CREDITS: A special thanks to Leunra, who helped me with figuring out just WHY Inu and Sess teamed up in the first place, beyond my own twisted delights. Thank you so much!
Chapter 4
The sun rose warm and soft over Sesshoumaru's lands. Inuyasha stepped out onto the balcony of the taiyoukai's study and stretched.
They had been talking all night, figuring out the best way to take out Naraku once and for all.
Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, knowing that the mere sound of it drove his half-brother crazy. Even now he could feel Sesshoumaru's killing stare blister the back of his neck.
"Inuyasha, you will stop that irritating noise at once."
Inuyasha laughed. "Oi, baka! Keep your hakamas on. I'm almost finished." He reached up and gave his neck a good crack. Immediately, Sesshoumaru's growls filled the air. Inuyasha laughed again.
But when he turned around to face his brother, his face was quite serious. "After this is over, I get the jewel and take Kagome off your hands, ne?"
Sesshoumaru nodded slightly. "I cannot fathom why you want this filthy onna. She is too short, disobedient and irritating. The very thought of her touching me makes my skin crawl."
Inuyasha glared at him, then shrugged. "Well, whatever floats your boat. To me, she's the sweetest thing since chocolate. And ramen. Yeah, and ramen." Inuyasha's eyes closed blissfully and his stomach growled softly.
Sesshoumaru tilted his perfect head to the side and stared at the hanyou as if he were a specimen in a bottle. "What is choc-oh-lat? Sounds filthy." Ramen he HAD heard of before. He had actually seen Inuyasha eat some of it before and it had made his stomach turn. Whether or not it was because of the way it looked or the way Inuyasha looked while devouring it was debatable.
Inuyasha wondered, and not for the first time, why Sesshoumaru did not desire the Shikon for himself. It seemed that he and Kagome were the only two people he knew that had no desire to possess it.
Flying towards Inuyasha's Forest, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha saw the signal over the tree tops.
Something was wrong, Sesshoumaru thought, dropping Inuyasha and speeding towards the intended battle destination.
Inuyasha was really worried. Why had Kirara given the signal so early? She wasn't supposed to do it until he gave the signal. Who else could possibly have known aboutHe stopped, sniffed the air and knew. Oh no! It was Kagome! Kagome must have found out!
Inuyasha's speed picked up. He knew Kagome was in trouble and he HAD to be there with her!
Sesshoumaru had already come to the same conclusion Inuyasha had. He could smell the miko's sweet rose and lily scent, laced with tension and fear. Was she actually fool enough to take on Naraku herself? Yes, it seems so...
He could see from where he was, the droves of youkai descending towards to the very spot where he and Inuyasha were to have battled Naraku.
But now there was another scent emanating from her that...disconcerted him. He had no clue to what it was, so he ignored it.
Sesshoumaru wasn't sure if that 'disconcerted' was the correct word, seeing as how he had NEVER felt an emotion like that before. That sort of foolishness was for the lowly ningen race.
They were still too far away. Inuyasha cursed his slow hanyou body.
"Chikusho!" Inuyasha roared. Never had Inuyasha felt such fear for his little Kagome. There she was, facing Naraku and his army alone...damn it, why was he so damned slow?
Sesshoumaru felt her tense. She knew they were coming.
He used their bond to read her thoughts. He had only caught a glimpse when she slammed her mind shut against him. That infuriated him, but he did see something of what she was planning to do. But for the life of him, he didn't like what he had seen one bit.
Sesshoumaru felt his youkai growl. Kagome, in order to destroy Naraku, was going to purify herself along with him. Not only was she going to because she HAD to, but also because she WANTED to. With this revelation, his youkai began to howl in his head.
As they raced through the forest, Inuyasha noticed Sesshoumaru's pallor and reddening eyes. He was instantly unsettled. "What the hell's going on Sesshoumaru? What do you see?" he shouted.
The taiyoukai could only think of the young miko before them and felt something strange. A pang of some alien emotion. An emotion he certainly did not like and neither did his youkai, for the blasted thing begged to be released. He believed that this new emotion was normally referred to by ningens as...fear.
"I believe she is committing suicide, Inuyasha," he said casually, as if commenting on the weather. But there came the strange pang in his chest, this time aching. He tried to shut out his youkai's pleas to help her. But it would not stop. The howling went on and on, heartwrenching and heartbroken.
'Get her! Go get her!' it roared desperately at Sesshoumaru. But its master would not budge. If he went now, he would save her but ruin his family's lineage and honor even more than he had already done.
'Damn your family! She is our mate! We have to save her!' Still Sesshoumaru did nothing.
"Suicide? SUICIDE!" Inuyasha raved, watching Kagome with a horrified, tear-filled expression. "Kagome!" he screamed. "KAGOME!"
Not caring as the deadly pink light shot towards them, Inuyasha leapt forward, in a desperate attempt to get to his Kagome.
He gasped as he was stopped mid-leap and dragged upwards past the treetops. "Nani?" he growled. He realized that Sesshoumaru had caught him by the waist and yanked him up, away from the purifying energy. Sesshoumaru, in an act of unprecedented kindness, had wrapped his tail around his little half-brother, pulling him upwards.
"Let me go! Damn you Sesshoumaru! You may not have loved her, but I did!" he cried, swinging uselessly at the taiyoukai.
Sesshoumaru only held Inuyasha further away from him. "Silence, baka. It is too late."
The powerful blast raced in all directions below them, slamming with such force into Naraku and his drones that some of the weaker, smaller youkai were blasted to bits before being purified. Naraku himself was being eaten alive by the energy and was soon dissolved into nothingness.
A piercing howl rent the air, causing Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru to turn their heads and see.
The brothers watched as Kagome as she fell backwards onto the ground screaming, her miko energy still shooting from her body. It completely covered her, burning her youkai flesh, hissing and sizzling.
Sesshoumaru could feel her mind and soul detach themselves as her life left her. He knew it would be over soon.
They saw Kagome look up at them, tears sliding from her eyes.
"Kagome...no..." Inuyasha breathed as he dangled helplessly from Sesshoumaru's grip. "Please Kami, no..." Never had he felt so helpless. All he could do was watch her die beneath them.
Sesshoumaru felt her mind open just before she passed. It was a simple message, full of love and forgiveness for him.
'You are free now, Sesshoumaru-sama. Be happy.'
It was over.
Sango and Miroku watched the whole terrible scene unfold before them. They didn't even notice Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha hovering far above the trees as they made their way to get Kagome's body.
A roar came from above. They saw with horror a very pissed Sesshoumaru.
"Damn it! I knew his youkai wouldn't take this well!" Sango cried as they broke into a run. When they got to Kagome, Miroku hauled her lifeless body over his shoulder before running back the way they came.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha screamed again. He wanted...no, he NEEDED to be down there with his friends. "What the hell are you doing, you asshole!" he yelled at Sesshoumaru.
Sesshoumaru was furious. How dare she try to leave him! One swipe of the Tensaiga and he would show her just who was fucking in charge.
All thoughts of wanting to be completely rid of her had gone.
He chased them, his tail still holding onto Inuyasha.
But when he got close to the fleeing monk and demon slayer, his clawed hand was repelled.
Up ahead, the Bone Eater's well had begun to shake violently.
"Come on Miroku! We've got to hurry!" Sango yelled.
Strong winds had begun to blow, causing Sesshoumaru to blown backwards. He realized with astonishment that the wind was protecting his dead mate and the two ningens from him.
Sesshoumaru felt his youkai struggle to break free. It wanted its mate back!
With another mighty roar, Sesshoumaru dropped Inuyasha and raced forward. But as before, the wind held him back.
He and Inuyasha watched as Sango and Miroku reached the well. Sango dropped some bags into it, one being Kagome's familiar yellow pack, before jumping in. Miroku followed suit, carefully holding Kagome's body against him as he went in.
A blue light shot skywards just before the old well collapsed, closing the portal for good.
As Sesshoumaru forced his youkai back, the inu brothers stared in horror at the remains of the well. Both knew that all of them had escaped, leaving no trace of their scents behind.
Inuyasha, still horribly shaken, walked towards the well. He had almost gained it when an iron fist shot towards him, grabbing him by the neck and hauling him into the air.
"Where have they gone?" Sesshoumaru commanded, snarling through clenched fangs.
Inuyasha struggled to remain conscious. "Well...if you would stop crushing my fucking throat to a pulp, I could tell your sorry ass," he gasped hoarsely.
Sesshoumaru gave a warning squeeze to the insolent hanyou before dropping him on his ass.
"Kuso! What the hell was that for? Geez," Inuyasha grumbled, rubbing his neck.
"Quit stalling, Inuyasha. Where have they gone?" He glared down at his half-brother.
Inuyasha stood and brushed his pants off. "They're here...but not here," he replied. He really enjoyed fucking with Sesshoumaru's mind whenever he got the chance. Of course, now was not the time, but he didn't care. The cold hearted bastard deserved it, the way he had treated Kagome.
"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru growled warningly," do not toy with me."
Inuyasha shot him a defiant glare. "Fine. The well is a portal to Kagome's time. It opens to this very spot, but 500 hundred years into the future. Kagome is ," he began, faltering and blinking back tears. "Kagome WAS from the future," he amended, before turning away from the taiyoukai's icy, uncaring eyes.
"Damn it! Damn it all!" the younger inu roared, plowing into the remains of the well. Frantically, he dug his way to the bottom, hoping beyond hope that it would open just one more time so could join his friends.
'Kagome,' he thought wretchedly as her death played over and over again in his mind. He could see her standing before Naraku and his filthy youkai hordes, a lone sentry on the side of good, facing such an incredibly powerful evil.
She alone had defeated Naraku. She had not needed anyone to aid her...not even him. The mere thought pierced his already wounded heart painfully. Kagome had NOT needed him to protect her, to help her.
She had died...allowed herself to die. Kagome had wanted to die.
Inuyasha felt hot tears spill down his face. He sat on the bottom of the now useless, ruined well and cried silently.
Oh, Kagome...
