The Last One Left
Sango whimpered, how could it have ended up this way? She stared at the bloody remains of the battle that had just taken place. She hung her head in depression; she was the last one left again. The scene before her portrayed a severed Shippo, his left arm missing, and Kirara was lying in a pool of her own blood. Both of them were dead. Sango fiddled with her Taijiya outfit; it was in shreds. She could not cry. She would not cry, not when the enemy was still alive. Inuyasha lay on the ground, Kagome in his grasp and Tetsusaiga by his side. The two had finally proclaimed their love for each other with their last breaths, but revenge still had not been accomplished.
Sango's hair blew in the wind; the ribbon to hold it back was lost long ago. She winced a bit as a monk in purple robes fell to the ground. Hiraikotsu was cracked in half and useless. It was non-repairable, just like her life. Sango felt as if in third person, she could see all the carnage but it just did not register. She was the last one left again.
It felt as if she was watching the scene from the sidelines. She could see the female, beaten and battle worn. The woman was weaponless and most of her armor had fallen off. The field was scattered with the bodies of her friends and enemies. She was slumped over a bit in a life dragging weariness. The trees surrounding the clearing swished with miasma. The enemy still stood at the opposite end of the war zone, his body displaying his jumbled parts of youkai. He was preoccupied with a black jewel that shimmered in his grasp; the Shikon no Tama was completely corrupted.
Suddenly something moaned that sent Sango spiraling back into her body, startling her back to reality. Miroku groaned, barely alive. Sango ran to him, he had stayed alive for her. "Miroku," she whispered while dropping to her knees and shifting his head unto her lap. "Sango," he whispered back. His right hand traveled to her face. She bent lower so it would be easier for him to touch her. "Live for me Sango. Have a family and lots of children; grow old for me Sango." He caressed her face. "No," she shook her head violently, "don't leave me, Miroku, please." She pleaded but it was to late, the monk's hand fell from her face. She shook Miroku's lifeless body, "You Bastared, Come back!" Blood dribbled out of his mouth and onto his chin. Sango sobbed in fury. She was the survivor and she hated it.
Sango banged her fists on the blood ground, hitting dead demons and taking her fury out on the corpses. She ground her teeth in frustration. Finally she heard a rumbling laugh, evil and annoying. "Again, Taijiya, you are the last one alive." Naraku licked his lips and played with the black jewel, he was pondering, "If you want I can make you my slave, just like your deceased brother. I can help you forget."
Sango stared at him, "Just make your wish already Naraku! I want nothing to do with you, you lying, conniving, spider!" Sango seethed. Naraku laughed again, deeper and intense, "but Taijiya, I might want you and I get what I want." Naraku gestured his tentacle toward dead Inuyasha and Kagome. "Just look at them, I wanted their half of the Shikon no Tama. Their deaths were just an added bonus. I am a demanding youkai and I attain what I want." Sango scoffed. Naraku grinned then turned his head away from her; he was distracted.
Naraku looked into the depths of the tainted Shikon jewel, as if casting a spell. Sango stood and crept toward Tetsusaiga, Naraku's attention still on the jewel. "You know we are not that different from each other Taijiya. We were born for violent jobs, and both of us excel at killing." Sango half listened as she uncurled Inuyasha's fingers from the hilt of Tetsusaiga. "We were both in love and then had that love taken away from us," he nodded his head over to Miroku. "And both of us would do anything to get that love back." He looked up from the jewel. "Don't think I am stupid enough not to notice your attempt of wielding Tetsusaiga." Sango cursed and pulled the sword in front of her. "Inuyasha, I doing this for you and Kagome." She took a long glace at Miroku, "for you too..."
Sango charged, her gaze set on Naraku. Her entire being was set on murdering him. The scum deserved to die for all he did. A red haze floated through Sango's soul giving her extra strength. A yell escaped from her lips, adrenaline pumping her blood. She raised Tetsusaiga above her head getting ready to strike. "Give me strength," she whispered to the souls of her dead comrades.
Naraku quickly swallowed the Shikon no Tama; it had the bitter taste of power. He could feel it coursing through his veins. "I am invincible!" Naraku shouted at the sprinting Sango. She just grunted and slashed at him in reply. Tetsusaiga retaliated against a barrier that now surrounded Naraku. Sango backed off. Naraku laughed, "I told you I am invincible." Sango gazed at the chipped blade. She made a silent plea, 'please, all I ask is for your help. Help me kill this murderer.' Tetsusaiga glowed with a red tint.
Naraku absorbed his mutated body, transforming fully into his human form. He flipped his hand over and made a fist. "So much power..." He muttered, his shield gaining strength. Sango glared at his human body; he was hideous to her in any form. She swung Tesusaiga in a practice swing, it whistled through the air. Naraku grinned and extended his claws. Sango charged again, revenge pulsing through her veins. Tetsusaiga transformed fully during her short sprint. It was blood red in color.
Naraku held up his hand to enforce his barrier, the purple wall glowed with power. Sango jumped and brought down tetsusaiga. The blade went through, sinking to the ground and breaking apart the purple wall. Naraku stood in shock. Sango did not hesitate; she lifted tetsusaiga from the ground and slashed Naraku, cutting him in two. His face frozen in terror and shock as the two halves fell open. Sango did not cringe at the gore displayed before her; she actually felt glee in the killing she had done. The Shikon shined in the left part of Naraku's opened stomach, Sango quickly removed it. The dark purple corruption pulled at Sango's heart but she dispelled it.
Sango walked toward her dead companions, Shikon held in her palm and Tetsusaiga hanging from the other hand. Sango closed her eyes, the enemy was dead and now it was time for her wish. It was the wish that the entire Shikon no Tama granted. Sango felt the right was not hers though, Inuyasha was the one that always wanted this wish. She had to remind herself that he was dead and now the wish was her burden. She sighed, it seemed it was always her burden.
Sango closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and wished. Time seemed to pause. She slowly opened her eyes; was the wish selfless enough? Sango shivered as she felt a wave of power pass through her body, thanking her, and then disappear into space. She examined the Shikon no Tama in her hand, it was now pink. The little orb was dull and had lost all of it's sheen, the power was gone, the Shikon no Tama was now just a harmless pink rock.
Sango sighed and collapsed onto the muddy ground, tucking the pink stone into a hidden pocket that was not ripped. "Come on Kirara. It is time to bury everybody." she muttered even though she knew Kirara would not answer.
There Sango sat until it grew dark and the full moon shined through the night sky. A cold wind blew Sango's loose hair around and wiped her wet tears away. Finally, Sango slowly got to her feet and walked toward Goshinkbu, that was were she wanted to bury her friends, under Inuyasha's famous tree. Time blurred that night as the Taijiya dug a hole with her bare hands and carried the bodies into it.
Soon, Sango stared down into her pit; Kagome was placed in the arms of Inuyasha, Sango could see the faint smile on the miko's lips. Shippo was cuddled near Kagome's side, his arm still missing, with miniature Kirara's tail around him, Sango knew Kirara would want to comfort him. The last one was Miroku with his right hand over his chest, palm facing upwards and kannza wards removed. Miroku's hand was finally whole. Sango dangled the monk's bracelet ward above the hole but she didn't drop it, she couldn't.
Sango pulled out the dull Shikon no Tama and held it toward the long bracelet. She undid the knot that held the bracelet together and slipped the pink rock onto the string through the hole used for it's original bracelet. She retied the knot and slipped the jewelry around her neck, the long bracelet barely went over her head. Sango lifted her hair free from her crafted necklace and touched the Shikon no Tama. This necklace would never let her forget her past. It would represent the times she had with her friends.
Sango fingered the hilt of Tetsusaiga, it was placed in it's sheath at her hip. This was the last item she had to place in the grave. Sango bent to place it next to Inuyasha but the sword began to glow. Sango stared at Tetsusaiga, it pulsed. "You want me to keep your sword?" she whispered. A fuzzy warm feeling entered her finger tips; Sango took it as a yes. She tucked Tetsusaiga back to the place at her hip, "Thank you, Inuyasha."
Sango bent over again and picked up the first handful of dirt, she scattered it over the corpses of her comrades. The Shikon necklace swayed around her chest every time she bent over.
By dawn, Sango wiped her hands off on her tattered pants and examined her grave. A bit of weight lifted off her back as she looked at the pile of earth. Sango walked over to Goshinkbu, avoiding the dirt mound a foot in front of it. She grabbed a sharp rock from the ground and began scratching, the early morning sunlight letting her see better.
Once she was done, Sango took one last look at her friends' grave and walked into the forest, not looking back. 'I will live my life for them. It is my destiny, to survive.' The wind blew past her, sweeping her hair around and taking with it the last of her tears.
R.I.P
Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Kirara, and Miroku
They helped me live in my time of death
Now may they live happily in their own
THE END
A/N- Well there you go, another one-shot. I don't think I got all my spelling right (kannza, goshinkbu) so please tell me if I am wrong. My other fics are on hold and will probably stay that way for a long time; I am considering taking them down.