Disclaimer: You know already. . .
Author's Note: About Kagome's unwanted and forced intercourse with Sesshoumaru- rape victims usually take several years to recuperate, but for the purposes of this story, I have shortened her recuperation period to one month. As for Inuyasha and Kikyou's story, I have not had any feedback on it so I do not know whether or not to do it. And yes, I lied when I said the previous chapter was the last one. There was just too much information to squeeze in, and I like to keep my chapter lengths consistent. Forgive me.
***Note*** And also, there is a piece of music that matches perfectly with the ending. The song is called "Elegy of Massacre" from Rurouni Kenshin. If you would like to, play it when the paragraph starts with "Sesshoumaru watched as if the world. . ." It should end just as you finish reading the end of this chapter.
"___" = Dialogue
'___' = Thoughts
Conflicting Desires
By Forsaken Tenshi
Chapter 14: Dire Consequences, Part II
"Kagome!" called Sesshoumaru, unseen panic building up in his heart.
Naraku was no longer human, but was a composition of different pieces of minor demons. He had an exotic array of appendages: spider legs, insect legs, tentacles, claws, all melded together with his human chest. His head towered above the components of his body, a good twenty feet up. The demonic aura radiating from him was incredible.
Kagome struggled in the black tentacle-like appendages of the half-demon. Her bow lay useless on the ground. The tentacles had wrapped around her body and her feet kicked weakly several feet in the air. The tip of a single tentacle wrapped around her neck and torso, contracting slightly with her every breath. Her face, always indifferent in battle, was slightly contorted in pain. Her breaths were uneven and strained; her face was pallid and droplets of sweat beaded her brow. Her once brilliant aura flickered about her form, feebly purifying Naraku's evil power.
However, the Shikon no Tama was untouched by Naraku's tentacle: it was still protected by Kagome's pure aura. It glowed a soft rose color.
Inuyasha was taken aback. He never thought he'd have to see Kagome again. Even back in the village, he had not thought of it. He had thought he would live out his life with Kikyou, never needing to think of Kagome again. Yet as he saw her in this battered, helpless condition, his heart quivered. "Ka. . . Kagome!" he cried. "Hold on!" He turned to Kikyou. "We must protect her."
Kikyou nodded. "Naraku must not lay his hands of the Shikon no Tama," she affirmed. She alone knew the gravity of Naraku laying his hands on the sacred jewel. He had, after all, tried the same stunt when _she_ was the guardian of the jewel. With staunch determination she notched an arrow and let it loose. It sliced through Naraku's flesh, making the half demon send a dirty look at the priestess. Kikyou continued to fire, slowly shredding Naraku's carefully constructed body. But every time an arrow damaged him, he regenerated what was lost, therefore no injury was permanent.
Inuyasha sliced off offending appendages with the Tetsusaiga, protecting Kikyou and at the same time striving to reach Kagome. Naraku watched with mild entertainment at the other half demon's attempts to kill him.
Sesshoumaru, however, simply stood there, too enraged to move. His hand clenched the Toukijin so hard his claws embedded themselves in the flesh of his palms, the handle of the sword all but crushed in his grip. His aura flared violently, and his eyes began to bleed red. The magenta stripes on his cheeks became jagged, his fangs extended. Transforming into his massive canine form, he howled furiously.
Sesshoumaru charged, fangs and claws ready to rend and tear through the evil half demon's flesh, ever mindful of Kagome. He freed her with a snap of his powerful jaws, sending Kagome plummeting to the ground. His poisonous saliva ate away at Naraku's body, and the said half demon hissed in agony. He glared malevolently at the demon. "I almost had it!" he hissed, "I will not be deterred from getting what is mine!"
His tentacles lashed at the dog's body, creating deep lacerations in the dog's side. Sesshoumaru, however, withstood the buffeting; his only concern was Kagome. He gently picked her up in his jaws. Unlike most demons, Sesshoumaru could control the toxicity of his saliva, or poison for that matter. This ability was one endowed to only the most powerful of demons.
With Kagome out of harm's way, Sesshoumaru trotted away from the devious half demon, who was slowly but surely rebuilding his ravaged body even though Inuyasha and Kikyou were constantly bombarding him with all of their strength.
The dog demon gently set her down a safe distance from Naraku and reverted to his human form. He knelt down and gently shook the priestess. "Kagome," he murmured urgently, "Wake up."
Her eyes fluttered and she groaned. "Sesshou?"
"Yes, it is I," he answered, " Naraku is still here. Do you still wish to avenge your family members?"
"Yes!" exclaimed Kagome, getting up as soon as her head had cleared of dizziness and with help from Sesshoumaru. She searched for her bow, and when she could not find it, she began to panic a little. She looked at Sesshoumaru. "You haven't. . . by any chance. . . seen my bow?"
Sesshoumaru glanced back at where the grotesque creature that was Naraku stood. Kagome groaned when she saw that her bow was crushed underneath a portion of the half demon's body. "That creature! He broke my favorite bow!"
Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow as he hazed at her.
"But no matter," she said to herself, "I still have this." And so saying, she unsheathed her stiletto. Testing her energy by filling the blade, she nodded to herself and raced to aid Inuyasha and Kikyou.
Naraku noticed the entrance of the previously unconscious priestess and turned his attention on her. He began madly attacking her in the hopes of impaling her fatally. Yet she dodged his every attack, much to the half demon's chagrin and anger. He decided to knock her unconscious instead, a much easier task. With as many tentacles as he could, he sent all of them flailing towards the shrine maiden.
Kagome neatly sliced a number of them with her blade, deftly swinging left and right with unparalleled grace. She was not touched.
Infuriated, Naraku focused all of his attention on her, his aura slowly turning into the poisonous miasma so characteristic of him. Inuyasha, Kikyou, and Sesshoumaru were repulsed by the miasma and had to retreat. But as for Kagome, Naraku encircled her with all of his appendages, intent on crushing her and absorbing the Shikon no Tama.
"Kagome!" called the trio, watching helplessly as the guardian of the jewel disappeared from view behind a thick curtain of miasma. "KAGOME!"
Kagome coughed and covered her nose with her sleeve. She had to get out of this place! But how, if everywhere she looked was a thick blackish fog of poison? A slimy tentacle wrapped itself around her and she yelped in pain as it tightened about her chest. The hand holding her stiletto was pinioned to her side. She was lifted off her feet, and was soon face to face with Naraku high up in the air. The half demon had a calculating smirk on his face.
"Fancy meeting you here," he remarked sarcastically.
Kagome scowled. "Let me go!" she spat, wiggling in her captor's grasp. 'If only I could use my blade!' she thought despairingly. She maneuvered her knife carefully and slowly, energizing it with her spiritual powers before ramming it into a tentacle. Naraku hissed in pain as the tentacle melted off, dropping Kagome the full twenty feet to the ground. She landed on the unforgiving dirt, and a sharp, pained cry was wrenched from her lips as her right ankle gave forth an agonizing snap.
She staggered on her feet, wincing and fighting desperately to keep from either shrieking in pain or fainting. Yet even as she wobbled on her feet, white spots danced in and out of her vision, a stark contrast to the thick darkness of Naraku's miasma. She blinked, hoping to clear her vision somewhat. Yet it was to no avail. She was injured and weak; her powers were not going to sustain her forever in this toxic mist. She stumbled over onto the ground, clutching the Shikon no Tama still hanging snuggly against her neck. A single tear squeezed itself out from Kagome's tightly shut eyes. She could faintly hear her name being called, the voices echoing as if from a seemingly distant place. She shuddered. "Sesshoumaru. . . please help me. . ." she whispered before she passed out.
Naraku decided to watch with pleasure as the miasma began its work on the teen's frail body. The Shikon no Tama would soon be his.
"Kagome!" Sesshoumaru whispered, "Kagome, wake up!"
Inuyasha and Kikyou looked at Sesshoumaru incredulously. "You really can talk to her?" asked Kikyou.
Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on the cloud of miasma, but nodded grimly in response to Kikyou's question. He growled, his face showing the faintest traces of displeasure. "Kagome, you _must_ get up!" he whispered so low the others did not hear, "You _have_ to. . ."
'For me. . .'
Kagome heard the reverberating voice of Sesshoumaru in her mind. Her eyes struggled to open. 'Sesshou. . . ?' she called.
'Kagome!'
'I can't move. . . I'm paralyzed. . . so much jaki. . .suffocating. . .' She fought to get up, to get away from the poisonous fumes, but her body would not respond. She coughed, her throat dry, her breath pained with every intake of the tainted air. She grimaced in pain as the miasma began to take its toll on her body; she writhed in agony as bone and tissue felt inflamed. She screamed aloud, earning a sadistic grin from Naraku.
"Oh? Still alive? But no matter, you see, little miko, this Naraku always gets what he desires."
"Kagome!" murmured Sesshoumaru. He growled low in his chest. "That stupid hanyou will not take away what belongs to this Sesshoumaru," he stated in cold fury.
"Sesshoumaru! Come back!" yelled Kikyou as the dog demon disappeared into the miasma.
"He's dead," stated Inuyasha somewhat dumbly. "He's dead if he's gone in there."
Kikyou gave Inuyasha a pleading glance. "No, Inuyasha-kun, we must be strong and hope he can get Kagome-sama out before Naraku obtains the Shikon no Tama." She steadied her gaze on the swirling black mist. "Come back to us, you two," she said quietly.
Sesshoumaru growled in frustration. He could not see a damn thing in this! He trudged on, only to run into something solid. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was Naraku's body. So where was Kagome?
'Kagome, where are you?' he thought desperately.
'I'm surrounded. . .' was her faint, ever-so-faint reply.
'Stay with me, Kagome,' he thought, 'I'm coming for you!' With a mighty effort, Sesshoumaru clawed through the wall of Naraku's flesh, his poison melting away the tissue in gurgling green slime. Naraku scowled. "You will pay dearly for that, Sesshoumaru," he remarked.
Before he knew what was happening, Sesshoumaru was swept up in a multitude of tentacles that immobilized his arms and legs. He growled at the faint outline of Naraku's head and chest.
The half demon smirked. "What power I feel flowing through you. . . mind if I TAKE IT?" With the last two words Naraku squeezed Sesshoumaru in his grasp, his appendages transforming into a living muck that engulfed Sesshoumaru. The dog demon clenched his teeth in pain, although his face showed nothing besides pure loathing for this _thing_ that dared to take Kagome away from him. The slime began to burn like acid, slowly melting away his body.
'Kagome. . .' he thought as he abruptly noticed that she lay by his feet, unconscious. 'Stay with me, Kagome,' he chanted in his head as he moved his hand within the confining coils to grasp the hilt of the Toukijin. He wrenched the sword from his sash, freeing himself from the confines of Naraku's jelly-like body. Naraku recoiled in pain. Sesshoumaru hurriedly slid the Toukijin into his sash, picked up Kagome, and jumped upwards and out of the fog of miasma.
He landed outside of the mist, his skin slightly melted and jelly-like. Sesshoumaru disregarded the problem in light of Kagome's plight. He laid her on the ground and knelt over her. Kikyou and Inuyasha rushed to her side.
"Is she dead?" Inuyasha asked.
All could barely see the rise and fall of her chest. The Shikon no Tama glowed a faint pink, a sign that she was almost out of energy. "No," Sesshoumaru replied, "But she is close."
Kikyou set her face determinedly. "Move," she commanded to the two dog demons. "I am going to try to revitalize her." The two demons looked at her somewhat confusedly; however, they stood their ground. "I mean," Kikyou growled between gritted teeth, "Unless you two want to be _purified_, I suggest you move away!"
They understood her message and hurriedly scrambled away from the two priestesses. They watched with mixed curiosity and awe as both Kikyou and Kagome radiated a blue light, the stronger of which came from Kikyou. Kikyou placed her hands over Kagome's heart. 'Don't die on me, Kagome, we need you!' Kikyou prayed.
Naraku looked about for both the demon he had wanted to absorb and the priestess he had been so intent on killing. Finding neither, he snarled to himself and began to scout them out. He emerged from the haze of miasma to see Kikyou struggling to revive the other girl.
With narrowed eyes he stalked towards her, a leer on his face. Using a tentacle, he slapped Kikyou away from Kagome, slamming her into the trunk of a nearby tree. Inuyasha was at her side immediately. Sesshoumaru lunged forwards and swept Kagome up just as a pointed appendage rammed itself into the ground where Kagome had previously lain.
Soaring high in the air, Sesshoumaru jostled Kagome gently. "Wake up!"
Kagome groaned. "Sesshou? Where are we?"
The demon lord landed on the ground and placed her on her feet. She cried out as her legs gave way. Sesshoumaru caught her. "I'll be fine," she said, grimacing, "Go get that damned bastard." She shakily stood by herself and refocused her gaze on Naraku, and the same fire of determination ignited in her eyes. "I'm going to finish this once and for all!" she muttered through gritted teeth.
Sesshoumaru streaked forwards to block the onslaught of legs and pincers that came sailing towards her. Kagome began to collect the last of her energy into a fiery cerulean orb that rippled with her power.
Naraku's eyes widened when he saw the violently swirling sphere of raw purification energy. He had to get her now, lest he become the damned Onigumo once more! He applied more effort into reaching her, but Sesshoumaru blocked his way. The dog demon spared a glance at his brother even in the midst of battle.
Inuyasha cradled the limp form of Kikyou in his arms. "Kikyou?" he whispered tentatively.
Her eyes fluttered open and she moaned. "Inuyasha. . . my head aches. . ."
"Hush," chided the half demon, "You were hit fairly hard; don't overstrain yourself."
Kikyou gazed up at him with wide eyes. "What happened with Kagome? Where is she?"
A finger slid down to close her lips. "Kagome is fine. She is up and about ready to kick Naraku's ass," was the reply.
Kikyou sighed. "That is good. I honestly thought she wasn't going to make it."
Inuyasha grinned tightly. "Neither did I."
Kikyou stood up, shakily, with Inuyasha's help. "Come. We need to be there for her."
Inuyasha nodded affirmatively, and they both plunged into battle to help defeat the evil half demon.
Sesshoumaru was relieved when Inuyasha and Kikyou came to aid him. Although he was one of the strongest, he, too, had his limits. He also had the nagging suspicion that Naraku was slowly absorbing his demon energy- usually Sesshoumaru did not tire this quickly. That was not a good thing, for that simply meant Naraku was feeding off Sesshoumaru's energy and gaining in strength and power.
"What took you, brother?" he asked tensely as he slashed at a pincer with the Toukijin.
Inuyasha grunted as he swung the Tetsusaiga. "Had to take care of Kikyou," he replied as he cut through another odd-looking leg.
Arrow after arrow rained before the brothers, hurting Naraku, thanks to Kikyou's accurate and precise aim.
Behind all of this Kagome continued to accumulate her energies. Naraku was desperate. With a forceful lunge he hurtled his body past Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha and slapped Kagome sideways with an outstretched tentacle. The energy shot off, grazing the half demon's cheek. He reeled in pain.
Sesshoumaru watched as if the world had suddenly gone in slow motion. He saw Kagome's body lift in the air as a result of the power in Naraku's frantic attack. He saw the pained, surprised expression flit across her face. Her body disappeared into the Bone Eater's Well. Sesshoumaru distantly felt his body charge towards the priestess in the hopes of catching her before she fell in. If she did, her neck would snap and she'd die upon contact with the earthen bottom. And, he was not sure the Tenseiga would allow him to revive her again.
Right as he reached the lip of the well, an intense purple-pink light exploded from the opening of the well, temporarily blinding the dog demon. Nevertheless, he jumped in, praying Kagome was not dead. He found nothing.
He searched the entire four by four interior for the priestess, but there was not a single trace. Her scent lingered faintly. Enraged, with eyes bleeding a feral scarlet, he vaulted out of the well to vent his fury on Naraku. However, Naraku had sensed that the Shikon no Tama had disappeared and had made his escape via the tornado-like cocoon of miasma.
Inuyasha and Kikyou stood a ways off, giving the irate demon lord identical quizzical looks. Sesshoumaru turned away so that they would not see his face. Trembling with suppressed wrath and grief, Sesshoumaru hopped back into the well. He stood for a while, his fists clenched so tightly they freely bled. His throat constricted, rendering him unable to speak for several moments. His breathing was ragged and heavy. Finally he spoke in a soft voice full of anguish. . . and love.
"Kagome. . ." he whispered harshly, "I never told you. . . never asked you. . . to be with me. . . by my side. . . forever. . . my equal. . . my love. . ." He choked on his words. ". . . be. . . my. . . wife. . . and mate. . ."
Dropping to his knees, the dog demon slammed his balled fists into the earthen bottom of the well, and for the first time since the death of his beloved mother, Sesshoumaru, the Demon Lord of the Western Lands, wept.
~*~*~*~
Please continue to Unending Sorrow.
~*~*~*~
FT: Konnichiwa, minna-san! Whee! I finally finished! My first completed fic too (in any anime series for that matter)!
Sesshoumaru: *outraged* I AM GOING TO _MURDER_ YOU!!! *flies at FT with poison dripping from claws*
FT: O_O;;; Spare me. *magically disappears*
Sesshoumaru: *swipes at puff of smoke and is puzzled*
FT: *voice* Don't worry, Sesshy-kun, you will get her back. . . *giggles* Maybe. . . To all of my wonderful reviewers and readers, words simply cannot express my gratitude. Thank you ever so much for making my humble little story such a wonderful writing experience. I know I have kept you waiting with cliffhangers and such, and I sincerely apologize for the ending. I know you will flame me for it, but this is the ending that I have imagined since when I began writing this fic. To answer any questions about what the entire outcome of this continued story will be, Sesshoumaru and Kagome _will_ be together. . . just not at the end of this story, as you all have seen. I will post Unending Sorrow as a one shot, followed by another multi-chapter story to bring Sesshoumaru and Kagome back together. Once again, thank you all _ever_ so much! *bows low to readers*
~*~*~*~
Author's Note: About Kagome's unwanted and forced intercourse with Sesshoumaru- rape victims usually take several years to recuperate, but for the purposes of this story, I have shortened her recuperation period to one month. As for Inuyasha and Kikyou's story, I have not had any feedback on it so I do not know whether or not to do it. And yes, I lied when I said the previous chapter was the last one. There was just too much information to squeeze in, and I like to keep my chapter lengths consistent. Forgive me.
***Note*** And also, there is a piece of music that matches perfectly with the ending. The song is called "Elegy of Massacre" from Rurouni Kenshin. If you would like to, play it when the paragraph starts with "Sesshoumaru watched as if the world. . ." It should end just as you finish reading the end of this chapter.
"___" = Dialogue
'___' = Thoughts
Conflicting Desires
By Forsaken Tenshi
Chapter 14: Dire Consequences, Part II
"Kagome!" called Sesshoumaru, unseen panic building up in his heart.
Naraku was no longer human, but was a composition of different pieces of minor demons. He had an exotic array of appendages: spider legs, insect legs, tentacles, claws, all melded together with his human chest. His head towered above the components of his body, a good twenty feet up. The demonic aura radiating from him was incredible.
Kagome struggled in the black tentacle-like appendages of the half-demon. Her bow lay useless on the ground. The tentacles had wrapped around her body and her feet kicked weakly several feet in the air. The tip of a single tentacle wrapped around her neck and torso, contracting slightly with her every breath. Her face, always indifferent in battle, was slightly contorted in pain. Her breaths were uneven and strained; her face was pallid and droplets of sweat beaded her brow. Her once brilliant aura flickered about her form, feebly purifying Naraku's evil power.
However, the Shikon no Tama was untouched by Naraku's tentacle: it was still protected by Kagome's pure aura. It glowed a soft rose color.
Inuyasha was taken aback. He never thought he'd have to see Kagome again. Even back in the village, he had not thought of it. He had thought he would live out his life with Kikyou, never needing to think of Kagome again. Yet as he saw her in this battered, helpless condition, his heart quivered. "Ka. . . Kagome!" he cried. "Hold on!" He turned to Kikyou. "We must protect her."
Kikyou nodded. "Naraku must not lay his hands of the Shikon no Tama," she affirmed. She alone knew the gravity of Naraku laying his hands on the sacred jewel. He had, after all, tried the same stunt when _she_ was the guardian of the jewel. With staunch determination she notched an arrow and let it loose. It sliced through Naraku's flesh, making the half demon send a dirty look at the priestess. Kikyou continued to fire, slowly shredding Naraku's carefully constructed body. But every time an arrow damaged him, he regenerated what was lost, therefore no injury was permanent.
Inuyasha sliced off offending appendages with the Tetsusaiga, protecting Kikyou and at the same time striving to reach Kagome. Naraku watched with mild entertainment at the other half demon's attempts to kill him.
Sesshoumaru, however, simply stood there, too enraged to move. His hand clenched the Toukijin so hard his claws embedded themselves in the flesh of his palms, the handle of the sword all but crushed in his grip. His aura flared violently, and his eyes began to bleed red. The magenta stripes on his cheeks became jagged, his fangs extended. Transforming into his massive canine form, he howled furiously.
Sesshoumaru charged, fangs and claws ready to rend and tear through the evil half demon's flesh, ever mindful of Kagome. He freed her with a snap of his powerful jaws, sending Kagome plummeting to the ground. His poisonous saliva ate away at Naraku's body, and the said half demon hissed in agony. He glared malevolently at the demon. "I almost had it!" he hissed, "I will not be deterred from getting what is mine!"
His tentacles lashed at the dog's body, creating deep lacerations in the dog's side. Sesshoumaru, however, withstood the buffeting; his only concern was Kagome. He gently picked her up in his jaws. Unlike most demons, Sesshoumaru could control the toxicity of his saliva, or poison for that matter. This ability was one endowed to only the most powerful of demons.
With Kagome out of harm's way, Sesshoumaru trotted away from the devious half demon, who was slowly but surely rebuilding his ravaged body even though Inuyasha and Kikyou were constantly bombarding him with all of their strength.
The dog demon gently set her down a safe distance from Naraku and reverted to his human form. He knelt down and gently shook the priestess. "Kagome," he murmured urgently, "Wake up."
Her eyes fluttered and she groaned. "Sesshou?"
"Yes, it is I," he answered, " Naraku is still here. Do you still wish to avenge your family members?"
"Yes!" exclaimed Kagome, getting up as soon as her head had cleared of dizziness and with help from Sesshoumaru. She searched for her bow, and when she could not find it, she began to panic a little. She looked at Sesshoumaru. "You haven't. . . by any chance. . . seen my bow?"
Sesshoumaru glanced back at where the grotesque creature that was Naraku stood. Kagome groaned when she saw that her bow was crushed underneath a portion of the half demon's body. "That creature! He broke my favorite bow!"
Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow as he hazed at her.
"But no matter," she said to herself, "I still have this." And so saying, she unsheathed her stiletto. Testing her energy by filling the blade, she nodded to herself and raced to aid Inuyasha and Kikyou.
Naraku noticed the entrance of the previously unconscious priestess and turned his attention on her. He began madly attacking her in the hopes of impaling her fatally. Yet she dodged his every attack, much to the half demon's chagrin and anger. He decided to knock her unconscious instead, a much easier task. With as many tentacles as he could, he sent all of them flailing towards the shrine maiden.
Kagome neatly sliced a number of them with her blade, deftly swinging left and right with unparalleled grace. She was not touched.
Infuriated, Naraku focused all of his attention on her, his aura slowly turning into the poisonous miasma so characteristic of him. Inuyasha, Kikyou, and Sesshoumaru were repulsed by the miasma and had to retreat. But as for Kagome, Naraku encircled her with all of his appendages, intent on crushing her and absorbing the Shikon no Tama.
"Kagome!" called the trio, watching helplessly as the guardian of the jewel disappeared from view behind a thick curtain of miasma. "KAGOME!"
Kagome coughed and covered her nose with her sleeve. She had to get out of this place! But how, if everywhere she looked was a thick blackish fog of poison? A slimy tentacle wrapped itself around her and she yelped in pain as it tightened about her chest. The hand holding her stiletto was pinioned to her side. She was lifted off her feet, and was soon face to face with Naraku high up in the air. The half demon had a calculating smirk on his face.
"Fancy meeting you here," he remarked sarcastically.
Kagome scowled. "Let me go!" she spat, wiggling in her captor's grasp. 'If only I could use my blade!' she thought despairingly. She maneuvered her knife carefully and slowly, energizing it with her spiritual powers before ramming it into a tentacle. Naraku hissed in pain as the tentacle melted off, dropping Kagome the full twenty feet to the ground. She landed on the unforgiving dirt, and a sharp, pained cry was wrenched from her lips as her right ankle gave forth an agonizing snap.
She staggered on her feet, wincing and fighting desperately to keep from either shrieking in pain or fainting. Yet even as she wobbled on her feet, white spots danced in and out of her vision, a stark contrast to the thick darkness of Naraku's miasma. She blinked, hoping to clear her vision somewhat. Yet it was to no avail. She was injured and weak; her powers were not going to sustain her forever in this toxic mist. She stumbled over onto the ground, clutching the Shikon no Tama still hanging snuggly against her neck. A single tear squeezed itself out from Kagome's tightly shut eyes. She could faintly hear her name being called, the voices echoing as if from a seemingly distant place. She shuddered. "Sesshoumaru. . . please help me. . ." she whispered before she passed out.
Naraku decided to watch with pleasure as the miasma began its work on the teen's frail body. The Shikon no Tama would soon be his.
"Kagome!" Sesshoumaru whispered, "Kagome, wake up!"
Inuyasha and Kikyou looked at Sesshoumaru incredulously. "You really can talk to her?" asked Kikyou.
Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on the cloud of miasma, but nodded grimly in response to Kikyou's question. He growled, his face showing the faintest traces of displeasure. "Kagome, you _must_ get up!" he whispered so low the others did not hear, "You _have_ to. . ."
'For me. . .'
Kagome heard the reverberating voice of Sesshoumaru in her mind. Her eyes struggled to open. 'Sesshou. . . ?' she called.
'Kagome!'
'I can't move. . . I'm paralyzed. . . so much jaki. . .suffocating. . .' She fought to get up, to get away from the poisonous fumes, but her body would not respond. She coughed, her throat dry, her breath pained with every intake of the tainted air. She grimaced in pain as the miasma began to take its toll on her body; she writhed in agony as bone and tissue felt inflamed. She screamed aloud, earning a sadistic grin from Naraku.
"Oh? Still alive? But no matter, you see, little miko, this Naraku always gets what he desires."
"Kagome!" murmured Sesshoumaru. He growled low in his chest. "That stupid hanyou will not take away what belongs to this Sesshoumaru," he stated in cold fury.
"Sesshoumaru! Come back!" yelled Kikyou as the dog demon disappeared into the miasma.
"He's dead," stated Inuyasha somewhat dumbly. "He's dead if he's gone in there."
Kikyou gave Inuyasha a pleading glance. "No, Inuyasha-kun, we must be strong and hope he can get Kagome-sama out before Naraku obtains the Shikon no Tama." She steadied her gaze on the swirling black mist. "Come back to us, you two," she said quietly.
Sesshoumaru growled in frustration. He could not see a damn thing in this! He trudged on, only to run into something solid. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was Naraku's body. So where was Kagome?
'Kagome, where are you?' he thought desperately.
'I'm surrounded. . .' was her faint, ever-so-faint reply.
'Stay with me, Kagome,' he thought, 'I'm coming for you!' With a mighty effort, Sesshoumaru clawed through the wall of Naraku's flesh, his poison melting away the tissue in gurgling green slime. Naraku scowled. "You will pay dearly for that, Sesshoumaru," he remarked.
Before he knew what was happening, Sesshoumaru was swept up in a multitude of tentacles that immobilized his arms and legs. He growled at the faint outline of Naraku's head and chest.
The half demon smirked. "What power I feel flowing through you. . . mind if I TAKE IT?" With the last two words Naraku squeezed Sesshoumaru in his grasp, his appendages transforming into a living muck that engulfed Sesshoumaru. The dog demon clenched his teeth in pain, although his face showed nothing besides pure loathing for this _thing_ that dared to take Kagome away from him. The slime began to burn like acid, slowly melting away his body.
'Kagome. . .' he thought as he abruptly noticed that she lay by his feet, unconscious. 'Stay with me, Kagome,' he chanted in his head as he moved his hand within the confining coils to grasp the hilt of the Toukijin. He wrenched the sword from his sash, freeing himself from the confines of Naraku's jelly-like body. Naraku recoiled in pain. Sesshoumaru hurriedly slid the Toukijin into his sash, picked up Kagome, and jumped upwards and out of the fog of miasma.
He landed outside of the mist, his skin slightly melted and jelly-like. Sesshoumaru disregarded the problem in light of Kagome's plight. He laid her on the ground and knelt over her. Kikyou and Inuyasha rushed to her side.
"Is she dead?" Inuyasha asked.
All could barely see the rise and fall of her chest. The Shikon no Tama glowed a faint pink, a sign that she was almost out of energy. "No," Sesshoumaru replied, "But she is close."
Kikyou set her face determinedly. "Move," she commanded to the two dog demons. "I am going to try to revitalize her." The two demons looked at her somewhat confusedly; however, they stood their ground. "I mean," Kikyou growled between gritted teeth, "Unless you two want to be _purified_, I suggest you move away!"
They understood her message and hurriedly scrambled away from the two priestesses. They watched with mixed curiosity and awe as both Kikyou and Kagome radiated a blue light, the stronger of which came from Kikyou. Kikyou placed her hands over Kagome's heart. 'Don't die on me, Kagome, we need you!' Kikyou prayed.
Naraku looked about for both the demon he had wanted to absorb and the priestess he had been so intent on killing. Finding neither, he snarled to himself and began to scout them out. He emerged from the haze of miasma to see Kikyou struggling to revive the other girl.
With narrowed eyes he stalked towards her, a leer on his face. Using a tentacle, he slapped Kikyou away from Kagome, slamming her into the trunk of a nearby tree. Inuyasha was at her side immediately. Sesshoumaru lunged forwards and swept Kagome up just as a pointed appendage rammed itself into the ground where Kagome had previously lain.
Soaring high in the air, Sesshoumaru jostled Kagome gently. "Wake up!"
Kagome groaned. "Sesshou? Where are we?"
The demon lord landed on the ground and placed her on her feet. She cried out as her legs gave way. Sesshoumaru caught her. "I'll be fine," she said, grimacing, "Go get that damned bastard." She shakily stood by herself and refocused her gaze on Naraku, and the same fire of determination ignited in her eyes. "I'm going to finish this once and for all!" she muttered through gritted teeth.
Sesshoumaru streaked forwards to block the onslaught of legs and pincers that came sailing towards her. Kagome began to collect the last of her energy into a fiery cerulean orb that rippled with her power.
Naraku's eyes widened when he saw the violently swirling sphere of raw purification energy. He had to get her now, lest he become the damned Onigumo once more! He applied more effort into reaching her, but Sesshoumaru blocked his way. The dog demon spared a glance at his brother even in the midst of battle.
Inuyasha cradled the limp form of Kikyou in his arms. "Kikyou?" he whispered tentatively.
Her eyes fluttered open and she moaned. "Inuyasha. . . my head aches. . ."
"Hush," chided the half demon, "You were hit fairly hard; don't overstrain yourself."
Kikyou gazed up at him with wide eyes. "What happened with Kagome? Where is she?"
A finger slid down to close her lips. "Kagome is fine. She is up and about ready to kick Naraku's ass," was the reply.
Kikyou sighed. "That is good. I honestly thought she wasn't going to make it."
Inuyasha grinned tightly. "Neither did I."
Kikyou stood up, shakily, with Inuyasha's help. "Come. We need to be there for her."
Inuyasha nodded affirmatively, and they both plunged into battle to help defeat the evil half demon.
Sesshoumaru was relieved when Inuyasha and Kikyou came to aid him. Although he was one of the strongest, he, too, had his limits. He also had the nagging suspicion that Naraku was slowly absorbing his demon energy- usually Sesshoumaru did not tire this quickly. That was not a good thing, for that simply meant Naraku was feeding off Sesshoumaru's energy and gaining in strength and power.
"What took you, brother?" he asked tensely as he slashed at a pincer with the Toukijin.
Inuyasha grunted as he swung the Tetsusaiga. "Had to take care of Kikyou," he replied as he cut through another odd-looking leg.
Arrow after arrow rained before the brothers, hurting Naraku, thanks to Kikyou's accurate and precise aim.
Behind all of this Kagome continued to accumulate her energies. Naraku was desperate. With a forceful lunge he hurtled his body past Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha and slapped Kagome sideways with an outstretched tentacle. The energy shot off, grazing the half demon's cheek. He reeled in pain.
Sesshoumaru watched as if the world had suddenly gone in slow motion. He saw Kagome's body lift in the air as a result of the power in Naraku's frantic attack. He saw the pained, surprised expression flit across her face. Her body disappeared into the Bone Eater's Well. Sesshoumaru distantly felt his body charge towards the priestess in the hopes of catching her before she fell in. If she did, her neck would snap and she'd die upon contact with the earthen bottom. And, he was not sure the Tenseiga would allow him to revive her again.
Right as he reached the lip of the well, an intense purple-pink light exploded from the opening of the well, temporarily blinding the dog demon. Nevertheless, he jumped in, praying Kagome was not dead. He found nothing.
He searched the entire four by four interior for the priestess, but there was not a single trace. Her scent lingered faintly. Enraged, with eyes bleeding a feral scarlet, he vaulted out of the well to vent his fury on Naraku. However, Naraku had sensed that the Shikon no Tama had disappeared and had made his escape via the tornado-like cocoon of miasma.
Inuyasha and Kikyou stood a ways off, giving the irate demon lord identical quizzical looks. Sesshoumaru turned away so that they would not see his face. Trembling with suppressed wrath and grief, Sesshoumaru hopped back into the well. He stood for a while, his fists clenched so tightly they freely bled. His throat constricted, rendering him unable to speak for several moments. His breathing was ragged and heavy. Finally he spoke in a soft voice full of anguish. . . and love.
"Kagome. . ." he whispered harshly, "I never told you. . . never asked you. . . to be with me. . . by my side. . . forever. . . my equal. . . my love. . ." He choked on his words. ". . . be. . . my. . . wife. . . and mate. . ."
Dropping to his knees, the dog demon slammed his balled fists into the earthen bottom of the well, and for the first time since the death of his beloved mother, Sesshoumaru, the Demon Lord of the Western Lands, wept.
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Please continue to Unending Sorrow.
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FT: Konnichiwa, minna-san! Whee! I finally finished! My first completed fic too (in any anime series for that matter)!
Sesshoumaru: *outraged* I AM GOING TO _MURDER_ YOU!!! *flies at FT with poison dripping from claws*
FT: O_O;;; Spare me. *magically disappears*
Sesshoumaru: *swipes at puff of smoke and is puzzled*
FT: *voice* Don't worry, Sesshy-kun, you will get her back. . . *giggles* Maybe. . . To all of my wonderful reviewers and readers, words simply cannot express my gratitude. Thank you ever so much for making my humble little story such a wonderful writing experience. I know I have kept you waiting with cliffhangers and such, and I sincerely apologize for the ending. I know you will flame me for it, but this is the ending that I have imagined since when I began writing this fic. To answer any questions about what the entire outcome of this continued story will be, Sesshoumaru and Kagome _will_ be together. . . just not at the end of this story, as you all have seen. I will post Unending Sorrow as a one shot, followed by another multi-chapter story to bring Sesshoumaru and Kagome back together. Once again, thank you all _ever_ so much! *bows low to readers*
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