Author: Nefertili
Fandom: Inuyasha
Rating: PG13
Pairing(s): Sesshoumaru/Kikyou, Sesshoumaru/OC
Genre(s): Romance, Angst, Adventure, AU
Warning(s): Battle scenes, betrayal, over-anger (if there is such a word), fluff... What more can I say?
Disclaimer: None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
Summary: Kikyou, being saved from peril by Sesshoumaru, joins him in a quest against Naraku and one of his allies, who happened to share a past one-sided relationship with the Demon Lord. SesshKik!
A/N: Okaay...the reviews for last chapter sort of formed a debate in my mind. Kill Kikumo or let her live? O.o Well, sorry but I already have a pre-set plot even before I started writing this story, and I feel it's now too late to change my plans for Kikumo. Gomen ne! -.-; And rest assured; I won't break Sesshie's heart once more! ;)
...o0o...
"There are too many of them!" Sango exclaimed. She snatched up her hiraikotsu as it went flying back to her after dividing a demon vertically in half. The masses of demons had pushed them into a tight circle around the rocks where Rin had hidden. They were being surrounded on all corners - even flying youkai were causing them trouble from above - and with such a limited number of defenders, things seemed futile.
"I am going to suck them in!" Miroku answered quickly, throwing his monk's staff aside to loosen the beads wrapped around his right hand. But before he could fully release his Kazaana, Shippou frantically tugged at his robes and pointed at the numerous swarm of Hell's Insects hovering above them.
"Saimyoushou, Miroku! I don't think that's a good idea!" the fox demon warned, jumping up and down at his heels. At that moment, a large youkai bearing the form of a gigantic cricket began to shower some spiky black needles upon them. Sango, Miroku and Shippou hid under the demon exterminator's large boomerang as Kirara, who was previously on the defense of Rin, braved the needles and sprang up, taking the cricket youkai neatly by its throat.
Rin shuddered as the corpse of the large demon fell near the rocky ledge under which she was hiding, missing her by several feet. The little girl crawled out of her hideout and observed with quiet concern the seemingly hopeless struggle of her protectors to keep the numerous youkai from reaching her. She by now understood that the monk Miroku couldn't use his primary weapon, the hole in his hand, because Naraku's bees are hovering above them.
"Jaken-sama! Jaken-sama!" Rin called out to Sesshoumaru's retainer, who stood directly on top of the ledge she was hiding under, burning a couple of small rat-like demons scurrying near the foot of the rock.
"Not now, Rin!" Jaken attempted to brush off whatever Rin had to say. Can't that human girl see he was busy here?
"No, Jaken-sama, listen! Burn the bees!" Rin hurriedly answered back.
"Bees?" the toady demon repeated her last word. His round eyes looked questioningly at Rin as to what she meant, and the young child pointed a stubby finger upwards. Jaken followed her gaze, and saw the saimyoushou.
Jaken did not really expect himself to follow the suggestion of the little girl, but on impulse, he made fire shoot out of one of the heads of his staff. This fire chased Naraku's saimyoushou, who by then were hastily trying to fly to safety, but they had no escape because Miroku heard Rin's words and chose to come to the aid of the toady demon. The young monk retrieved his staff and locked the Hellish Insects in a bluish barrier, thus they were consumed by Jaken's fire.
"That was a good idea, little Rin," Miroku said, beaming at the little girl, not even bothering to look at the grumbling figure of Jaken on the rock. Then he motioned the others to step back and get a good hold at something, for his Wind Tunnel is about to be unleashed.
Sango dashed and gathered up Rin and Shippou in her arms. They held on to the young woman as she stuck the Flying Bone in an upright position in front of them and huddled behind it. Even Kirara had curled up behind Sango, Rin and Shippou. Jaken jumped down of the defenseless rock top and went under the ledge where Rin had hidden earlier, clinging on to the rocks for dear life.
In a swish of blue cloth, the Kazaana was out, and Miroku held out his right hand as far as he could from the rest of his body so as to prevent himself from being sucked in along with their demonic fiends. The demons gave a terrifying shriek as they fell into a raging struggle to escape the wind that sought to suck them into infinite depths.
...o0o...
In the gaping cliffside at the very heart of the doomed rock formation where the final battle was being held, the pupils Naraku's eyes contracted and a his face contorted into an expression of pain. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes to see numerous curved blades of the whitest color dash out in the wind and cut through the evil hanyou's body in many places. Naraku recoiled slightly from the cliff edge to face with blazing eyes the source of the flying blades. His dark reddish eyes widened for a second in surprise before he regained the evil knowing smirk on his lips.
"So, you've changed your mind, eh?" he whispered in a hissing tone, meeting eye to eye the solemn yet determined figure of Kikumo, who stood tall and straight with her fawn hair loose behind her. The Demoness' pale skin was marred here and there by bruises, and a fresh wound on her shoulder stained her earth-colored kimono with a large blot of crimson, but she still presented a great threat as she held onto her Hiroko Kama. Her deep green eyes flashed darkly, and she looked like a Demon Princess, indeed.
"Show me that you're worthy of being called a Demon, you pathetic hanyou," she muttered, crouching low in an offensive stance with her naginata.
Naraku's smirk widened amidst the numerous cuts and holes in his body that the Demoness' chrysanthemum wedges had done. He stepped off the clawed fingers that were bloodied by his malice and by the sharp jagged rocks of the cliff to accept the challenge. The Shikon no Tama glowed once more in his hand; the injuries disappeared from the evil one's body as though they had never been.
"I knew this would come to pass..." Naraku said smugly, as he and Kikumo began to walk a slow wide circle on the rocky flat to anticipate the other's attacks.
Sesshoumaru gave a low grunt to finally be free of Naraku's foot. He gave a whispered assurance to Kikyou, who tightened her hold around his neck once more. Putting forth the lessons and skills his life as a Demon Lord had taught him, Sesshoumaru concentrated his physical power on his hand and wrist as he hoisted himself and his beloved onto stable ground once more. The force of his exertions and the bleeding on his only hand had robbed him of his usual strength, and Sesshoumaru half-collapsed on the ground as soon as his feet made contact with the smooth rock.
Kikyou, who also had her share of exhaustion due to the lack of souls in her clay body, fell on all fours after she let go of her grasp on his neck, struggling to regain her lost breath. Her mahogany eyes became draped with concern and love to feel Sesshoumaru take her once more into his embrace, his heavy breathing clear in her ears.
"My Kikyou...you know I cannot live without you..." Sesshoumaru whispered into her ear as he buried his face in her dark raven locks.
"Sesshoumaru..." was all she could say to hear the intensity of emotions in his whisper. His hand wrapped around her waist had stained her white blouse with blood, but she cared not. Kikyou gently took hold of his wounded hand to observe the intensity of the damage done, and she felt her heart break at the sight of the fresh cuts, some of them quite deep and still bleeding. The Priestess felt tears stinging her eyes as she kissed his bruised fingers. "My heart...can you ever forgive me for causing you so much pain?"
"Kikyou..." Sesshoumaru muttered, but their cherished exchange of words was interrupted by the sudden shaking of the ground. The platinum-haired youkai and the raven-haired miko looked further inland, and they beheld the rocks crumbling as Naraku and Kikumo exchanged their first set of blows. Sesshoumaru already had presumptions as to why Kikumo distracted Naraku from casting them down the chasm, and he saw them justified.
In Kikumo's scarlet barrier, Kagome had busied herself into helping Inuyasha free himself from the Demoness' chrysanthemum blades.
"Hurry, Kagome!" Inuyasha said between gritted teeth. He could not struggle much, of course. The curved crescents were sharp in themselves, and he would cut himself if he tried to move.
"Keep quiet, Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped back as she got hold of the untransformed Tessaiga and used its blunt blade to try to wrench the first blade from her love's left wrist. She had tried her bare hands in her first attempts, and only got her palm cut in turn.
"I want you to free me, not cut me!" Inuyasha answered back, mortified at her idea of using his sword to take out the white crescents.
"Don't you trust me enough to know I cannot bear to hurt you, Inuyasha?" Kagome replied, half-angrily, half-desolately. "And besides, the blades have cut into the rocks rather deeply. You have to trust me, Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha looked into the human girl's eyes for a brief moment before he finally yielded and gave her a little smile, saying, "I trust you, Kagome."
Kagome wordlessly smiled back and set off to work. As soothingly yet as cautiously as possible, she chiseled at the rock with the dull blade of the Tessaiga, hacking small rock particles off the sharp crescent to loosen its hold on the rock face.
Meanwhile, the shape-shifting hanyou had engaged in a close combat with the paragon of the Deer clan, his lashing tentacles snaking after Kikumo, who was running with the speed of lightning in and out of the rocky pinnacles. Many a tentacle, she cut, but the Shikon jewel helped Naraku and regenerated his lost body parts as swiftly as Kikumo hacked them.
"You foolish woman," Naraku sneered. "You think you can defeat me?"
Kikumo bounded up behind a column of rock, but Naraku ran after her and brought down the rocky pedestal with his fleshy tendrils, sending a shower of spiky stones down on her. Kikumo was swift, however, and she managed to evade being crushed beneath the rubble.
"There is only one fool here," Kikumo answered, her fawn hair flying behind her as she attacked Naraku with the speed their tribe was known for. She sent numerous blasts of energy out of her naginata and directed them at her enemy. For dozens of times, Naraku was hit and his body parts scattered, but thanks to the power of the Shikon, he had no trouble pulling the bits and pieces of himself together and renewed his attacks with his adversary.
By this time, Sesshoumaru had recovered his demon-strength, and his blood had formed a crust over his wounds, stopping the bleeding. Kikyou was less lucky. She could move less and less with each second, for her clay body had no soul of its own and could not get even a single one in the difficulty of the situation. Kikumo and Naraku had moved deeper into the rock formation, and the jagged rocks obscured the deadly, if not incredible, attacks of the two opponents from their eyes. But no physical obstruction could ever cloak the intense flaring auras as they fought.
"We have to follow them, Sesshoumaru," Kikyou gasped, struggling to get up with the limited mobility that she had. She managed to get up to her feet, but she soon collapsed backwards as her powerless knees gave way. Sesshoumaru was up at once, and he once more wrapped his arm around her waist to sustain her, not caring if the wounds in his hand would reopen by the action.
"Let me be your support," he said softly, and she gave a warm nod as a reply. She hooked her left arm around his shoulders, her blood-spattered sleeve brushing his furry pelt, and Sesshoumaru was off in an instant. He paused for a moment to let Kikyou recover her bow where it lay near the center of the battlefield, thankful that it was undamaged by the clashing wraths of Naraku and the Demoness.
"Hey, don't leave us in here!" Inuyasha yelled out to them. Kagome had succeeded in freeing his left wrist from Kikumo's arched blade, and she let out an exclamation of warning as the half-demon tried to go after the other pair with his right hand still tacked to the rock wall.
Sesshoumaru, who was about to leap over the jagged top of a rock pinnacle to get to the other side of the formation, stopped to observe his half-brother and Kikyou's reincarnation trapped under a red shield, no doubt Kikumo's doing. Gruffly, he let go of his grasp on Kikyou's waist to shoot out a single spray of poison at the red barrier.
Once the red traces of the shield had melted under the toxic quality of his Dokkasou, Sesshoumaru said coldly, "No one has the time to wait for you, brother." With that, he turned and jumped off, Kikyou in his arm's support, to the other side of the rock wall to get to Naraku and Kikumo.
"He would have killed us!" Inuyasha said impatiently and furiously as Kagome hurriedly worked on the other blade to free Inuyasha. The hanyou, to vent out his anger and disappointment was punching the air with his free hand.
"At least he destroyed Kikumo's barrier for us," Kagome muttered, sweat running down her temples as she chipped at the rock with the Tessaiga. "And will you please stop thrashing about? You are slowing my progress and you are going to cut yourself further!"
...o0o...
Purple flashes of light collided with green as Naraku shot out a glowing ball of energy at Kikumo, who neutralized it with her own youki which she channeled through her Hiroko Kama. Beyond the craggy heights of the rock pinnacles was a barren field which housed no plant life except for several dead tree stumps and sparse grasses that browned with the lack of water. It was in this seemingly insignificant field where the final judgment took place.
"You still love Sesshoumaru, don't you?" Naraku taunted the female youkai, who was beginning to tire after fighting two consecutive battles with two equally different opponents. The wound the taiyoukai had inflicted on Kikumo's shoulder was bleeding again, and fresh drops of her blood was dripping down her silken robes, painting her earth-colored kimono a nauseating crimson. "What a pity...you threw away a promising suitor and lost him to a human."
"Shut that rotted mouth of yours, Naraku!" Kikumo shouted, bounding up in the air with the grace of a gull, her weapon raised at a perfect angle to smite her foe in half. One can easily see the burning anger - and shame - written in those emerald orbs, which by then were beginning to turn a vivid shade of red.
Naraku smirked to see his ex-ally acting out of her emotions. So, she was using him to vent out her rage and indignity at her demise? He shot out a sharp tentacle at her, neatly grabbing her on the neck and throwing her backwards a good many feet.
Kikumo let out a pained moan as her body bounced for a couple of times on the hard ground before the momentum of the throw eventually weakened and pulled her to a stop. She struggled to keep her eyes open for a few seconds before she, weakened by the loss of blood and driven into grief by heartbreak, blacked out. That was how Sesshoumaru and Kikyou first saw her when they finally crossed over the rocky barrier to keep track of Kikumo's duel with Naraku.
The great Demon Lord of the West touched down with the ease of a fleeting shade on the barren ground, Kikyou by his side. The Priestess held in one of her hands her archer's bow, and she could not help but feel concern tugging at her conscience to see Kikumo in such a wretched state.
Naraku had approached the unconscious figure of the Demoness, a grin of malice on his face. His numerous tentacles had reached out to wrap around Kikumo's waist and he lifted her up a few feet from the ground. Even though the evil hanyou felt Sesshoumaru's and Kikyou's presence nearby, he paid no particular attention to them. He would deal with them later, as long as he had finished with this one.
"I feel great power lurking within this flower, wilted it might seem," Naraku muttered, his dark scheme glazing his eyes with a hellish gleam. "Don't worry, I will not let that power waste away..." His tentacles lifted Kikumo's limp body and brought her closer and closer into the waiting arms of the hanyou. Even more tentacles began to spring from his back, and were slowly wrapping themselves loosely around the full youkai.
Kikyou took some time to realize that Naraku was after Kikumo's powers. He would absorb her...just as he had tried to take Sesshoumaru's full demon powers away. She started to walk towards Naraku and prevent him from doing more devilries when Sesshoumaru's arm on her waist stopped her.
The beautiful Priestess looked up with surprise at her beloved. She understood his hurt at the Demoness' betrayal, and Kikyou, herself, had even sworn that she will make Kikumo pay for her misdeed. But Sesshoumaru has a soft heart within as well... He can't hate Kikumo to the point that he will allow her to be taken by their prime enemy...can he? Sesshoumaru knew of Naraku's gross tactic to absorb his enemies' powers for his own; he had to understand in some way...
"Naraku's going to take her powers, Sesshoumaru," she whispered, hoping that he will comprehend. "We have to help her..."
A strange sad expression flashed over Sesshoumaru's amber eyes, but he only tightened his hold around her. "Kikumo hasn't unleashed her true powers yet. Naraku's underestimation of her is his undoing." Kikyou looked deeply into his eyes, trying to understand his reasons, but he avoided her eye.
'He still cares for Kikumo...but he couldn't express it freely because I am around,' was the thought that circulated in her mind, but Kikyou's attention was diverted towards Naraku and Kikumo again. The Demoness' later action shocked her entirely.
Kikumo appeared to regain her consciousness in Naraku's tentacles, and her stunned emerald eyes met Naraku's reddish ones before his tentacles pulled her fully into his clutches. Kikumo felt her powers putting up a struggle as Naraku began to suck them from her. Now was the time.
Lifting the Hiroko Kama - thankful was she that her hand had not loosened its hold on the naginata for one moment - Kikumo plunged it straight into the hanyou's back with her failing strength.
The Magnanimous Sickle began to glow red as its blade plunged deeply into the enemy's back, and Kikumo shouted in all her might, "Fall into the power of the Magnanimous Sickle, Onigumo!"
By this time, Inuyasha and Kagome had caught up with Sesshoumaru and Kikyou. Rather clumsily, the half-demon descended the nearly vertical rock columns and dropped right down next to the older pair.
"What did we miss?" Inuyasha hastily inquired, letting Kagome dismount from his back.
"Naraku's end is near..." Sesshoumaru replied enigmatically. But they were prevented from questioning him further because the scene taking place before them was too incredible to be missed.
Kikyou had noted that Kikumo addressed their now common enemy by his past person, the wretched thief whom she nursed with her sister Kaede. Why had she done that? But the answer soon came upon them. Naraku began to writhe and he let out screams of pure agony as his form began to melt before their very eyes. In a sharp gesture, he discharged the Deer youkai, still clutching onto a glowing Hiroko Kama, from his jumble of body parts. A shudder went through Kikumo's body before becoming still on the hard ground, but it was too late for Naraku.
Melting away was the body he acquired by selling himself to demons, and with it the evil powers he had gathered throughout his dark lifetime. Gone were his tentacles and his raven hair, and where Naraku stood earlier was Onigumo, burned and disfigured...an epitome of a life wasted by lust and greed.
Seeing this turn of events, Kikyou slid from Sesshoumaru's arm and stepped forward. Putting her very existence at stake, she held out her hands in Onigumo's direction to deliver the final blow. Bright light shot out of her hands as she declared the dreaded command, and the ground beneath the shameful thief split to reveal the gaping mouth of the Netherworld.
"I summon you to Hell!"
Inuyasha and Kagome held on to each other and looked away, not possessing the right strength of will to gaze at the dreadful scene. Sesshoumaru, however, stood unflinchingly as metal shackles were clamped around the pitiful soul's feet, and a soul-shattering shriek cut through their ears as Onigumo, whom they knew better as Naraku, finally was dragged into the fiery pit where he was to exist in torment for eternity.
The ground closed once more, leaving no traces of the Hell fire that previously licked out from beneath it. The Shikon no Tama was thrown up in the air when Naraku reached his nemesis, and the glassy violet ball began to glow dully as it began to descend once more into the barren ground.
Kikyou, amidst her extreme weariness, extended herself as far as she could go to catch the Tama before it touched the hard soil. When the infamous Jewel finally made contact with the skin of her hand, a blinding flash appeared, cutting through the darkness of the land. Sesshoumaru, proud as he was, was forced to divert his eyes from this white light, and the bright miasma endured for long before dissipating, revealing its secrets to the world outside.
...o0o...
Just as Miroku finished sucking in all the evil demons that threatened to engulf them, a bright flash went across the sky, making them shield their eyes. In a brief moment, this white light cut back the darkness cloaking the sky and land, revealing a forest renewed where desert sand lolled and a shining sun gazing down on them warmly with her radiant eyes.
"What was that?" Sango muttered, too shocked for words. They were all staring openmouthed at the tall trees that now towered above them, giving them comfort in their shade.
"It means Sesshoumaru-sama, Kikyou-sama, Inuyasha-sama and Kagome-sama have succeeded!" Rin declared triumphantly, jumping up and down with glee.
Shippou and Jaken danced together ecstatically for a while before they finally realized what they were doing. Rin, herself, hugged Kirara, who had returned to her cuddly form.
Sango smiled at the happiness of their companions, but she stopped short to feel a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Miroku beaming. The young woman could tell something had changed in him.
"Finally, I can hug you without worrying that I will suck you in my hand!" the young man said before embracing her.
It took a while for Sango to realize what he meant. But when she did, she let out the most joyful shout of them all. Miroku was free of Naraku's curse, and he cupped her cheek gently with his right hand, knowing that a bottomless pit no longer resided in his palm.
...o0o...
Sesshoumaru's amber eyes widened to see Kikyou lying limply on the ground. Around them, numerous points of faint light which he knew were actually souls hovered. The souls had escaped from her fragile body? Kikyou, you can't be dead...not now... His heart beat wildly against his rib cage as he hurried quickly to her side, kneeling low to take her into his arm, hoping against hope that his worst expectations are wrong.
And wrong they were, indeed. Even before his cut hand had descended on Kikyou's raven locks, she stirred. Gradually, the Priestess raised herself from the ground and her mahogany eyes locked with Sesshoumaru's amber in a gesture both loving and mystifying.
Sesshoumaru could sense it, something was different in her. Her dark brown eyes carried a brighter glow in them, as though they were lit by lamps from within. Her scent was still sweet to his senses...it was the same yet not the same; her scent carried on a different flavor. And her smile! Such radiance, such love!
"Sesshoumaru..." she whispered his name, and even her voice seemed to ring more clearly in his ears. Kikyou opened one of her hands, and Sesshoumaru had a fleeting glance at the Shikon jewel nestling on her palm before it dissolved into a wisp of smoke. Thus vanished from the world the Tama, the single jewel that divided many, killed countless, yet at the same time, brought together lonely souls to share a single love.
Kikyou's hand reached out to gently clasp his, and Sesshoumaru felt the warmth coursing through his body at her touch. Now, he understood. The stolen souls had gone from her body because she no longer needed them. Kikyou now had a living body of her own, and even more, a restored soul that resided within a beating heart that was linked to his own spirit. That mere thought made his heart sing with joy too intense to be described.
A pained moan, however, distracted them from their blissful musings. Their eyes glanced where Kikumo lay, breathing her last.
Kikyou was kneeling beside her former adversary in an instant, praying amidst the past wounds that she would be all right. Sesshoumaru knelt on her other side, though he approached more sedately. Inuyasha was about to say something, but Kagome put a hand on his shoulder, advising him with words unsaid that they should not get in the way. The hanyou paused before he gave in to her, and stayed where they were.
"Kikumo..." Kikyou's concerned voice made their way into the fallen youkai's ears. With great effort, she fluttered her emerald eyes open and gazed up at the two faces looking down on her.
"Kikyou..." she said quietly, looking deeply into the mahogany eyes of the Priestess, whom she used to hate. "You have succeeded..."
"Naraku's gone," Kikyou replied, choosing her words carefully. "You are free now."
"Free..." Kikumo muttered, her eyes becoming hazy as tears began to cascade down her cheeks. "I can never be free of the guilt...I caused you all so much pain..." She turned her head to look at Sesshoumaru. He was gazing at her solemnly, his face devoid of all emotions. "Sesshoumaru..."
Kikumo choked on his name, the intensity of feelings that single name gave her... Her hand strayed to her waist, and from there she took the Sword of Life, the Tenseiga for which she had spent her worthless efforts and had spelled her own doom. Weakly, she placed the sword, scabbard and all, on his lap, with the words, "Oh, can I ever earn your forgiveness...?"
Sesshoumaru was silent, and his face masked whatever emotions lay beneath. Accepting his lack of answer, Kikumo closed her eyes and opened them once more to look up at the clearing sky above. She gently ran her hand over her beloved weapon, which now looked considerably battered after its previous attack.
"You helped us considerably by transforming Naraku back to Onigumo," Kikyou whispered, trying her best to lift the Demoness' spirits in her final moments. "We are in your debt."
Kikumo smiled, though sadly. "The Hiroko Kama," she explained, her voice fading with each second, "is made from the antlers of my father, Hisano of the Deer Clan. It was actually inspired by the nature of the Tenseiga. Though it could not restore lives as the Healing Fang could, its true powers are, to roughly explain, 'to restore the original state' and 'to make whole'."
"'To restore the original state'?" Kikyou repeated. She recalled how the Hiroko Kama transformed Naraku back into Onigumo. That wretched thief was his original person, and Naraku is but a living illusion woven by his hate and evil. This weakness, the Magnanimous Sickle used, and thus uncloaked the reality that Onigumo can never be obliterated from Naraku.
Kikumo felt her chest growing heavier with each second. She'd better wrap up her worldly affairs before it was too late. She reached up to her fawn hair and pulled out her hair stick, the blue one that had a green tassel and glass chrysanthemum embedded on top. This priceless relic, she pressed into Kikyou's palm.
"Kikyou," she said, mustering up the courage to call her by her name. "This I give to you. Thrust it into the soil, and it can make any plant grow, in almost any place. I know that its power will be of more use to you than it ever was for me... I used my clan's resources for evil, and I hope the guilt that wraps around that ornament will be purified in your hands..."
Kikyou wordlessly closed her hand over the hair stick, and her eyes narrowed in growing worry to feel Kikumo's life force dwindling. Sesshoumaru hadn't reacted at all... He hadn't even touched the Tenseiga even if it now lay on his grasp...
"The Tenseiga..." Kikyou muttered, and her eyes brightened for a second. "Yes, the Sword of Life! Kikumo, there's still hope. You can still live. Sesshoumaru, you can use the sword to-"
"I'm afraid it's too late for that," Kikumo broke her off between sobs. "Please, I am tired. I wish to go home. I cannot live knowing that I would only stand between you and Sesshoumaru..." She shifted her eyes from Kikyou to her past lover. He still did not speak, and Kikumo once more looked up at the sky. "But..."
Her hand was on the Hiroko Kama again. With the last of her strength, she lifted the naginata and with its blunt edge touched Sesshoumaru's left shoulder. After this was done, Kikumo's lips broke into the first true smile after many a long time. Sesshoumaru's eyes softened considerably, and though Kikyou could not grasp the meaning of Kikumo's last action, she was relieved to see the Demoness' face at peace.
"I know that simple gesture may not make up for my previous wicked actions," she whispered, her eyes never leaving Sesshoumaru. Kikyou knew that they were losing her. "But at least...in my death...I got to spend my last moments...with you..." Kikumo's voice faltered, her hand grew limp, and her eyes closed in eternal rest. Only for now, can she finally be happy.
A gust of wind blew from the West, and before their eyes, the body of the Flower of the Deer tribe and the Magnanimous Sickle dissolved into ashes. The breeze scattered their remains around the dead field, and where the ashes touched, grass began to grow, and white chrysanthemums burst into bloom, bringing forth life in a place once wretched.
Kikyou held back her tears at this last gift of Kikumo. She may have been marred by evil, but she still managed to live up the principles of her clan in the end. Beautify the land...care for it... She had been saved even in the end.
"Kikyou..." Sesshoumaru finally spoke, and she raised her head to meet his. Though she clearly read the sadness imprinted in his amber eyes (after all, one can never really forget one's first love), there was also relief and peace. They had gone through so much, staking their lives and their love, and now their reward lay before them. Now they could love each other freely, heedless of the odds.
Smiles returned to their lips, and Kikyou threw herself into his embrace, rejoicing in their new freedom. Sesshoumaru's grin widened as he held her close. Surprise went through his lover's face to feel something different in his embrace...to see him holding her with two arms. Kikyou finally understood what Kikumo had done.
'To make whole...' she thought, capturing Sesshoumaru's lips in a delighted kiss. 'Thank you for making us whole, Kikumo...'
...o0o...
Wee! Yay! Only one more chapter to go! ;) Did you SERIOUSLY think I would kill Kikyou? I cannot do that! T.T Oh well, at least things are all right now...and Kikumo did something of worth before she died... Please stay tuned for the Grand Finale!