if it had never been there. As if he had never died, had never been hurt at all. Tears poured from her eyes as she watched him revive, little by little. Life returned to his fingers as they twitched, along with the fuzzy ears on his head. And then, with her heart in her throat, Kagome saw his eyes flicker open.
"Inuyasha?" she whispered, hardly daring to breath at all.
"Holy Shit," he muttered, sitting up way too fast. "Where's Naraku? That fucking son of a bitch! I'll kill him! He stabbed me, I don't fricking believe it!" He took in his surroundings. "What the--?" He rubbed his temples with his clawed fingers and looked at Kagome. "What's with the tears?"
Before he could say another word, Kagome had thrown herself on him and he'd found himself on the floor again, this time with a warm body on top of him. "Inuyasha, you're alive! It worked, you're alive!"
"Why the hell wouldn't I be alive?" he asked, holding her as she sobbed on him, a little confused. He remembered getting stabbed by Naraku, remembered falling to the ground. There was the flash of light, and the scream, and then there was nothing. He had no idea how he had gotten back to Kagome's Shrine, or why Naraku wasn't there.
"You...you don't remember?" she asked him once she was under control again. "Naraku stabbed you...you died Inuyasha."
"I...died?" he asked, wide-eyed. "Then how am I here?"
"I used the Jewel and Midoriko gave me your life back," she explained, sitting up and bringing him with her. The winds finally died around them and Sango and Miroku ran to them.
" Damn, Inuyasha!, You've gotta be the luckiest bastard that ever lived!" Miroku said, clapping his friend on the back two seconds before he embraced him.
Sango laughed, then hugged him too. "Thank the stars, you're alive." Inuyasha, a little confused, but happy, received their rejoice with a smile.
Somewhere inside him, he had known that he had died, but all senses were just screaming happily that he was alive. Alive now and for a long time if Kagome had anything to say about it. And you know what? Inuyasha wouldn't have it any other way.
Katia was called to the Shrine the next day to be greeted by the formerly dead half-demon and Kagome with much thanks. She only smiled and said that everything done had been done by them, she was merely the one who kept the records of events. Meanwhile, the four companions had been inseparable since their fallen fourth member was returned to them. Inseparable to the point where Inuyasha and Miroku both left their tiny apartments in the city outskirts to move into the Shrine House with the Higurashi family. Sure, they had to use the spare room and the small apartment over the Shrine, but it was a lot better to be there then anywhere else. Sango was a frequent guest, as always. As for Naraku, he was kept under constant guard by Katia herself, when she reclaimed her Tower in the Heart of the City. The Guardian of the City was once more the immortal Death Dealer. And the city fell into a peaceful calm.
It just goes to show that when things start out at the bottom, all they can do is go up. All it took was a magical Jewel, a strong mystic, and a Ramen-crazed half-demon to save the day. And if that isn't surviving a city, what is?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here we have it readers, the end of Surviving a City. I want to thank everyone who read my story, you guys really made it worth while. I hope to start the sequel within a few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled. The name hasn't been decided as of yet, but I'm thinking something along the lines of The City: Revisited, or something like that. It will pick up five years later. As every good story needs a villain, Naraku gets released from his suspended state by a mysterious girl. Katia, the City's Guardian has suddenly gone missing! And a host of other problems will occur once our four heroes discover who is behind it--oh, and prepare for more stunning narration from Inuyasha, hehe!
Whyndancer: And I guessed how he'd be brought back to life. ^_^
Last shout outs: (I was going to do a list of thank-yous and answer any questions the readers may have had about anything confusing in the story, but I'll post that as a seperate chapter and only if I break 100 with the reviews....SO REVIEW PEOPLE, REVIEW LIKE THE WIND!)
pruningshears: *sigh* shears, my dear friend, I am so glad that you liked how I killed Inuyasha--I liked how I offed him too. Hehe, you know me too well, but yes, I had to bring him back. It's not much of a story if my second-evil-head gets killed and stays dead! Oh, and I'm allowed to be cliche, I mean, he was dying and all. Plus, these are Inuyasha's most secret thoughts. Who knows what's lurking in that pea-brained head of his?
Kilila: ...I'm sorry? How does one respond to that? Anywho, I brought him back...Am I forgiven?
inuphoria: Sorry, he was legally dead for half a chapter, but I brought him back. Kudos to me, right?
Mustard Yellow Sunshine: You're reviews are so fun to read, you know that? LOL! I'm glad you were able to pick up my foreshadowing comments--I hinted that he would die through the WHOLE fic. I hope the end was a shocker for you! I really liked how I ended it, I need a happy ending or I won't sleep at night--*sigh* Oh, and Nalini? I love the bloodshed too, hehehe. Last chapter, I do so very much hope you liked it...review and let me know, okay? And if you have any questions, just as me!
Twil: Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope the ending was good.
kokoro: No need for dismemeberment, see? *edges away from a chainsaw* I brought him back and everything is right with the world...*weeps* Please don't kill me! I'm a very likable person, really! Let me know whether you liked the ending or not.
Kay Kylo: I'm glad you liked it. Chapter 14 is my favorite to tell the truth. I went all philisophical at the end there, but I like writing deep stuff. With action, of course. LOL, I'm glad you'll look into my other stories. I plan to start the sequel to Renegade this very weekend, and the sequel for this story will be started probably after Halloween. I have a few other things I want to do first. My bio-page has summaries of all I plan, so if you want an overview, read that. Please tell me what you thought of the ending, okay?
Dragons Maiden: I brought him back, no more twitching! As one of my more avid readers, I am very interested as to what you thought of my ending and story as a whole, let me know, alright?
Lady Banshee 999: Yes, I hit upon the idea one day and thought 'it would be cool if I did it all in Inuyasha POV' so I did, and I think people liked it! Let me know what you think of the ending!
--Readers--Remember, 100 reviews and I'll write a whole freaking page devoted to how glorious and magnanimous each and every reviewer is! I am sooooooo grateful beyond words to all of you who took time to read my stuff. You guys truly are wonderful! I plan to start the sequel for this Fic sometime in the beginning of November because I have a few other things I want to do. If you're in the neighborhood, please check out my other Inuyasha Fic--Tainted Blood. It's a present day AU, but it's deeper then this one. Check out my bio page if you want an overview of that or any of the fics I will be doing in the near future. Again, if you have any questions of comments, please review and I promise to answer them one way or another! Thanks again, my readers, you guys ROCK!
~~Jesse the Wolf Demon~~
Please! I beg of thee, don't hate me! *pokes head out from behind a doorway that has been attacked by various objects* I want to announce that I have decided to do a sequel, so take heart! One can not expect me to do an Inuyasha story--even a sequel--without Inuyasha! How, you ask? Read and find out! *sniffles* Last chapter, I'm so bummed...oh well, just have to get into the sequel, muhahahah! Enjoy the final chapter of Surviving a City!!!
Whyndancer sez:
Yes, take heart. A Sequel usually means everybody comes back to life. Happy endings are a very necessary thing.
Disclaimer: Since I don't own him, I can't really kill him, can I?
Chapter 15: Surviving
The arrow sliced through the air, a high pitched whistling sound filled the room in it's wake. The metal head of the arrow, charged with enough aura and energy to kill a hundred demons embedded itself into the flesh of the demon known as Naraku. The wounded demon howled in pain as the pure energy ran through his system and the momentum of the arrow sent him flying back into the wall of the room. The arrow, passing through the skin and muscle of Naraku's shoulder and heart, pinned itself to the wall and Naraku along with it. Power surged around the demon and he felt impending death.
"Naraku," the icy, voice of the Shikon Guardian addressed him. She stepped forward, around the writhing, agonized lumps of flesh that had been his tentacles only moments before. Now they shriveled, their power being pulled back into Naraku's main body.
"What have you done to me Kagome!" he shrieked. Paralysis had set in and he could no longer feel or move his feet, legs, hands, or arms.
"I have imprisoned you," Kagome said. Her voice was emotionless, holding no sympathy or grim pleasure. Naraku saw her eyes, lifeless and overflowing with tears, as she stared at him without hate or vengeance. "The Enchanted Arrow of my ancestor. It was once used to imprison a demon over 500 years ago. Now I give it to you, a gift from all the lives you've taken."
Naraku was numb, no longer able to move or speak. He only glared at the woman he had once coveted. He had offered to make her his queen, to stand at his side as he destroyed the pathetic realm of the humans to build a new empire for himself. But she had spat in his face. Now, she had fulfilled her vow and killed him by her own hand. Hatred rose in his throat as thick as bile. Oh how he wanted revenge. He had succeeded in killing the half-breed. It had been such a pleasure to watch him fall. But, Kagome had risen against him once more. And now his perfect victory was slipping away.
"Death is too good for you, Naraku," Kagome continued, still moving closer to him. She only stopped a foot from his now-limp body. "You will hang here, suspended in a slow death. You will not see or feel, but you will hear and you will know everything that goes on around you. For the rest of a century, until the final breath of life oozes from your wretched body, you will watch as life goes on around you. And you, Naraku, once the proud and powerful demon leader of this city, will learn that the human race is unconquerable. No matter what you try to do, we will survive. We will live on."
There was a catch in her voice now, a suppressed sob. Tears fell freely from her eyes. Naraku convulsed once, his eyes falling closed against his will. There was nothing he could do to stop the power of the spell that was overtaking him. "I hope that, as you hang here, you suffer every moment of ever day for as long as you live. I curse you," she whispered. "No one will remember your name. No one will remember what you tried to do. You will be forgotten. But I can guarantee that you will think of me and of this city forever."
Then the spell overtook him, and Naraku was lost unto darkness. His senses faded, leaving only a vague hearing and a general feel of the city surrounding him. He could not move or speak, only think and plot. Only hate and hate and wait, wait for a day when he might come to life once more and destroy this city of humans. Destroy the entire human world. But mostly, destroy the woman named Kagome.
The woman named Kagome watched her enchanted arrow finally subdue the demon Naraku. Her job was done. She let the empty quiver fall from her shoulder, letting it hit the ground with a cushioned thud. There were no arrows, not clatter sound in the now strangely silent room. The wooden bow fell to the ground with a louder sound as she turned away from the sight of the suspended demon. He sickened her. But it was when she looked behind her that she realized her worst fears had come to pass.
"Inuyasha!" she cried, falling to her knees beside him. He wasn't moving, wasn't breathing. The large pool of blood from the wound in his abdomen was still spreading slowly. The warm and sticky fluid covered Kagome's hands as she felt his neck for a pulse. There was none to be found. He was gone. Inuyasha was really and truly dead. "No," she whispered, tears raining from her eyes. She made no attempt to stop them, there were just to many. "Please Inuyasha, please come back!"
Kagome pressed a bloody hand to her mouth to keep from breaking out in uncontrollable sobs. She just stared down at him. She ran shaking fingers down his cheek. It was still warm. Still soft. She left a bloody smug on his cheekbone. Kagome willed his eyes to open, wished air into his lungs, prayed for his heart to beat again. But none happened. His golden eyes were closed for the last time. His lungs had taken their last breath. His heart was forever stilled. Unable to stop herself, Kagome just leaned over him, hands pressed to her face, her forehead resting on his chest.
Oh how she wanted to scream, to curse, to beat something to a bloody pulp. Oh, how she wanted to kill Naraku more then she had ever wanted to kill anything before. But he was already sentenced to his fate, she could not revoke it now. She could not change anything now. Inuyasha was dead--dead because of her. Because he had loved her and wanted to protect her. She wanted to beg his forgiveness, but she knew that he'd only scoff at her and say that it was his decision. They had all made the choice to come here, risking their lives. But Kagome hadn't told anyone of the silent vow she had made. The vow that said if anyone had to lose their life, it would be her. And here she went breaking her own vow and letting Inuyasha die in her place. It was unfair.
It was at this moment, when Kagome had decidedly hit the rockiest of rock bottoms, that Miroku and Sango regained consciousness. With a loud groan, Sango sat up from where she had been thrown across Miroku. He had broken her fall when they had been rammed into the wall by Naraku. She quickly looked back over to him, shaking him awake, her heart in her throat.
"Miroku, Miroku wake up!" she called. His violet eyes fluttered, then opened.
"Oh...I have such a migraine." He looked up at Sango and smiled. "That's definitely going to leave a mark." Sango, tears flowing from her radiant brown eyes, threw herself on to Miroku, hugging him around the neck.
"Thank the stars, you're alive!" she whispered into his ear, holding him tightly. Miroku didn't try to grope, he was too happy to hold her to him to care. They had been to hell and back, a little roughed up, but alive. That was when Sango pulled back at the sound of a low sob. They both looked across the room to see Kagome hunched over a red figure. Inuyasha.
"Oh God...Inuyasha!" Miroku breathed, getting to his feet and pulling Sango along so that they limped quickly to their friends' side. "Kagome, Inuyasha!"
Kagome looked up, her face streaked with tears. Her eyes were broken, so lost and sorrowful. She looked down at the unmoving half-demon beside her. "Naraku...stabbed him," she choked out between sharp breaths. Then she went to pieces again. Sango quickly wrapped her arms around Kagome and rocked her back and forth, like a mother would. Sango wanted to comfort her, but knew there would be no words to ease this pain. She looked to Miroku who leaned over his friend, grief written all over his face. As Kagome had done, Miroku felt for a pulse and discovered none. Inuyasha, his best friend, the only person he had ever fully trusted...was dead. It left a part of him numb and shaking. He looked up at Sango, the woman he loved, his eyes as empty as Kagome's had been. Sango shed silent tears, not knowing what to say to ease the pain in the three of them.
"Why..." Kagome rasped, pulling away from Sango enough to grab her friend's shoulders and look her in the face. "Why is it the 'one thing' I wanted to save was the one thing I couldn't protect?" She sniffled deeply and shook her head. "I wasn't strong enough to save him."
"Oh Kagome, don't say that!" Sango said, hugging her friend once more. "You did everything you could. You saved the city from Naraku."
"Inuyasha went into this with his eyes open Kagome," Miroku said, taking her hand in a comforting way. "He knew what he had gotten himself into. He wouldn't like you to beat yourself up over this when it wasn't your fault."
"I know," Kagome said, smiling through her tears. "He'd yell at me to stop being guilty." Miroku gave her a small smile and nodded. The three then sat in silence, holding each other and mourning their fallen friend. "We...we should go back," Kagome said, breaking the silence.
"Yes," Sango agreed. "Kirara is outside, she can carry Inuyasha back home with us Kagome." Kagome nodded and Miroku helped her to her feet. She was too drained to carry herself. Her mystical powers had all gone into the arrow, her physical energy too, and the shock of Inuyasha's death had left her numb inside.
Sango called in Kirara, still fully transformed, and she and Miroku laid Inuyasha's body carefully upon her back. Next they helped Kagome on to the cat demon's back. Miroku and Sango were the both worse for wear, but Kagome was far worse, and they could still walk well enough. Kagome rode on Kirara, holding Inuyasha's body to her, willing the warmth from her body to stay in his. This way, she could at least pretend that he was still with her for a little while longer.
The small group slowly made their way back to the border to receive a warm welcome. It turned out that the Golem army had retreated at the exact moment that Naraku fell under Kagome's arrow. The Loyal Gangs of the city were victorious, and ravenously laid claim to the long barren Heart of the City. It was theirs again. The city was free to the peoples that called it home.
Although the small resistance army had taken heavy casualties-including Nyla of the Fox Gang and Skyris of the Ravens-they were, for the most part, very well off. Kouga had been wounded by the enemy, and taken back for medical treatment in both legs and his right arm. Kagome made a mental note to find him later. Right now, she wanted to see no one but Katia. And she found the Death Dealer leader in her meditation pose over the dead. She blessed each of them before they were taken away, wishing each of their souls a good afterlife or reincarnation. Katia balked however, upon seeing Kagome with Inuyasha.
"He fell to the enemy," Kagome said quietly. Kirara lowered herself to the ground so Kagome to ease Inuyasha's body from the cat demon's back and place it before Katia for a blessing. "He protected me." Her voice caught, and Katia took to girl into her arms.
"Shed no more tears, Guardian," Katia told her softly. "He is not lost to you." Kagome drew back and looked at Katia with wide eyes.
"What do you mean?" Katia only smiled.
"It is within your power, as it always has been, to save his life. But think hard because once it is done, it can never be taken back. For now, I will have him taken to your shrine, and he will be taken care of properly. Go home Kagome, rest with your comrades, and I will come to you at nightfall." For indeed, the time had past to where it was dawn already. The dawn of a new day, and a new era of this city. Kagome nodded mutely as Katia summoned two of her Dealers to take Inuyasha's corpse to the shrine to be cleaned and prepared. Sango and Miroku came to her side, and the three of them followed the Death Dealers back to the shrine. All the while, Kagome pondered the meaning behind Katia's words. She cursed herself for it, but the sparklings of hope reigning in her. Perhaps there was a way, a way to save Inuyasha.
The reception at the Shrine of Four Souls was loving as both grandfather and brother hugged Kagome as she arrived. She tried to return their affection, she really did, but it was no use. The shock of Inuyasha's death, the pain of the day had taken a toll on her far worse then she wanted to admit to her family. The two Death Dealers easily passed the family, the body on the stretcher they carried was covered in a blanket so that it was impossible to tell who it was. But Kagome knew, as did Sango and Miroku, but they were too tired and in too much pain to speak of it.
Higurashi seemed to sense this pain, seeing the sorrow and weariness in his granddaughter's eyes, as well as in the eyes of her companions. He also noted rather pointedly that the white-haired half demon was no where to be found. Suddenly it came together. The silence and the sorrow, the body taken to the back shrine for cleansing, as if preparing for a burial. It was him who was killed. Without a word to the three companions, he led them into the house and offered them anything they needed.
Miroku and Sango picked at some food, but Kagome was neither hungry nor thirsty. She went to the bathroom and showered first, washing Inuyasha's blood from her body, washing the smell of Naraku away. She knew though, that no matter how hard she scrubbed, the pain wouldn't bleed out through her skin. Kagome then dressed and went to her room, collapsing on her bed and falling into a deep slumber. She slept through the rest of the day, her dreams filled with fleeting images of Inuyasha.
She barely even felt like she had fallen asleep at all when there was a chaste knocking at her door, and Sango appeared at her side. "Wake up Kagome," she said quietly. "Katia is here for the last rights on Inuyasha."
Kagome rubbed her eyes, bringing them into focus. She noticed that Sango was wearing a very traditional style of clothing--funeral wear. It brought a fresh flood of tears to Kagome's eyes. While she slept, she had been able to bask in the dreams that Inuyasha really was still alive, or that Katia's words were in truth, that she could find a way to save him. But there was no way to bring the dead back to life. There was only the pain of knowing that they were gone from this world forever.
"I'll be ready in a few minutes," Kagome assured Sango, quickly wiping the tears from her face. Sango nodded and then returned downstairs.
Everyone was quiet as they sat in the living room. Katia sat cross-legged on the floor again, Miroku at her side in the same meditation-orientated position. Souta and Higurashi sat on the small cough, heads down and looking sad. the two Death Dealers were just finishing Inuyasha's cleansing in the Shrine itself, so the rest of the household waited in silence. Sango sat next to Miroku, drawing comfort from the warmth of his body next to hers. Sango had known Kagome forever and a day. She had been there when Kagome's parents were killed in the accident. She had been there when Kagome had taken the rituals to become the Guardian of the Shikon Jewel, a ritual that nearly cost Kagome her very life. And she was with her when Naraku drove her from home, seeking the very same Jewel. But through all of that, Sango knew that Kagome could endure. But this time she wasn't sure that Kagome would bounce back.
"I think we should give her some time alone with him," Katia said quietly, her eyes still closed.
"Yes," Sango agreed. "This will be very hard on her..."
They were silent again. Katia's dealers entered the room, told their leader that the task was complete, then returned to caring for the wounded at the front once more. They waited a moment longer before Kagome came down the stairs. She was dressed formally, all in white, with her dark hair pulled back into a braid. She had washed her face of the tears, but her dark eyes were as red as Katia's. The Shikon Jewel hung glittering on it's chain around her neck.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," she muttered, looking at her feet.
"It's alright, child," Katia said, getting to her feet. "Come, you and I will visit Inuyasha together." Kagome nodded gratefully and followed the woman into the Shrine. Sango, Miroku, and Kagome's family watched, but didn't follow-yet.
Inuyasha was laid out on a pallet in the Shrine. All the blood had been washed from his body and he was, once more, dressed in the red kimono armor that Katia had given him before they left. Kagome curiously noted that the armor had been mended because there was no hole in the abdomen where Inuyasha had been stabbed. He looked like he was merely sleeping to Kagome's eyes, and she felt the tears prickle in the back once more. Taking a deep breath, she moved to his side, kneeling next to him, and taking one of the hands that had been resting over her heart in her own. She sat there silently for long moments, occasionally running a hand through his hair or tracing his cheekbone with a finger. But mostly she just held his hand and willed herself not to cry.
Katia stood a silent vigil over this, her immortal heart breaking at the sight. It truly was an unjust and unfair thing to ask this girl to give up the one thing that held the most value in her life. Destiny truly did repeat itself, now didn't it? Well, Katia would be damned before she allowed this girl to suffer any more. Her past life had suffered just as much.
"Kagome," Katia said, going to the Guardian's side. She kneeled beside her and turned to face her. "What I said before is true. Inuyasha is not lost to you."
"But he is," Kagome whispered, the held back tears pouring down her face. "He's dead Katia! He's dead and I can't bring the dead back to life! No one can!"
"You have the power to do so Kagome. It hangs on a chain around your neck." Kagome's head snapped up in realization as Katia took her hand.
"You must think long and hard about this, my darling girl. To do this will change all the lives who are part of this today. You must choose, but do not take too long, or it will be hard for him to return to you." Katia leaned forward and kissed Kagome on the forehead, then stood to leave. "The decision is yours and only yours, Guardian of the Jewel. I will now return to the place that was once mine. The Heart of the City." And with that, Katia was gone.
Kagome sat, stunned and saddened. She finally understood what Katia hinted. She could use the Jewel to wish for Inuyasha's life. But what would happen if she did that? The Jewel...it would disappear. Then what would become of her family? They were so tied and connected to the Jewel, to the Shrine, it would be the ultimate selfishness to use it for her benefit. But then she looked at Inuyasha, where he lay so still and cold, and something in her heart tightened.
"He gave his life for this...this Jewel. It's because of the Jewel that Naraku came to me, because of the Jewel that I had to flee and even involve Inuyasha. Would it really be so wrong to use the Jewel...to give him back the life that was stolen from him? All because of the Jewel..."
Kagome reached to her neck and closed her fingers around the Jewel. She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled against the chain. It broke off and the Jewel stayed fisted in her hand. She walked calmly to the door of the Shrine, calmly to the steps of her home, calmly to her grandfather's side. "Grandpa," she began.
Old Man Higurashi looked up at her, surprised, as did the other three people in the room. "Kagome!"
"I'm going to use the Jewel," Kagome said bluntly.
"What?" was echoed back at her in four voices. Kagome smiled grimly at them and held her fisted hand in front of her.
"This Jewel has taken enough from me. I'm using it to bring Inuyasha back."
"Kagome, you can't!" Old Man Higurashi yelled, getting to his feet. "I forbid it! The Jewel is a priceless, sacred artifact. It can not be simply used and cast aside on a whim."
"A whim?" Kagome said, her voice without a tone. "Was it a whim that Naraku came for it, Grandpa? Was it a whim that Inuyasha gave his life to protect me and this infernal Jewel? Is it a whim that for as long as this thing exists, more and more demons will come for it? They'll never stop Grandpa. Hasn't our family suffered enough? Can't you let me end it?"
"Kagome, you simply do not understand!" he said again, taking her fisted hand in his own. "The Jewel is only ours to protect, we can not use it. That is the law of our tradition."
Kagome drew herself up and looked at her grandfather, her brother, and her two friends. Sango and Miroku stared at her with smiles. They knew her best. "I'm sorry Grandpa, but to hell with law. I am the Guardian of the Jewel and the choice is mine. I was just letting you know." And with that, Kagome left as calmly as she had come.
Old Man Higurashi would have gone after her, but Souta stopped him. "Let her do it Gramps," he said. "It's her decision." With that, Souta led his grandfather to the kitchen to have a talk. Miroku and Sango watched them for a few seconds, then went after Kagome.
They came to the door to the Shrine and saw Kagome kneeling next to Inuyasha. She was talking to him in a low voice and they dared not to interrupt. " Inuyasha, I don't know if this can work or not, but I'm going to try it. I owe you that much. If it works, then you can come back here, and we'll all be waiting for you. But if you can't...then you have to promise to wait for me. It's a deal then." She leaned forward enough to brush her lips against his, then got to her feet, holding the Jewel in her cupped hands.
"Shikon Jewel, created of Midoriko, created of demons, I call upon you, answer my wish!" A great wind began to blow in the Shrine, surrounding Kagome. Her braid came undone, making her raven hair whip violently around her face. Her voice rose over the howling winds to continue. "Grant my wish! I, Kagome, Guardian of the Shikon Jewel, call upon you Midoriko! Please, give Inuyasha back his life!"
Kagome watched as the wind backed away from her, surrounding her in the eye of a miniature hurricane of sheer power. The Jewel in her hands began to glow with a frightening intensity, then it seemed to disintegrate into a million shining points of violet light. They pooled in her cupped hands only to spill over her fingers to the floor in front of her. Kagome watched in fascination as the lights from what once was the Jewel formed the shape of a human. Then, the shape which had once been an outline of transparent light, took on the image and flesh of Midoriko herself.
"Midoriko," Kagome breathed. The woman before her, stunningly beautiful with long raven hair and dressed in medieval armor, smiled at her and nodded. The apparition had taken on a temporary body to grant the wish of her descendant. "Will you...bring him back?" Kagome asked, looking to Inuyasha, who lay at her feet.
Midoriko looked at Kagome, then looked to Inuyasha. She rubbed her hands together and kneeled beside the dead half-demon. Kagome watched eagerly as Midoriko ran her hands up and down the length of Inuyasha's body, her palms a few inches above contact. There was a look of intense concentration on the apparition's face as she searched the body, then she smiled and stood. She held out her hands to Kagome, and the girl reluctantly took them.
Much to Kagome's surprise, Midoriko's hands were very warm. 'Kagome,' a voice spoke in her mind. 'Can you hear me?'
"Is that you?" Kagome asked Midoriko. The apparition smiled and nodded.
'I have no voice as a specter, so I must communicate through physical contact. You wish for the life of the half-demon, and I can give it to you, but you must give it back to him. I have no body, and the life needed would not pass from the dead to the dead. Will you do this?'
"If it will bring him back, I'll do anything," Kagome said, meaning every word.
Midoriko smiled once more. 'Then I give you the life of Inuyasha.' Suddenly, a hot-almost painful sensation ran from their joined hands into Kagome. Images of memories flashed in her eyes, but they were not her own. They were Inuyasha's. His feelings, his thoughts, everything that made up Inuyasha was flowing into Kagome through Midoriko's hands. Kagome took in a sharp breath, doubling over, but not breaking their joined hands. 'It will be over soon, and then you can give it back to him,' Midoriko explained sympathetically.
And as suddenly as the pain began, it stopped. All that was left was a warm feeling in her chest. Inuyasha's soul was within her. 'Now you must give it to him, and he'll awaken as if he had never been harmed. All the memories you have seen, all the feelings you have felt, everything in his heart with be his once more.'
"But how do I give it to him?" Kagome asked, looking into the eyes of her ancestor.
'As one would always awaken a sleeping love,' Midoriko said with a smile. 'With a kiss.'
"Is that all?" Kagome asked, looking down at Inuyasha again.
'That is all,' Midoriko told her. 'When the wish is fulfilled, the Jewel will disappear from you, Kagome. You can not look to me again.'
"I know," she said, looking at their still joined hands. "Thank you, Midoriko."
'You are welcome, my child,' Midoriko said with a smile, pulling Kagome into an embrace. 'My family has lasted long through the ages, and I am glad to see that they have stayed as true and pure as I hoped they would. I wish you luck Kagome.' And then, Midoriko stepped back and her image faded back into the violet lights, which reformed the Jewel. But the Jewel did not return to Kagome, it faded away into nothingness.
The whirlwind that kept Miroku and Sango at bay was still raging, but the winds were dying. The Jewel's power was ebbing. It was now or never, and Kagome never hesitated. She fell to her knees and leaned over Inuyasha. She closed her eyes, two tears dripping on to Inuyasha's cheeks as she pressed her lips to his, willing the warm soul and life that lay within her back to it's proper place. The rush of the soul leaving her was jarring, but not as painful as when she had gotten it from Midoriko. It ran from her lips into Inuyasha, and she felt him become warm under her fingers once more. She felt the first beating of his heart under her palm. She pushed every bit of life that was not her own into Inuyasha, then pulled back.
Blood raced through his body, color returning to his face and skin. His chest rose and fell with new breaths. Kagome pulled up his shirt and saw the gaping hole in his chest close and heal without so much as a scar. As if it had never been there. As if he had never died, had never been hurt at all. Tears poured from her eyes as she watched him revive, little by little. Life returned to his fingers as they twitched, along with the fuzzy ears on his head. And then, with her heart in her throat, Kagome saw his eyes flicker open.
"Inuyasha?" she whispered, hardly daring to breath at all.
"Holy Shit," he muttered, sitting up way too fast. "Where's Naraku? That fucking son of a bitch! I'll kill him! He stabbed me, I don't fricking believe it!" He took in his surroundings. "What the--?" He rubbed his temples with his clawed fingers and looked at Kagome. "What's with the tears?"
Before he could say another word, Kagome had thrown herself on him and he'd found himself on the floor again, this time with a warm body on top of him. "Inuyasha, you're alive! It worked, you're alive!"
"Why the hell wouldn't I be alive?" he asked, holding her as she sobbed on him, a little confused. He remembered getting stabbed by Naraku, remembered falling to the ground. There was the flash of light, and the scream, and then there was nothing. He had no idea how he had gotten back to Kagome's Shrine, or why Naraku wasn't there.
"You...you don't remember?" she asked him once she was under control again. "Naraku stabbed you...you died Inuyasha."
"I...died?" he asked, wide-eyed. "Then how am I here?"
"I used the Jewel and Midoriko gave me your life back," she explained, sitting up and bringing him with her. The winds finally died around them and Sango and Miroku ran to them.
" Damn, Inuyasha!, You've gotta be the luckiest bastard that ever lived!" Miroku said, clapping his friend on the back two seconds before he embraced him.
Sango laughed, then hugged him too. "Thank the stars, you're alive." Inuyasha, a little confused, but happy, received their rejoice with a smile.
Somewhere inside him, he had known that he had died, but all senses were just screaming happily that he was alive. Alive now and for a long time if Kagome had anything to say about it. And you know what? Inuyasha wouldn't have it any other way.
Katia was called to the Shrine the next day to be greeted by the formerly dead half-demon and Kagome with much thanks. She only smiled and said that everything done had been done by them, she was merely the one who kept the records of events. Meanwhile, the four companions had been inseparable since their fallen fourth member was returned to them. Inseparable to the point where Inuyasha and Miroku both left their tiny apartments in the city outskirts to move into the Shrine House with the Higurashi family. Sure, they had to use the spare room and the small apartment over the Shrine, but it was a lot better to be there then anywhere else. Sango was a frequent guest, as always. As for Naraku, he was kept under constant guard by Katia herself, when she reclaimed her Tower in the Heart of the City. The Guardian of the City was once more the immortal Death Dealer. And the city fell into a peaceful calm.
It just goes to show that when things start out at the bottom, all they can do is go up. All it took was a magical Jewel, a strong mystic, and a Ramen-crazed half-demon to save the day. And if that isn't surviving a city, what is?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here we have it readers, the end of Surviving a City. I want to thank everyone who read my story, you guys really made it worth while. I hope to start the sequel within a few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled. The name hasn't been decided as of yet, but I'm thinking something along the lines of The City: Revisited, or something like that. It will pick up five years later. As every good story needs a villain, Naraku gets released from his suspended state by a mysterious girl. Katia, the City's Guardian has suddenly gone missing! And a host of other problems will occur once our four heroes discover who is behind it--oh, and prepare for more stunning narration from Inuyasha, hehe!
Whyndancer: And I guessed how he'd be brought back to life. ^_^
Last shout outs: (I was going to do a list of thank-yous and answer any questions the readers may have had about anything confusing in the story, but I'll post that as a seperate chapter and only if I break 100 with the reviews....SO REVIEW PEOPLE, REVIEW LIKE THE WIND!)
pruningshears: *sigh* shears, my dear friend, I am so glad that you liked how I killed Inuyasha--I liked how I offed him too. Hehe, you know me too well, but yes, I had to bring him back. It's not much of a story if my second-evil-head gets killed and stays dead! Oh, and I'm allowed to be cliche, I mean, he was dying and all. Plus, these are Inuyasha's most secret thoughts. Who knows what's lurking in that pea-brained head of his?
Kilila: ...I'm sorry? How does one respond to that? Anywho, I brought him back...Am I forgiven?
inuphoria: Sorry, he was legally dead for half a chapter, but I brought him back. Kudos to me, right?
Mustard Yellow Sunshine: You're reviews are so fun to read, you know that? LOL! I'm glad you were able to pick up my foreshadowing comments--I hinted that he would die through the WHOLE fic. I hope the end was a shocker for you! I really liked how I ended it, I need a happy ending or I won't sleep at night--*sigh* Oh, and Nalini? I love the bloodshed too, hehehe. Last chapter, I do so very much hope you liked it...review and let me know, okay? And if you have any questions, just as me!
Twil: Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope the ending was good.
kokoro: No need for dismemeberment, see? *edges away from a chainsaw* I brought him back and everything is right with the world...*weeps* Please don't kill me! I'm a very likable person, really! Let me know whether you liked the ending or not.
Kay Kylo: I'm glad you liked it. Chapter 14 is my favorite to tell the truth. I went all philisophical at the end there, but I like writing deep stuff. With action, of course. LOL, I'm glad you'll look into my other stories. I plan to start the sequel to Renegade this very weekend, and the sequel for this story will be started probably after Halloween. I have a few other things I want to do first. My bio-page has summaries of all I plan, so if you want an overview, read that. Please tell me what you thought of the ending, okay?
Dragons Maiden: I brought him back, no more twitching! As one of my more avid readers, I am very interested as to what you thought of my ending and story as a whole, let me know, alright?
Lady Banshee 999: Yes, I hit upon the idea one day and thought 'it would be cool if I did it all in Inuyasha POV' so I did, and I think people liked it! Let me know what you think of the ending!
--Readers--Remember, 100 reviews and I'll write a whole freaking page devoted to how glorious and magnanimous each and every reviewer is! I am sooooooo grateful beyond words to all of you who took time to read my stuff. You guys truly are wonderful! I plan to start the sequel for this Fic sometime in the beginning of November because I have a few other things I want to do. If you're in the neighborhood, please check out my other Inuyasha Fic--Tainted Blood. It's a present day AU, but it's deeper then this one. Check out my bio page if you want an overview of that or any of the fics I will be doing in the near future. Again, if you have any questions of comments, please review and I promise to answer them one way or another! Thanks again, my readers, you guys ROCK!
~~Jesse the Wolf Demon~~