Author's Notes: Yikes! Sorry for taking so long with this update, everyone, it was not my intention, but my family left for a camping trip two days early, and I had no time until now to finish writing up and posting this chapter. Sorry!
In case any of you care, it was probably the most crazy camping trip I have ever been on. Anything that could possibly have gone wrong did...naturally. I've officially decided that my family equals chaos, and there's no way to avoid it. The first night we didn't even arrive until 8:00 pm, and mom and I didn't get to bed until 2:00 am...needless to say tempers were a little on edge at that point. Then things weren't working in the motor home, like the levelers weren't leveling, the hot water tank wasn't heating up the water, and oh yeah, the toilet was leaking! But hey, we're camping, so that's what's supposed to happen, right? Then my uncle and his son, my nine year old cousin, arrived, and things turned crazy as all the boys dumped and ran to play, leaving mom and I to set up camp, which was no easy task considering one of my arms doesn't work properly and she has a bad back. But we got over it.
Then, the day before we were supposed to leave, the coast had a record 1.10 inches of rain in one day, flooding everything and splattering mud everywhere! My uncle and cousin, along with my brother and his friend who came along, decided they wanted to sleep in the motor home instead of their tents, so that meant we had them plus myself, my mom, and my dad (seven people total) all trying to sleep in a motor home that's really only built for four people in the first place. I'm just thankful I didn't have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night since there were bodies everywhere. Oh, and ladies, I don't recommend having your period while camping either...to be blunt. But hey, it still gave me plenty of memories, and I think I can honestly say I still had fun in the end.
But enough about my life, which is incredibly boring. I only have two other announcements. One, I have a link to the Oregon Bach Festival website, which has just posted pictures from the YCA, and there is one of me on the night of the performance, performing a solo with my quartet. I'm the brunette, not the blonde. Two, they are still doing the polls for the people's choice awards on the site where 'Soul Therapy' has been nominated, so check it out. Both links are at the top of my profile page.
Other then that, all I can say is things are finally starting to wrap up with this story, and I think we will soon be seeing the end of the cliffhangers. Thanks for bearing with me and having such wonderful patience as life got in the way of my writing...but in a good way. I love hearing from you, thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Title: Soldiers in a Timeless Battle
Author: dolphingirl0113
Chapter: Twenty-One
Rating: PG-13 (for language and, at times, sexual implications)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
It was as though a great hush had fallen over the forest, all the birds seeming to be more interested in watching the outcome of the battle rather then singing. And for Inuyasha, all his sensitive ears could pick up was the soft buzz as Sukiono's black arrow pierced the air, heading straight for him. Blood had been on that arrow before, he could smell it, and for an instant he wondered what other life that sharp point had ended.
A smirk came to his face; his usual arrogant smirk, and for once he did nothing to avoid the attack. He had been caught completely unawares...he wasn't even wearing a shirt...and now all he could do was greet his fate with courage and honor.
Kagome, however, was not so willing to accept his death, as became evident by her piercing scream, which echoed throughout the forest in anguish. There was nothing she could do! Her arrows, stupidly, had been left back at Kaede's hut, and she was just far enough away that she couldn't push him out of the way.
"Inuyasha, run!" She hollered at the top of her lungs. That seemed to wake him up, because suddenly the hanyou was blinking as though he had been in a trance, and starting to throw himself to the ground, but it was too little too late. Anyone with two eyes could see there was no way to avoid the arrow.
Kagome closed her eyes, feeling hot tears welling up in frustration, waiting for the cry of pain that would signal he had been hit, telling her she had lost her beloved husband, only to hear a sound she had never expected.
A purity arrow, leaving behind a trail of sparkling air, flew into the clearing, not at Sukiono, but rather, at his arrow, knocking it away just before it hit Inuyasha, who had now hit the ground. Everyone gaped in shock, including the sandy-haired man holding the bow, and for several seconds the grove of trees was completely silent.
Heaving a sigh of relief knowing that he was safe, Kagome turned to see her mirror image standing several yards away, her bow at the ready, the hand that had released the arrow held out awkwardly in the air.
"Kikyou..." Kagome breathed the name, for once, in gratitude, not even a flicker of jealousy or uncertainty in her heart or voice. She was glad it had been the older miko to fire the arrow, for Kagome was sure that, had it been herself, she would have missed the target.
"I thought I sensed your presence," Kikyou spoke calmly, her old stoic expression in place. She was alone, which meant she had probably come in a hurry considering normally Gideon didn't seem inclined to leave her alone for more then a few minutes at a time.
Sukiono turned with a scowl, his face blank, his eyes devoid of any and all emotion, which caused a shiver to run through Kagome's body. What had happened to the little boy she had held in her arms barely a week ago?
"You will not interfere this time," he mumbled, his blonde hair blowing out around his face as he pulled another arrow out of his quiver. He fired again, but Kikyou was ready, and blocked the arrow by placing her bow in front of her, a pink shield flaring up and rendering the attack harmless.
"Hiraikotsu!" Sango leapt into the air, ignoring the rush of nausea in her gut and praying that her baby would come out unscathed in the end. Her prayers were answered as the boomerang flew true, knocking the bow from Sukiono's hands before flying back into her waiting fingers.
Nancy then took the initiative and, moving surprisingly fast for someone wearing fluffy slippers and flannel pajamas, sped past the sandy-haired man, snatching up his weapon of choice in her hands as she did so.
Sukiono turned and glared at the retreating blonde. "Foolish woman," he murmured, "Don't you know I have more than puny arrows that can kill you?" He raised his hand, showing everyone what he intended to do as a dark ball of energy formed in his palm. It shot towards Nancy, but at the last second was deflected by what appeared to the naked eye as nothing more than a flash of bright light.
Sesshoumaru now stood before Sukiono with a deadly glare in place. He said nothing, but as he drew his sword his eyes conveyed the message perfectly: anyone who threatens Nancy will be punished.
"I've told you before, Sesshoumaru," Sukiono spoke calmly, though his jaw was clenched, "My fight is not with you."
The demon lord grunted, his sword firmly in his hand. "You made it with me the moment you attacked Nancy," He murmured in that voice of his that was so deadly and calm it could send shivers down the spine of any enemy.
Sukiono backed up a few paces, clearly unsure of what to do, when he was saved, of all people, by Inuyasha. "Sesshoumaru, don't you hurt him." The hanyou brandished tetsusaiga before him. "He's mine...we have some unfinished business."
Kagome felt absolutely helpless without her arrows, unsure of what to do other than watch what was happening with a fearful amount of anticipation. She tasted blood where her teeth had punctured the skin of her lip, and her hands were clenched into tightly balled fists at her sides, her knuckles going white with worry.
She had to do something...but what? Without her arrows, she didn't know if it was possible to attack.
A memory of the time when she had managed to escape Sukiono's castle sprang forth, and she remembered how it had felt to hold such energy in her hands as she had at that moment when she had blasted a hole in the stone wall. But then she'd had time...time to prepare, time to think, time to draw forth the amount of energy needed. Here, she needed it instantly, and couldn't even remember how she'd created such an attack in the first place.
Inuyasha and Sukiono were now fighting viciously, and there was plenty of blood being spilt on both sides as first the hanyou attacked with his sword and then was counterattacked with barriers and dark energy beams. Both released grunts and hollers of pain, and it was almost unbearable to watch for Kagome, who had never been able to watch her hanyou in battle without a certain amount of queasiness and fear.
So caught up was she in her thoughts that Kagome didn't even notice as Inuyasha dodged an attack, sending it instead straight for her, until it was too late. Her scream left her in a rush of air as she felt someone throw her to the ground, cold dirt pressed roughly against her cheek. Turning over, she found herself trapped beneath something white, black hair covering her face.
Her rescuer slowly sat back, and Kagome found herself, surprisingly, staring at the miko with the same face as her own, her long raven hair free of its white ribbon, her bangs falling about her face elegantly. "Kikyou...why...?"
The woman sighed and rose to her feet, offering a hand to Kagome as she did so, her warm brown eyes gazing directly into her reincarnation's dark ones. "The same reason you saved me so many times."
"So this is payback?"
"No...this is me acting more like the Kikyou Inuyasha once knew." She sighed and pulled forth another arrow, focusing on the battle that still raged on, Inuyasha seeming completely oblivious to the fact that Kagome had nearly been killed. "If you were to die, Kagome, he would die too...on the inside. I could never forgive myself if I allowed that to happen."
"Kikyou..." Kagome breathed, wanting to say so much, but in the end looking away with a gentle smile. "Thank you."
There was a loud crash, and everyone turned to see Inuyasha slumped against a tree, the tetsusaiga barely in the grasp of his loose fingers. Blood stains seemed to be everywhere, and he was breathing hard, sweat dampening his bangs, which were plastered to his face.
He gruffly wiped some blood off of his mouth with the back of his hand, his lips turning up into a smirk. It had been a long time since he'd been in a fight like this one. "I have to admit, you're fighting better than I would have expected."
Sukiono stared blankly back at Inuyasha, looking like he was poised to charge. "I have to kill you," he murmured, almost to himself, "Before my father's spirit will let me be at peace." Then he broke into an all-out sprint, clearly meaning to finish off the defenseless hanyou.
Inuyasha started to roll out of the way, but was spared the trouble when he heard a whack and saw Sukiono stagger backwards as Miroku's staff fell to the ground, having successfully hit its mark. The monk ran in front of his friend and picked up the trusted shaft of wood, the top rings of gold tinkling in the otherwise silent woods.
"How are you doing, Inuyasha?" He called over his shoulder.
Inuyasha chuckled as he struggled to stand, his legs feeling like mush after that heavy impact with the tree. "The same as always, monk."
Miroku grinned in spite of himself. "Well, that's never stopped us before, has it?"
"No, but you'd better get out of there. Without your wind tunnel you don't stand a chance against him."
The monk glanced over his shoulder, his eyes twinkling despite their dire-looking situation. "Inuyasha, I may have used the wind tunnel as my main source of defense, but that doesn't mean I'm helpless without it. I'm not a holy man for nothing, after all."
As though to prove his point, Miroku turned and closed his eyes as Sukiono rushed forward once more, watching in satisfaction as the staff suddenly created a protective shield around both he and the hanyou, sending the blonde-haired man flying backward.
Inuyasha smirked. "That should give him a taste of his own medicine."
When Sukiono shakily began to rise to his feet, he found himself surrounded by not only Inuyasha and Miroku, but also by Sango, Sesshoumaru, Nancy, Kikyou, and Kagome. He was clearly outnumbered.
"Give it up, Sukiono, you're outnumbered." It was Nancy who spoke so matter-of-factly, her lawyer voice overshadowing her slight fear. Unlike in the courtroom, here she felt extremely vulnerable.
But her words seemed to fall upon deaf ears, as Sukiono simply rose to his feet, his back straight and his chin inclined upward proudly. His hair, which looked almost white where the sun caught it, blew about, sometimes almost completely obscuring his face from view. His eyes, jade-green, were sharp and glimmered with mischief, as though he had just thought up a plan. In that moment, Kagome thought, he couldn't have looked more like Naraku.
"I wonder," he commented, looking about as though observing someone's backyard, "How many of you I could take with me...before I met my end."
Inuyasha growled and tightened his grip on the tetsusaiga. "Don't even think about it. I'd kill you before you could lay a hand on anyone." The hanyou glanced at Kagome meaningfully, and she knew he was thinking about her safety.
Sukiono chuckled, his first display of emotion that day. "Inuyasha, how truly arrogant you are. But you forget that I am willing to die as well, if it means killing you." He flicked his eyes in the direction of Kikyou, who was currently standing by Kagome. "And you too, priestess. You, more than anyone here, deserve to die for what you've done to my life."
Rather than flinching at his hard gaze and accusatory eyes, Kikyou merely stared back, looking impassive and unaffected, so that only Kagome, who was closest to her, could see the muscles in her jaw flicker, telling the younger woman how hard the miko was fighting to stay in control.
"Whatever happened to you," she began in her cool, deep voice, "Is none of my affair. I had nothing to do with Naraku's involvement with your mother; that was his own doing."
"How dare you!" Sukiono roared, looking more like a child throwing a temper tantrum than an adult about to meet his end. He threw an accusatory finger at her face. "It is you who caused so much pain for my mother! If not for you, my father might have stayed with my mother. But instead, he was obsessed with you! You!" Tears were glistening in the corners of his eyes now, and Kagome felt herself remembering how he had broken down in a similar way before. "And what is it about you, anyway? Why were you so much better than my mother? You're certainly not more beautiful! Is it because of your powers as a priestess?" He practically shook with rage. "Tell me!"
Everyone remained silent as he yelled, leaving Kikyou to respond when he finally finished speaking. She merely shrugged. "I do not know why the thief Onigumo chose me, any more than I can understand why he went through so much trouble to keep me from Inuyasha, only to try and kill me when I was resurrected from my grave. But I do know this," her eyes hardened, "You were better off not knowing him. He did you a favor by leaving your mother."
Sukiono felt a jolt run through his body as the familiar words registered in his brain. Hadn't his mother said something akin to that a long time ago, once when he had asked her why he never had a father?
"That doesn't matter," he shook his head furiously, trying to cling to his hate. That was all he knew to feel. "You're still responsible, and until you and Inuyasha are both dead my father's spirit will never leave me alone. He has made me into a monster, and I can never be normal until I have exacted his revenge." His face hardened into a cruel mask of hate. "That's why you need to die now!"
He charged straight for Kikyou, but both she and Kagome were thrown aside as Inuyasha met the challenge with tetsusaiga, his teeth grit against the pain in his battered body. "You coward," He growled, "Attacking two women when I'm still standing!"
Unfortunately, their previous skirmish had taken its toll, and Inuyasha was soon thrown back again, this time, to Kagome's dismay, not rising.
"Inuyasha!" She made to run for him, but felt a hand roughly shove her back, causing her to land, painfully, on her side, her breath leaving her in a rush. A groan of pain, followed by the sound of struggle, led Kagome to turn her head, which was dizzy from the way her neck had snapped back, to see Sukiono holding Kikyou up by the neck, the miko scratching at his arms and face with her fingers, her bow falling to the ground along with her quiver of arrows.
Without warning, he threw her back towards Inuyasha, who was just starting to muster the energy to rise again, and the pair ended up in a tangled heap of red, white, black, and silver. Sukiono just laughed.
"Hiraikotsu!" The boomerang came flying towards his neck, but this time he was ready for it, and sent it flying back towards Sango, who was only saved by Kirara, who seemed to magically appear and lift the woman into the air. The experienced demon exterminator pulled back, for understandable reasons, allowing her weapon to fall uselessly to the ground as Kirara flew higher into the sky where it was safe.
"Prepare yourself!" Miroku charged forward, hurling his staff before him, but was almost instantly sent flying backward thanks to one of Sukionos many barriers, yet another damnable trick he'd learned from his father.
The monk's staff flew from his hand, lodging itself in the crevice of a nearby boulder with a clear ping, while Miroku continued tumbling until he came to rest several yards back, lying on his stomach...and not moving.
"Miroku!" Sango wailed from where she was perched safely out of reach, feeling all fear for her baby flee at the sight of her husband, helpless on the ground. Commanding Kirara with pressure from her legs, she flew down to meet him, scooping up his large frame and slinging it across the giant cat before once more disappearing into the sky, sighing in relief as she heard him moan in pain. At least that meant he was still alive.
That left only Kagome, Sesshoumaru, Nancy, and Kaede still standing. Kaede was old and had not participated in such a battle in years. Nancy, while brilliant in a courtroom, was helpless in such a skirmish, and Sesshoumaru only cared about helping when the blonde was in danger. That left Kagome, unsure of herself and sitting alone on the grass. But she had defeated evil twice before, and knew she could look it in the face and win again, if need be. So, once again, she rose to her feet to meet the battle head-on.
Sukiono, for his part, seemed completely oblivious to anything (or anyone) else around him at that point, so focused was he on the pair of former lovers just beginning to untangle themselves and rise to their feet, Inuyasha swaying dizzily and Kikyou putting a hand to her head in a rare outward display of weakness.
"How ironic that you two should now die together," he taunted, standing with his arms crossed, looking for all the world as though he were merely having a casual debate with friends. His harsh green eyes focused on the miko. "Wasn't it your wish, after all, Kikyou, that you die with Inuyasha?" His smirk broadened. "You were denied that chance once before, but now I shall grant your wish...without the aid of the Shikon no Tama."
Kikyou glared back, saying nothing, but Inuyasha, as always, was extremely verbal, his voice practically spitting venom. "You bastard! Don't you see that Naraku only used you as much as he used us? You are nothing more than a means to an end!"
Sukiono shrugged. "Of course I am. But I was raised to believe nothing else. Now, at least I will know I have put my father's troubled soul to rest, and I will no longer be plagued with the memories of his bitter heart."
Kikyou shook her head in resignation, her head pounding from her impact with both Inuyasha and the tree. She was trying to hide the fact that she was seeing double at that moment. "Do you honestly believe the wrongs Naraku has done you will vanish with my death? Do you truly believe that by eliminating two lives you can forget all the years of cruelty he gave to you?" Her voice was not panicked, harsh, or even spiteful; it was just calm, almost soothing.
"Shut up," Sukiono whispered frantically. "Just shut up. You're a witch with your wise words...I know you are! How else did you ensnare my father so quickly?" Kikyou chose at that point to remain silent, which only drove him into an even higher state of rage. He shot his arms forward and prepared to attack. "It's time for both of you to die!"
Inuyasha made to dodge the attack, but felt his legs, for the first time, refuse to move, lacking the strength, and so, in a last ditch effort, he thrust his faithful sword in front of him, hoping against hope that it might reveal some new technique that involved a shield, feeling as Kikyou wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his back.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha," he heard her whisper with his sensitive ears, for the first time sounding like the Kikyou of old, the Kikyou who had lived before Naraku, Onigumo, and all the troubles that had brought about. In that one instant, she was once more the woman he had loved, and despite the fact that they had both changed since then, he couldn't help but smile slightly, his eyes going soft.
"I know," he all but whispered in reply, meeting her gaze. "And so am I." Then he closed his eyes and said his final silent goodbyes to Kagome, the woman of his heart, her face the only thing he wanted to see.
He imagined her the way he'd seen her that day beside the well, when he'd thought for sure he'd lost her forever, the blossoms of the trees falling about her face, the sun framing her body in a halo of light, her hair billowing out around her like a cloud. He imagined her at the prom she'd taken him to, laughing and twirling on the dance floor, her smile lighting up the entire room. He remembered how she had so willingly given herself to him on Sango and Miroku's wedding day, when he'd carried her into the woods and laid her on a soft patch of grass, her ebony hair falling around her like the wings of a bird, her eyes so full of trust it had brought tears to his eyes. And he remembered her on their wedding day, dressed in her white gown, flowers in her hair and the trademark smile on her face. All this he remembered in just a few seconds, and the memories brought warmth to his heart.
Kagome...
At least, he decided, he would die loved and cherished...a gift he had thought he'd lost the day his mother died and left him alone.
Sukiono's attack, balled into a mass of dark energy, sped toward them until it was all the pair could see, leading the man to think he'd won...until he felt a horrendous pain sear through his side. Gasping, he glanced down to see an arrow, surrounded in a pink light, protruding from his abdomen, and lifting his eyes, which now felt heavy, he saw Kagome, her hand still poised from where it had released the deadly weapon seconds before, Kikyou's bow clutched in her other hand.
"Kagome..." He felt betrayed for some reason, as though he had been let down by the one person who he cared about. "...Why?"
Her eyes flooded with pity, but the rest of her face remained a mask of harsh reality. "I couldn't let you kill him, Sukiono," she almost sounded apologetic. "You know that."
"So...you love him that much?" His voice quivered as he spoke, his fingers slowly moving to wrap around the arrow which meant the end of his life.
She nodded as though it was the most natural and obvious question in the world; and, in a way, it was. "Yes."
Her voice began to drift away into a sea of dense fog as the arrow slowly dissolved in his fingers, and Sukiono started to feel, strangely enough, warm. Warmer then he'd felt in a long time. Not since...
"Mother..."
"Yes, sweetheart?" The voice was startling, causing him to turn his head sharply to find the source...and there she was. Her hair was still as black as a raven's wing, her violet eyes full of a sad wisdom that could only come about with painful memories. She still wore that tattered dress with the patches and the unfinished ends, but then, he had always thought she looked beautiful that way. They were by a familiar stream, and the trees were green with the life of spring.
"Mother," he whispered again, this time in disbelief. Could it really be her? "How...?"
She smiled, and he felt his heart constrict and then melt, as though all the pain, the suffering, the confusion he had felt since her death were being washed away with warm water. "Oh, my beloved son," she sighed, opening her arms, and he flew into them willingly, though now it was her head that rested on his shoulder.
They stood like that for several minutes, the only sound disturbing the silence being that of the water flowing over the rocks and pebbles of the nearby stream. Finally, he pulled back and brushed a hand through her hair, never having realized before how tiny she was...how delicate. She had always seemed so strong to him, so unmovable.
"How?" He asked again, feeling stupid. Here he was, finally in her presence once more, and all he could do was repeat one word over and over again.
She laughed, and it was a beautiful laugh, before pulling her into his arms again. "It doesn't matter how," she breathed, her voice deep and melodic, like rich velvet or newly melted chocolate. "What matters is that you are safe now, and will be from now on."
"Safe with you?" God, he sounded like a helpless child. But then, hadn't he felt like one since the day she died?
She shook her head, though he did not see it since her head was still against his shoulder. "No, Sukiono...but I'll be watching over you."
He felt panic well up in his chest. "But I want to stay with you!"
"It is not your time, my love," she pulled away and brushed his cheek with her hand, her skin still soft as rabbit fur. Then she stood up on tiptoe and kissed him lovingly on the forehead, causing a shiver to run through his body. "I love you, my dear Sukiono. I love you..."
And he was falling...falling backward, feeling as though he were parting the mists of some unseen world...
There was a blinding light, and all present in the clearing had to either close their eyes or look away until it slowly faded away. Kagome knew it was over when she heard a loud thud, announcing that Sukiono had fallen to the ground, defeated at last.
But that made no sense. He should have dissolved along with her purity arrow, as it was designed to destroy all evil. Unless...there was still good in him, as she had originally believed?
"Sukiono?" There was no response, and Kagome hesitantly stepped forward, still clutching Kikyou's bow and full quiver of arrows warily. She knew she'd hit him, she'd seen it with her own eyes. So what was going on?
"Kagome, be careful!" Inuyasha warned, also looking stunned, although his shock was more due to the fact that he had prepared his soul for death but still remained among the living. Understandably his mind was quite confused.
Sango and Miroku slowly drifted down on Kirara, the cat's feet touching down on the soft grass with a gentle swish, and Kikyou slowly began to dislodge herself from Inuyasha as she too realized she had evaded true death yet again.
"It would seem," she muttered, "That I am not meant to die young." She smiled slightly, recalling the fact that even when she had died, she had been resurrected, and now had been pulled back from the shadow of death once more.
Kagome continued to move cautiously, although she now had a destination as she spotted a form on the ground, blonde hair covering its shoulders, dressed all in white. It looked smaller then she thought it should, but it didn't even occur to Kagome that it wasn't Sukiono still lying on the ground. Who else would it be?
Kneeling down beside the still man, she reached out a hand and placed it gently, albeit firmly, on his shoulder, half expecting to find him as some illusion that her fingers would pass right through. But he was real enough, and so, with one heave, she rolled him onto his back, only to gasp in shock.
Short, curly blonde hair fell to his shoulders, framing a face that was soft and childlike, a small amount of baby-fat on the cheeks. He blinked slowly, uncertainly, and she recognized the jade-green eyes. But it made no sense. The Sukiono she had hit with her arrow had been a man...the person now before her was no more then a child!
