Disclaimer: Inuyasha... blah blah... not mine...
Confused? Good! Now, let's get on with the story...
Forever
Chapter 10: Summit
Narrative (my POV)
There he went... to face Naraku. All for her... all because of her. Why in the world had she gone to Naraku in the first place? Why had she jeopardized all of her friends?
Kagome sunk to the ground weakly, watching as Inuyasha prepared Tetsaiga to destroy. Or to torture.
It was silent. Dead silent. Strangely, all the villagers weren't hustling about.
Then again, why should they have been? They were probably hiding in their huts, or had fled...
Just as Naraku opened his mouth to speak, Sango's boomerang flew towards Naraku's face. He didn't move. The boomerang grazed his cheek, causing some blood to leak down his face. And then, as Sango appeared behind Kagome, Naraku did the most likely thing Naraku would do.
He smiled.
And laughed.
Miroku stepped up behind Sango, and watched as she caught her boomerang as it returned. Kagome turned back to them a moment, stealing a glance from both. It reassured and frightened her to know that her friends were on their side, helping them.
With a newfound strength, Kagome stood. She turned to run for her arrows, but Sango held them right before her. Kagome smiled and nodded in thanks. She turned back to Naraku and placed an arrow on her bow, pulling back the string. She let go, and freed the arrow in one graceful motion.
It hit Naraku straight in the chest.
He glanced down at the arrow in his heart and smirked. Gracefully, Naraku placed a hand on the arrow as the others watched in horror. He tugged it, until at last Kagome's arrow came free.
Naraku threw it on the ground beside him and chuckled.
"Fools... You think that's all it will take?"
Inuyasha growled and pounced towards the demon, Tetsaiga prepared.
Naraku didn't dodge. He simply raised a hand and extended his claws. Inuyasha, running at Naraku, impaled himself upon them.
The hanyou gasped for air. Blood spilled down his chest, from his mouth...
All was silent, watching... Sango was pale, and clung to Miroku, who was horrorstruck. Kagome had fallen to her knees again, silently praying for Inuyasha's survival. Nothing moved. Not even the clouds, or the wind dared to stir the silence.
And the Naraku pulled his arm from Inuyasha's stomach. The hanyou stumbled back, a surprised expression on his face. Confusion and hate clouded those golden eyes. He picked up Tetsaiga with some difficulty and lunged again.
This time Naraku was not so gracious. He swiped Tetsaiga from Inuyasha's grip and threw it. The sword stuck into the ground some ten meters away.
Next came Inuyasha. The hanyou was torn until almost every piece of him bled. Not only his skin was wounded, though. His pride, his hope was destroyed. He fell to his knees, still gasping for air that his lungs could no longer find.
Naraku threw his head back and laughed, his laughter filling the entire silence with an unmistakable feeling of wrong.
Kagome stood, and stumbled to Inuyasha, shaking. She fell to her knees before him again, and hugged him close to herself.
"Don't die..." she whispered, "Don't leave me..."
Inuyasha struggled to keep hold of life, but felt it slipping away. He clung desperately to its edge, fearing to glance down at the hell below him. So this was how it would end... Did it really matter? He didn't think Tensaiga would be able to revive him this time...
Or would it?
He didn't know the extent of power his brother's sword possessed. But surely it wasn't strong enough to defeat Naraku's tricks...
Kagome held him tight against her. She didn't cry, for Kagome had no tears to shed anymore. She simply shuffled his hair lovingly, gaze glued to Inuyasha. He couldn't die now, so quickly... he just... couldn't.
But slowly, those golden eyes clouded, fogged up and faded. Soon they closed, locking Kagome from Inuyasha's soul forever.
Forever...
Such a pitiful word, with such a cruel meaning. Forever... no death, no relief from the pain! Forever... eternal death, no life, no joy! Forever, no matter what it fortified, became an evil. It turned against you, no matter what you clung to for support.
Kagome placed Inuyasha's limp form gently on the ground, and stood to face Naraku.
"You... you fiend!" she spat, walking up to him, fear afraid. "You heartless, soulless, merciless BASTARD!"
Naraku stopped laughing and glanced at Kagome curiously. He touched her chin gently, and gazed into her eyes awhile.
Kagome slapped his hand away.
"You killed him... twice!"
From behind Kagome, Miroku shrugged.
"So what? We have Sesshomaru, and the Tensaiga, don't we?"
Naraku smirked. "No, as a matter of fact, you don't"
Kagome turned back to Naraku, glaring him down.
"What do you mean?" she inquired, pushing him mentally to no end.
Calmly, Naraku drew a sword from his sheath. Kagome gasped.
It was Tensaiga.
"Have you not noticed that demon's absence?" sneered Naraku.
"Sesshomaru... You killed Sesshomaru!" shouted Kagome, "You destroyed Inuyasha... YOU KILLED HIM!"
Naraku chuckled lightly. "I am well aware of that."
Fuming, Kagome drew an arrow from her quiver. Not bothering to get her bow, she plunged the arrow into Naraku's heart. The demon merely laughed at her.
"Fool," he said, "You cannot defeat me. I possess the Shikon-"
Kagome cut him off. She wrenched the arrow in his chest, twisting it, paining Naraku greatly. He fell to the ground, writhing as she stabbed him through and through. Until at last she found for what she searched.
Kagome held in her hand a round stone, a perfect sphere. It was pink, and glowed with such an aura that Naraku's blood seemed to be illuminated by it. It was the Shikon Jewel.
Turning her attention back to Naraku, Kagome gave him one last stab. The demon closed his eyes with a moan.
They would never open.
Kagome rushed back to Inuyasha's side. She dropped the jewel beside Naraku, not caring if it was taken again or not. All she cared about now was Inuyasha.
Oh, how she hated the jewel! The very thing that had destroyed Inuyasha, had destroyed her. Because of the jewel, they'd been forced to face danger at every moment, be near to death at all times.
Without the jewel, they'd never have met...
Kagome would never have felt this love, never would have lived. But the jewel granted her this life.
And took it back again.
Inuyasha was growing cold. Cold... he was dead. Sesshomaru was gone. Tensaiga was...
Tensaiga! Naraku still had Tensaiga with him!
Kagome stood and ran back to Naraku, pulling Tensaiga from his sheath. It glowed with a power beyond reckoning, a healing power. A power of life, a power of revival.
And then she noticed something wrong.
Something horribly, terribly wrong.
Inuyasha had a tail.
Kagome whirled around to where Naraku's body lay, and found there was none.
It had been a trick.
She'd fallen for it.
Sango ran up to Kagome, trying to comfort her. Miroku examined the fake Inuyasha.
Kagome couldn't think. Naraku had sent a puppet... but what had he done with Inuyasha? Another puppet? Why? How?
A single voice in the air answered her questions.
Oh... what have I done?
-chuckles- enjoy!
Oh... and please... I'm not particularly fond of dogs...
-runs away screaming as dogs attack-
Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think! Remember, TELL, not show!
Confused? Good! Now, let's get on with the story...
Forever
Chapter 10: Summit
Narrative (my POV)
There he went... to face Naraku. All for her... all because of her. Why in the world had she gone to Naraku in the first place? Why had she jeopardized all of her friends?
Kagome sunk to the ground weakly, watching as Inuyasha prepared Tetsaiga to destroy. Or to torture.
It was silent. Dead silent. Strangely, all the villagers weren't hustling about.
Then again, why should they have been? They were probably hiding in their huts, or had fled...
Just as Naraku opened his mouth to speak, Sango's boomerang flew towards Naraku's face. He didn't move. The boomerang grazed his cheek, causing some blood to leak down his face. And then, as Sango appeared behind Kagome, Naraku did the most likely thing Naraku would do.
He smiled.
And laughed.
Miroku stepped up behind Sango, and watched as she caught her boomerang as it returned. Kagome turned back to them a moment, stealing a glance from both. It reassured and frightened her to know that her friends were on their side, helping them.
With a newfound strength, Kagome stood. She turned to run for her arrows, but Sango held them right before her. Kagome smiled and nodded in thanks. She turned back to Naraku and placed an arrow on her bow, pulling back the string. She let go, and freed the arrow in one graceful motion.
It hit Naraku straight in the chest.
He glanced down at the arrow in his heart and smirked. Gracefully, Naraku placed a hand on the arrow as the others watched in horror. He tugged it, until at last Kagome's arrow came free.
Naraku threw it on the ground beside him and chuckled.
"Fools... You think that's all it will take?"
Inuyasha growled and pounced towards the demon, Tetsaiga prepared.
Naraku didn't dodge. He simply raised a hand and extended his claws. Inuyasha, running at Naraku, impaled himself upon them.
The hanyou gasped for air. Blood spilled down his chest, from his mouth...
All was silent, watching... Sango was pale, and clung to Miroku, who was horrorstruck. Kagome had fallen to her knees again, silently praying for Inuyasha's survival. Nothing moved. Not even the clouds, or the wind dared to stir the silence.
And the Naraku pulled his arm from Inuyasha's stomach. The hanyou stumbled back, a surprised expression on his face. Confusion and hate clouded those golden eyes. He picked up Tetsaiga with some difficulty and lunged again.
This time Naraku was not so gracious. He swiped Tetsaiga from Inuyasha's grip and threw it. The sword stuck into the ground some ten meters away.
Next came Inuyasha. The hanyou was torn until almost every piece of him bled. Not only his skin was wounded, though. His pride, his hope was destroyed. He fell to his knees, still gasping for air that his lungs could no longer find.
Naraku threw his head back and laughed, his laughter filling the entire silence with an unmistakable feeling of wrong.
Kagome stood, and stumbled to Inuyasha, shaking. She fell to her knees before him again, and hugged him close to herself.
"Don't die..." she whispered, "Don't leave me..."
Inuyasha struggled to keep hold of life, but felt it slipping away. He clung desperately to its edge, fearing to glance down at the hell below him. So this was how it would end... Did it really matter? He didn't think Tensaiga would be able to revive him this time...
Or would it?
He didn't know the extent of power his brother's sword possessed. But surely it wasn't strong enough to defeat Naraku's tricks...
Kagome held him tight against her. She didn't cry, for Kagome had no tears to shed anymore. She simply shuffled his hair lovingly, gaze glued to Inuyasha. He couldn't die now, so quickly... he just... couldn't.
But slowly, those golden eyes clouded, fogged up and faded. Soon they closed, locking Kagome from Inuyasha's soul forever.
Forever...
Such a pitiful word, with such a cruel meaning. Forever... no death, no relief from the pain! Forever... eternal death, no life, no joy! Forever, no matter what it fortified, became an evil. It turned against you, no matter what you clung to for support.
Kagome placed Inuyasha's limp form gently on the ground, and stood to face Naraku.
"You... you fiend!" she spat, walking up to him, fear afraid. "You heartless, soulless, merciless BASTARD!"
Naraku stopped laughing and glanced at Kagome curiously. He touched her chin gently, and gazed into her eyes awhile.
Kagome slapped his hand away.
"You killed him... twice!"
From behind Kagome, Miroku shrugged.
"So what? We have Sesshomaru, and the Tensaiga, don't we?"
Naraku smirked. "No, as a matter of fact, you don't"
Kagome turned back to Naraku, glaring him down.
"What do you mean?" she inquired, pushing him mentally to no end.
Calmly, Naraku drew a sword from his sheath. Kagome gasped.
It was Tensaiga.
"Have you not noticed that demon's absence?" sneered Naraku.
"Sesshomaru... You killed Sesshomaru!" shouted Kagome, "You destroyed Inuyasha... YOU KILLED HIM!"
Naraku chuckled lightly. "I am well aware of that."
Fuming, Kagome drew an arrow from her quiver. Not bothering to get her bow, she plunged the arrow into Naraku's heart. The demon merely laughed at her.
"Fool," he said, "You cannot defeat me. I possess the Shikon-"
Kagome cut him off. She wrenched the arrow in his chest, twisting it, paining Naraku greatly. He fell to the ground, writhing as she stabbed him through and through. Until at last she found for what she searched.
Kagome held in her hand a round stone, a perfect sphere. It was pink, and glowed with such an aura that Naraku's blood seemed to be illuminated by it. It was the Shikon Jewel.
Turning her attention back to Naraku, Kagome gave him one last stab. The demon closed his eyes with a moan.
They would never open.
Kagome rushed back to Inuyasha's side. She dropped the jewel beside Naraku, not caring if it was taken again or not. All she cared about now was Inuyasha.
Oh, how she hated the jewel! The very thing that had destroyed Inuyasha, had destroyed her. Because of the jewel, they'd been forced to face danger at every moment, be near to death at all times.
Without the jewel, they'd never have met...
Kagome would never have felt this love, never would have lived. But the jewel granted her this life.
And took it back again.
Inuyasha was growing cold. Cold... he was dead. Sesshomaru was gone. Tensaiga was...
Tensaiga! Naraku still had Tensaiga with him!
Kagome stood and ran back to Naraku, pulling Tensaiga from his sheath. It glowed with a power beyond reckoning, a healing power. A power of life, a power of revival.
And then she noticed something wrong.
Something horribly, terribly wrong.
Inuyasha had a tail.
Kagome whirled around to where Naraku's body lay, and found there was none.
It had been a trick.
She'd fallen for it.
Sango ran up to Kagome, trying to comfort her. Miroku examined the fake Inuyasha.
Kagome couldn't think. Naraku had sent a puppet... but what had he done with Inuyasha? Another puppet? Why? How?
A single voice in the air answered her questions.
Oh... what have I done?
-chuckles- enjoy!
Oh... and please... I'm not particularly fond of dogs...
-runs away screaming as dogs attack-
Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think! Remember, TELL, not show!