Chapter 7:
The Final Battle (The ending)
"I'm smelling blood." Inuyasha said.
"Human blood or demonic blood?" Kagome said. "I sense Slivers. It's coming from the village."
"Ashi! She broke her promise!" Miroku said.
"It's demonic blood." Inuyasha said. "Climb on, Kagome. I'm running!"
"I'm running, too. Climb on, Sango." Said Miroku.
"No thanks. I'm riding. Come on, Shippou." Sango said as she hopped onto Kirara's back. Shippou and Miroku climb on, too.
Inuyasha ran towards the strong stench of demonic blood. Hoping that Ashi's fighting the youkai instead of getting killed by them, or even the villagers. Ashinito may be tough, but she won't stand a chance if attacked by multiple youkai. Then, she would need the Tetsusaiga and Inuyasha.
Inuyasha and Kagome arrive at the village, and they were shocked at what they saw. Youkai body parts scattered the ground, blood covered huts, and guts splashed the sides of them. Kagome got off Inuyasha's back and looked around. She saw the boy named Nanomaru and ran to join him.
"Nanomaru! Where's Ashi?" She asked.
"I don't know." He said. "I can't believe that she fought off all these youkai on her own. Last I saw, she was stabbed by a giant mantis youkai."
"ASHI'S BEEN WHAT?" Miroku shouted.
"Can you pick up the scent of Ashinito's blood, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. "We need to help her."
"Come on, Kagome. If you can sense her Slivers, I'll fight to get you to it." Inuyasha said.
"Sango, Shippou, and I will stay here and fight off the youkai from the village." Miroku said.
"DON'T YOU DARE USE THAT AIR RIP!" Inuyasha growled. "Your life is short enough." He then turned to Kagome. "C'mon. Let's go find Ashi."
"I'm coming, too." Nanomaru said as he grabbed a bow and some arrows. "These youkai have hurt the one I love."
"Let's go. We've gotta get moving if we want to help." Kagome said and she ran towards the Slivers of the Shikon no Tama that she sensed.
Inuyasha and Nanomaru ran after Kagome and ended up just shy of the forest where Kagome stopped and saw the giant mantis that had blood dripping from one of its claws. A girl, Ashinito, was holding one claw with both her hands. She was cut clean down the middle of her face and bleeding from it, but she continued to fight it off, believing that she was doing a good thing and repenting for killing all the human she had in her life. "Nanomaru." She mumbled. "I'm protecting you."
"Ashi! There's no need to! Don't risk your life for me!" Nanomaru cried. He placed an arrow in his bow and shot the mantis, hitting it in the eye.
"Human fool!" The youkai hissed as it took it's free claw and tried to stab Nanomaru.
"Stay focused on me!" Ashinito growled. Digging her claws into the mantis's flesh, Ashinito closed her eyes and whispered, "Poison claws."
The mantis pulled its burning claw away from Ashinito's green glowing hands. "Worthless half-breed!" The mantis hissed. It moved its free claw away form Nanomaru and tried to stab Ashinito again.
"Help her, Inuyasha!" Kagome cried. "She doesn't stand a chance against the mantis!"
"Yes, she does. I've seen her slaughter hundreds of humans as a child. She can handle one mantis." He turned to Ashinito and cheered her on. "Come on, Ashi! You can do it! Slaughter the mantis!"
The mantis noticed how eager Ashinito was to protect the human man with the arrows, so it left Ashinito and started to attack Nanomaru.
"No! Nanomaru!" She screamed and ran to the mantis, but its large claw struck the ground exactly where Nanomaru was standing. "Nanomaru! Nanomaru!" She screamed a blood-curling scream. Her hair turned to a brighter golden color, her eyes turned to a darker green, her claws glowed green, and her fangs extended. She looked like a full flesh youkai. "Humans get down!" She screamed as she grabbed the claw that was on top of Nanomaru. "Poison Gas!" She cried as the dark green fog appeared from her hands. It surrounded the claw and burned it to the bone. "Poison Claws!" She watched as the rest of the mantis burned to a crisp and left only a pile of bones. "Nanomaru." Ashinito cried as she ran to the spot where he laid.
Nanomaru was dead. The mantis claw had destroyed his fragile human body. All that remained was a deep crater where the claw hit the spot and killed Nanomaru. "The only human that treated me like a human, not hanyou or youkai is dead." Ashinito said. "I'm back to being alone. My life is pointless. Why should I live on when the one I love died?" She knelt down next to crater and took a deep breath. "If I can channel my healing correctly, I may be able to save him."
"Ashi, no!" Miroku cried as he ran to the group. "Don't risk you life for him!"
"Why? Do you want me, monk?" Ashinito asked. "I've killed hundreds of humans in my life, it's time I gave one it's life and repay all of the people I've killed." Her hands glowed purple, and she moved them around his body. Blood spilled through her skin in varying spots. "My sacrifice will save this human's life."
Kagome walked over to Ashinito and placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's gone, Ashi. There's nothing you can do." Kagome said.
"He was so innocent. He would fight off the villagers when they would tease and threaten me when I was little. If only he had stayed away when I told him to, he'd still be here." Ashinito cried. She turned to Kagome and cried in her lap.
"It's okay." Kagome said as she patted her back.
Just then, the village men, carrying weapons of war, walked up behind Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kirara. They point at Ashinito and mutter among themselves. "Ashinito! You killed the headman's eldest son!" One man said who had a spear in his hand.
Ashinito got up from Kagome's lap, turned her back to the villagers, and headed to the forest. Without a word, she left the group and marched deeper into the woods.
"Did Ashi just walk away from a fight?" Inuyasha said.
"Did my eyes deceive me?" The villager said.
"She's not a monster anymore." Kagome said. "I think she's changed now. We'll see her again. I just know it."
The village men turned around and headed back to the village. Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippou walked back too. Inuyasha and Kagome stayed in the same place and watched Ashinito disappear into fading sunlight.
"You sure we're gonna see her again?" Inuyasha said, as he placed an arm around Kagome's shoulders and pulled her into a side hug.
"I just have the feeling." Kagome said as she snuggled into Inuyasha's side.
"Kagome!" A voice called from the forest. Ashinito reappeared with nine Slivers in her hand. "Here are nine Slivers of the Sacred Shikon no Tama. Three of them I stole from you, and the other six I received fighting off youkai that entered my house. You can use them better than I can." Dropping the Slivers in Kagome's hand, Ashinito turned and walked to the sunset.
"Sunsets are so beautiful." Kagome said as she hugged Inuyasha.
With a smile on his face, Inuyasha looked at the sunset and said. "Yeah, Kagome. They really are."
THE END