Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today. (James Dean)

Sacrifice II

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Stressed
Kagome raised her own eyes to meet Shippo's dull green ones. This would be one of the hardest decisions in her life. This would be worse then having to witness her mom's death. This was something that would darken the soul even more. She laughed at the irony of it all. Her mother had killed her own son…and now…the past or would it be the future is to be repeated. Standing up she let her hand hover above her Kamas. Hakai was a bloodthirsty weapon bent on destroying any souls it came in contact with. Soushi on the other hand was a weapon that could destroy and heal the soul.

Shippo's soul was trapped within the mirror, but with one final decision she reached for Soushi. Shippo charged again and Inuyasha looked up from Kagura's falling figure. As her dead body hit the ground, Shippo's body went flying towards a tree with a heavy thud. Inuyasha could smell the sorrow leaking off of Kagome's body. Her eyes were dry and glaring at Naraku.

"Forgive me Shippo," Kagome whispered as she withdrew Soushi's sibling, Hakai.

Inuyasha let his golden eyes travel to Sango. Kohaku was crying a river as his sister slowly slipped from this realm and into the next. He then looked towards Miroku. The monk's robes flapped wildly in the wind as the void consumed his hand. Inuyasha looked away as he heard a final scream and an explosion. He looked over through his own tear filled eyes to see a crater in the ground. Turning his hateful gaze to Naraku he rushed over to the battle.

Kagome brought her weapons down in an arch effectively severing his left arm. She sneered in disgust as it reattached. Her eyes filled with more tears that she refused to shed as she felt her friends ki vanish from the world. Naraku laughed as she continued her onslaught of attacks.

"You're all alone with only the betraying hanyou," Naraku taunted. Kagome dropped her Kamas and lengthened her nails to claws.

"You will die," Kagome growled out.

"So will you," Naraku calmly promised.

"I already have," Kagome said with a proud smirk. "And they have a special seat in hell for you."

Naraku frowned and snarled as he struck her in the shoulder. Kagome winced as he removed his tentacle from her shoulder. Clutching her shoulder she glared at him, trying to figure out the best way to attack him. Naraku soon clutched his on arm as a red blur appeared beside Kagome. Looking at his blood on his head he merely snapped it to the ground. Kagome placed her hands in front of her and slowly began to chant as Inuyasha readied his sword. Naraku glared at them in annoyance.

"You think a mere spell will harm me?" He challenged. Kagome's eyes snapped opened and they pulsed a dark violet.

"Bakuryuuha!" Inuyasha yelled as the white ki from sword mingled with the violet ki of the spell she chanted.

"This spell is guaranteed to bind your soul to hell once you die," Kagome growled as the Bakuryuuha engulfed. Quickly summoning her Hami yumi she released a Hamaya of pure energy. Kagome released her summoning spell and let the bow dissolve back to the air. The cloud of dust cleared leaving sparks of energy radiating from the ground. She limped over to the blackened Shikon no Tama and picked it up. The Tama instantly gleamed a radiant pink at her touch.

Falling to her knees she ripped her quarter of the jewel from her neck and began to fuse it with the rest. Looking the Tama over she found that it was a perfect orb. With a final sigh she let the tears flow down her cheeks. Nothing had gone the way she wanted it to. Everyone but her and Inuyasha were dead. Kohaku was slowly fading since the Shikon shard was summoned back to the jewel.

"All this pain and death for this," Kagome whispered as she looked at the Tama.

"Pain is all the jewel can bring," Kikyo explained as she aimed an arrow at Kagome.

"Why are you doing this?" Kagome weakly whispered. She had used most of her Miko ki in the last Hamaya and spell she tossed at Naraku.

"I am the Tama's guardian and it is time for it to return," Kikyo coldly said. Kagome looked up from bored and tired eyes.

"You think I will hand the jewel over to you?" Kagome growled.

"You have no choice," Kikyo firmly said.

"We all have choices. I have learned that, and I have learned that we must live by the choice we made. I will not allow the jewel to fall into the hands of a kuro Miko such as you," Kagome spat as she glowered at Kikyo.

"Inuyasha, bring me the jewel," Kikyo ordered as she held Kagome's gaze. Inuyasha shook his head no before he stood to the side of Kagome.

"No Kikyo, the Tama is no longer yours," Inuyasha whispered as he looked away.

"I will take it then," Kikyo growled as she held her hand out.

The Shikon no Tama flashed as it floated into the air and half way to Kikyo it stopped. Kagome held her arms out as she stood up. It looked as if she was offering an embrace to a lonely stranger. Her eyes held a regretful expression as she put forth the energy to call back the jewel. Kikyo frowned as she tugged at the jewel, it would not budge. Kikyo's soul stealers dissipated from the air as she began to weaken. The jewel came towards Kagome.

Kikyo noched another arrow and a jolt of Miko ki shot through her body. Kikyo released her grip on the bow as she looked down to hole in her gut. Blood slowly began to seep from the wound as she fell to ground and shattered into ash. The jewel hovered above Kagome and she smiled a warm smile. She still didn't get her revenge on Inuyasha, but she did finish her duty to the jewel. Her ki was slowly fading and Inuyasha walked up to her and she reached out and ran her index finger from the right corner of his eye to halfway down the side of his face.

He winced as he felt the Miko ki burn him and Kagome turned back around and reached for the Tama. It looked as if she was offering comfort to the jewel that silently raged with battle inside. Closing her eyes she let a ghost smile pass her face as light surround the area. Inuyasha covered his eyes and after a few moments he could smell the scent of death lifting. He looked up and opened his eyes to see the village standing again as if nothing had happened. Sango was sitting up and quickly embraced Kohaku.

Shippo rubbed his head and looked up from his spot to see Miroku standing fifty feet away holding his right hand as if it was going to suck him in again. Miroku finally looked at his palm to see the Kazaana was gone. There was no proof of it ever existing. Shippo then let his eyes follow his nose to where Inuyasha's scent was. With a silent no he stared at the hanyou who knelt before of a stalagmite statue. Shippo ran over to the statue that was standing on the ground with her arms spread wide.

Sango and Miroku came near the statue and Oken jumped stood next to the statue and transformed to his battle form. Pushing all the youki from his body he joined his mistress and friend in the only way he knew how. He now sat as a statue beside her in his battle form daring any to attack her as she offered her kindness. Inuyasha finally reached up to touch his right cheek where she left a scar that would never heal.

"Revenge," he whispered. He would forever be reminded of the last moments of her life. When he would gaze into the water or a mirror he would see repeats of her last moments of her life, it would be a burden he would carry until he died. He could make out the faint whisper of her voice on the wind.

Give them all the chance to live...

Author's Note:

I'm posting an epilogue to this so this is not the last chapter!