Chapter 13: Showdown
Hello dear friends and fans. Long time no see, no? I suppose I owe you an explanation. If you don't care, feel free to skip this part, but I seizured while I was driving (because I was too lazy to pick up my dilantin) and I was in a car accident. Don't worry, as you can see, I'm alive and pretty well, and now am here to make sure you guys get the rest of your chapters. Sorry for making you guys wait! But don't worry, like a good girlfriend, I promise to make it up to you…LOL (Hey perverts!)
Thanks for putting up with me readers. You're the best. I'm done complaining…ENJOY CHAPTER 13!
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Showdown
For a long time they stood there, staring straight at each other with glaring eyes.
Time seemed to stand still as they both contemplated their next move.
For Sesshomaru time did not go slow enough. His head was still buzzing with emotions, and his blood seemed to grow hotter and hotter every time it was pumped. He tried desperately to sort out his next move but only one thought seemed to come to mind: kill.
His demon side had taken over.
"What's the matter Sesshomaru? All bark and no bite?" Kikyou jeered.
Now that Kagome was dead she could feel her soul slowly coming back to her. The only problem was that she could not attain the rest of it without finishing her incantation. Only then would she be whole again.
Sesshomaru snarled at her.
"You will get your just reward Kikyou. You are merely a priestess of mud and bones, and that is all you will ever be!"
That was the spring that triggered the mouse trap.
Kikyou rushed blindly forward, bow drawn and arrow pointed. Sesshomaru met her half way and with Toukijin slashed her sacred bow into mere splinters. Kikyou's eyes grew wide with surprise. She had no idea he held this much power!
She retreated to a safe distance. If she couldn't shoot him, she would have to draw him to her…but how?
Sesshomaru had tactfully destroyed Kikyou's most valuable weapon, her bow. He could easily rush her now and destroy her with his Toukijin, but he had a feeling that was exactly what she wanted. He would have to wait for an opportune moment.
"Already I feel stronger Sesshomaru," Kikyou taunted, "Kagome's soul is a strong one; for a reincarnation."
"NO!" Sesshomaru shouted, "She is more than that! You will never be half the person she is. That's why you hate her so. She is everything that you could never be."
Now it was Kikyou who's blood was boiling. No matter, she would be victorious.
"You have developed quite a soft spot for her haven't you Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru looked away from Kikyou. He didn't like her knowing his weakness.
"That is why you made this so easy. That protection spell could only be broken if you denounced her. But killing her worked just as well," she said nonchalantly.
"You heartless wench! I swear I'll-" Sesshomaru growled.
"You'll what? You should be happy I spared you. I even paid you for your part. You now hold all six pieces of Kyosetsu, right?"
Sesshomaru absently placed a hand to his satchel full of Kyosetsu pieces. He had obtained them, but at what cost…
"No, I would never sacrifice her life for power. I am not a cruel hag like you. After I kill you, I will use Tenseiga to bring her back-" he was cut off by Kikyou's laughter.
"You are as clueless as your brother sometimes, Sesshomaru. Do you know nothing of the dull blade attached so securely to your waist?"
"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously.
"If you had ever tried to learn about the powerful sword your father gave you, you would know that it can bring back the life of any living thing," she paused.
"I know that. Why would it not work on Kagome then?!"
"Except," Kikyou continued, "the life of someone taken by your own hands."
"No, you lie Kikyou!"
Kikyou laughed.
"Go see for yourself then. My gift to you," she mocked.
Sesshomaru dashed over to Kagome's lifeless body. He raised Tenseiga high into the air and brought it down with one swift movement. Nothing. He tried again, and still the same results.
"What have I done?!" he lamented.
Sesshomaru turned to face Kikyou. He could no longer contain his anger. This would end now. It was the least he could do for Kagome.
Sword extended, Sesshomaru rushed at the undead priestess. When it seemed the point of his sword was just about to pierce her heart, he felt something cold and sharp pierce his. Stunned, he looked down and saw that Kikyou had pierced him with her own arrow.
Kikyou's face turned back into a cold smile.
With a last effort, Sesshomaru pushed Toukijin forward into her chest.
Simultaneously, the two enemies fell to the ground.
Kikyou held a cold hand to her wound. It was a mortal wound. Kikyou knew that ironically, now that she had more of Kagome's soul, it was her undoing. She was mortal.
"Kikyou!"
The priestess looked up to see the anguished look on the face of her one time love, InuYasha.
InuYasha knew that there was nothing he could do to help her. No matter how much he tried to tell himself this wasn't the real Kikyou, he could never shake his love for her. For a brief second, however, when he looked into Kikyou's eyes, he saw a flash of her old self, and it gave him some small piece of happiness.
Kikyou looked at InuYasha, then to Kagome laying dead on the ground about ten feet away from her, then to Sesshomaru, sitting up and calmly staring back at her. Kikyou was instantly reminded of her own life, cut tragically short, and the way it had affected everyone around her. The man she loved was imprisoned for fifty years, her younger sister had to grow up alone, and she had come back as an undead.
She understood that some things just weren't meant to be.
"InuYasha, come here," she gasped.
InuYasha obeyed and crouched down to place his hand under her head.
"Do me this last request before I die."
InuYasha's eyes threatened to brim over with tears, for now when he finally had the Kikyou he loved so, she was about to leave him again.
"Bring Kagome's body over here next to mine," she commanded weakly. She didn't have much time left.
InuYasha was hesitant at first, but for some reason he trusted her. He walked over to Kagome's lifeless body and cradled it in his arms.
"Don't you dare touch her!" Sesshomaru roared.
InuYasha kept walking towards Kikyou.
Sesshomaru tried to stand, but the instant he did, pain struck him like a bolt of lightening. Kikyou's sacred arrows were among the few things that were fatal, and it looked as though his time was up. Nevertheless, he pulled out his Toukijin and crawled painfully over to where InuYasha had carried Kagome.
"Kikyou! I will kill you!"
"You already have," Kikyou stated.
Reaching into her robes, Kikyou handed InuYasha something that looked like a rose and instructed him to place it into the fire. InuYasha did as he was told, and instantly the fire changed. It took the appearance of Kagome!
"Kagome? What are you doing to her Kikyou?" Sesshomaru asked, barely able to breath.
"Sougishiki Niso!" Kikyou shouted.
Instantly, her body rose into the air and the fire went out.
For a moment, everyone was still, afraid of what would happen next. Soon, however, the fire returned, and Kikyou was lying flat on the ground.
"What did you do?" InuYasha asked.
As if to answer his question, Kagome cried out, sounding like she was in the middle of a bad dream.
Sesshomaru stopped dead in his tracks.
"Kagome?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.
He crawled over to her, blood from his wound pouring all over the ground as he did so. He didn't care, he only wanted to be near her.
Kagome wasn't dead. She wasn't quite alive either. She had no pulse, but her soul had returned to her body, and Sesshomaru could sense that she was fighting, trying to stay alive.
InuYasha turned to his beloved Kikyou. She looked even weaker now, and was without a soul.
"There is only one way to bring her back fully. I must die."
Sesshomaru turned towards Kikyou and eyed her suspiciously. Was this a trick?
"No Kikyou! We'll find something, there has to be another way!" InuYasha pleaded.
Kikyou gave him an unadulterated smile. She knew that her fate was to remain dead.
"No, InuYasha. It wasn't meant to be."
"Then I will die with you."
"You are meant to be alive. Only after Naraku has been truly defeated may you join me in death," she coughed.
InuYasha held her tightly to him as she died. He had lost her twice now, and it hurt even more the second time.
Before Sesshomaru could utter a word, InuYasha had swept Kikyou's lifeless body into his arms and dashed off beyond the trees.
Despite Sesshomaru's ill will towards his brother, he had more important things to worry about. Things like…Kagome.
Now that Kikyou was dead, would her dying words come to pass?
Sesshomaru watched Kagome eagerly, awaiting even the slightest sign of life. What if Kikyou was wrong?
In answer, Kagome took a deep breath, like she had been at the bottom of a swimming pool and run out of air.
"Kagome!"
Kagome sat up, coughing. When she was done, she wearily turned to Sesshomaru.
He was wearing the most amazing smile she had ever seen.
She smiled back and scrambled over to hold him. When she wrapped her arms around him, she noticed something was wrong. He didn't hold her back in return. She placed a hand to her stomach and felt something cold and wet. She looked down and saw that she was covered in blood…Sesshomaru's blood.
"Sesshomaru?" she asked, tears in her eyes.
Sesshomaru's face turned to one of sadness, for he knew that Kikyou was about to have a companion in the afterlife.
"NO!" Kagome screamed.
"Kagome," he whispered calmly, "don't cry. Not for me. You have saved me in more ways than you could ever know."
Kagome stroked his head gently as tears streamed forth from her eyes.
"Please, don't leave me alone Sesshomaru. I love you so much, you can't go!"
Sesshomaru gasped as a shot of pain went through him.
"Don't cry, maiden. The short time we have spent together has been the best of my life, and I have only you to thank for it."
Kagome shook her head angrily, not accepting this as their fate.
"I love you, Kagome. I say it now, and I mean it forever, you are the only woman I have ever loved. Don't despair," he whispered as he fell unconscious.
Kagome, in a panic, looked for something, anything that could help him. The only thing she saw of any use was Tenseiga. Tenseiga!
Kagome rushed over and picked up the dull sword. It had protected Sesshomaru from harm in countless battles before, maybe it could help him now!
"Sesshomaru, don't worry. I won't let our story end here!" she declared.
Kagome held the sword gently in her hands. Maybe she could strike him with it, that's how it was done, right? She raised the massive blade and brought it down upon him.
Nothing happened.
Kagome tried it again, and again, but still the same results.
"Please! Help your master," she pleaded to the sword.
The sword, in answer, became aglow as she brought it down upon him again, only for a brief second. Kagome stopped and looked at it.
"Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked it.
As she brought the blade down again, the same thing happened at a certain part of the swing. It seemed as though it was reacting to something.
Kagome ran her hands through Sesshomaru's robes. Suddenly, she felt a bag with what felt like rocks in it.
Kyosetsu!
On instinct, Kagome took out the stones and placed them in a circle around Sesshomaru. She didn't know why she knew to do this, but then again, she didn't know why she knew how to shoot a bow and arrow either.
The stones glowed bright red and in a display of power, came together to form a whole piece. Kagome reached to grab the stone, but before she could get to it, Tenseiga flew from her hands and struck the stone with its blade.
Kagome was awestruck. Never had the blade done anything like this before.
When the light dissipated, all that remained was Tenseiga, only now it looked like a brand new blade.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the handle of the blade and brought it down upon Sesshomaru again.
With different results.
Sesshomaru was breathing. The blood disappeared from his robes, and wound, and he was whole.
He slowly opened his eyes. At first he thought he was dead, and that this was some form of heaven as he saw his beloved Kagome staring eagerly at him. He soon realized that for heaven, it was very cold, and that Kagome couldn't be in heaven, she was still alive.
Alive?
Sesshomaru shot up, tying to get a grasp on the situation.
"Sesshomaru!" Kagome shrieked in happiness as she tackled him.
They rolled around together, and laughed, both grateful to be alive, and together.
"What happened? I thought I was done for?" Sesshomaru asked. The last thing he remembered was Kagome holding him tightly and then darkness.
Kagome told him of how Tenseiga had glowed, and how it combined with Kyosetsu. Sesshomaru held the sword in awe. How had it known?
The sword now looked and felt like a brand new sword. Sesshomaru was amazed. What was even more amazing was how good it felt to be alive and have Kagome at his side again.
As he looked up his gaze captured her bright blue eyes, and the words they had spoken before he almost died came to mind.
Would she forgive him for killing her?
"Kagome, I need to apologi-"
Kagome placed a finger to his lips and kissed him silent.
"I know Kikyou made you think I was her. Don't worry, I forgive you," Kagome whispered in his ear.
Sesshomaru pulled her to him. Never did he imagine he would find a more perfect mate. Never more so than in this woman.
"We should leave now, Rin and Jaken are waiting," Sesshomaru stated.
Kagome nodded her head with a faint smile. It seemed that every time she wanted to get close to him, he pushed her away. She knew he loved her, for he had told her himself. Why wouldn't he go further with her? Kagome only wanted to show him how much she loved him…
Little did she know, Sesshomaru had unfinished business with her. When they returned, he would show her how much he loved her…
END OF CHAPTER 13
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Okay, that was a long chapter for me! LOL. I hope you liked it. Chapter 14 will be up ASAP, but that is all that I can promise. Chap. 14 will get pretty racy, being that it is a love scene, but don't worry; it should stick to that R rating…LOL. And it is the last chapter…
I know, sad huh?
But, I am thinking about doing a sequel, so send me your feedback about that idea. Next week I start working on "Bad Company" (sorry Sesshomaru fans, its an InuYasha and Kagome fic…based on 'the count of Monte cristo, which I highly recommend you watching (the new one). I bought it the first day I saw it!
Thanks a lot. See ya soon
Much love,
Sophie