Byaku was struggling with trying to both cope with Naraku and ignore the pain of the poison. Every time she tried to use kazanna, he would cowardly shield himself behind Shihai, who still hadn't awaken. She was forced to fight close range combat, and did have some success, but she was unable to deal permanent damage and the longer the battle continued, the worse it became for her.
"I'm surprised your body is so durable," he mocked, "however; it is only a matter of time before it gives in. Even if your heart and mind tell you to keep fighting, the body has a limit.
She ignored him and hurled hiraikotsu, but the attack took a lot of strength from her and it missed, wobbling harmlessly aside. She was swept aside by branches, and this time she found herself suffering to simply stand again. It was as though his previous words had affected her; realizing the truth had caused her to believe it and now the poison was more unbearable than ever.
Now Kiara fought alone, trying to break through the barrier of branches. She clawed and chewed viciously, but she was receiving more damage than she was dealing as each successful attack caused an injection of Naraku's shouki, his poisonous evil energy.
He aimed the next series of branches at Byaku, but Kiara took the hit and taking the initiative, lifted carried her into the air. The firecat tried dodging the branches from the air, but the combination of shouki and surplus weight made it difficult. Only narrowly missing, a branch brushed against her side, slicing off pieces of fur. She tried to move away, but the branch curved and wrapped itself around her body. She tried to force herself out but several additions of branches attached to her, making it impossible.
Bucking her head, she tossed her rider away to protect her from the next attack; however, although her intentions were correct, Byaku still hadn't recovered well enough and it appeared that she would fall, from high in the air, dangerously onto the unwelcoming crags beneath.
Byaku gained a bit of awareness after she felt a slight breeze touch her skin. Wind seemed to gather beneath her and it was able to ease the fall enough that she could still stand after landing. She wasn't sure if it had been simply pure luck, or, what she believed more strongly, that somehow, without moving from his vulnerable position Shihai had saved her with his relation to the wind.
She knew that he was the one that summoned all of the youkai to her village; she knew that her village would most definitely have been crushed, but she didn't want to blame him. She had been blaming men for too long.
She opened kazanna, causing Naraku to rush toward his safety area behind the unmoving bodyguard, Shihai. She thought it was no more than a coward cowering behind another coward.
Kazanna caused her more pain than normal this time, but she forced herself to concentrate on the battle. She recalled hiraikotsu, and was able to aim it correctly to hit Naraku, who had not been expecting the attack.
The boomerang was able to free Kiara and drive him far away enough from his protection for Byaku to finish him off with kazanna. She knew the pain would be worse, and fears and uncertainties began to grow in her, but she refused to lose; she had to be strong. She had to be strong, to protect mother, so that she wouldn't be sad anymore, so the tears that began the day of her father's death would disappear, so that the sickness inflicted upon her from excessive battles would miraculously disappear. She suddenly realized how vain she had been, in believing that strength would solve everything.
Maybe, if after this moment the curse in her left hand destroyed her, it would be a just end, the way she believed it was with her father. Maybe, if after this moment the curse in her left hand destroyed her, it would be an unfair end, as it may have been with her father. Her opponent didn't seem to fear death. Shihai was still and calm throughout the entire affair. Maybe she was the coward.
She feared what might happen next. Her father had lived every day of his life in fear, knowing that at any moment his curse could take his life away. She had ignorantly labelled him a coward. She denied her fears, forcing herself to be stronger than her father by proclaiming not to be a coward afraid of a stupid curse. Now she knew, she was afraid, just as her father was.
An arrow flew, like an angel answering a prayer, and completely obliterated Naraku. From the energy swirling around it, she recognized it as a purification arrow, but more importantly, she realized that the archer must have trained longer and harder than herself, as the arrow had passed so easily as it crossed directly through kazanna's path.
She closed kazanna quickly, and held it to her chest where she could feel her intensely beating heart. She was safe.
She forgot about searching for the archer, and tried to wake Kiara; however, the firecat appeared to be too weak to continue. "How useless," she thought angrily as she went alone to the burning village where her mother was, leaving behind two worthless creatures that were unable to help her in the only time she truly needed it. Her vision saw only the flames. She could walk only one path, only to those flames, as if they were inviting her.
After she had left, the priestess Kikyo appeared. Taking the shikon shard gently in her soft hands, she instantly purified its evil, and seemed to hear Naraku's cries of pain. Her face revealed no emotions.
It was near dawn when Byaku finally arrived at the village. The fire had stopped, but everything had already burnt down. There were piles of youkai corpses and bones, all of them defeated by her mother. She had been unable to help her, help her mother, in this battle.
She searched for her mother wildly through the remnants of the village, shouting her name and lifting heavy pieces of rubble. For the first time, tears began to flow from her.
She heard a subtle noise, and locating it quickly, she found her mother. Sango was covered in wounds, burns, and she had broken bones all throughout her body.
"About your father," she began dearly.
"Don't talk. Save your strength," her daughter pleaded through her tears.
"Everyday, your father lived in fear. That's why he could never take a relationship seriously. All he thought about was bearing a child so that his wrath against Naraku could be carried on. He never thought about being a parent or a husband.
Your father believed that the best way to defeat Naraku was using Kohaku's shard. He never said this to me, out of concern, but I could tell. Even I thought we should use Kohaku's shard, but I didn't. Your father had to use kazanna continuously for over an hour. We eventually defeated Naraku, but we both knew his death would be soon. He tried his best. He wanted to stay alive so badly to see his child born, and to be a proper father and a proper husband.
He didn't know that the village was still weak. I didn't tell him that most of the new fighters were still training. I did all of the fighting myself so that he wouldn't have to use kazanna, but he found out what I was doing when I became a sick. He came with me on one of my missions, even though I kept telling him I was fine. I was supposed to destroy a nest full of sleeping demons, but I messed up and woke them up. If he hadn't been there and saved me with kazanna, I would have died.
When I raised you, I tried pretending to be strong, but you knew I was in pain. Eventually you began believing that your father was the cause of my pain, but that wasn't right. You can't blame your father. More than anything, he wanted to stay alive and raise you himself. He didn't want you to bear the burden of fighting Naraku as he had. He wanted to free you. It was my fault."
"No, mother, it wasn't. I knew it wasn't his fault, but I blamed him anyway. It's my fault. What caused you the most pain was that I hated your father, the man you loved so dearly. You wanted me to love him, and see him as the great man that he really was, but I was the stubborn one. But I don't hate him anymore! I don't hate him mother, so please, please, just live!"
"No, I can't anymore."
"Please!"
"It's too late already."
"Mother!"
"Listen, from now on, live true. You don't have to kill Kohaku. I vowed, that I wouldn't forgive him for his sins, but I couldn't do it, so I pushed the burden to you. I was unfair, a horrible mother."
"No-"
"One part of me saw only his sins, another part of me saw him only as my brother, and another part of wanted to help my friends. I fell apart. I don't want you to do the same. This shard, give it to a priestess, then, you won't have to fight anymore. You can walk any path you choose. Take care of Kiara. Be strong. Be happy. Find love. You are my precious daughter."
After her mother passed away, she continued holding her in her arms, making no noise, even as the sun rose and the peoples' day began. Some people came to the village, coming to request assistance, but then they saw, and went away.
She continued crying, as though all the tears that had been withheld were now leaking out uncontrollably. She wanted to let the poison take her own life away, and hold the person she loved more than anything in her arms, for eternity.