A/n:: This chapter is SAD and ANGSTY!! Beware of character death and be forewarned, you might need Kleenex.
Disclaimer:: Me no own, and you no sue, I can't stand it and boo-hoo-hoo. ^-^
____________________________
Inuki
Chapter Eleven :: My Last Breath
Inuyasha staggered backward, his red eyes widening in confusion and pain. One hand went up and touched the arrow, and then he looked back up in the direction it had come from. At Kagome. The miko lowered the bow slowly, her face stoic as she kept her eyes trained on him.
And then something happened that no one had expected. His eyes cleared, turning bright amber-gold again. His face tightened painfully, a hint of betrayal in the golden depths. "K-Kagome…"
His eyes slid shut and Kagome screamed his name as he fell backward.
She was at his side in moments, skidding in the gravel and dirt and ignoring her skinned knees. It didn't matter; nothing else mattered. Nothing except the dying young man in front of her.
Inuyasha let out a soft whimper, his chest heaving as he gasped in pain. Kagome did not even try to hold back the tears that streamed freely down her cheeks. "Inuyasha! Inuyasha!!"
He opened his eyes, the unfocused gold orbs falling on her face. "Kagome," he whispered, and she pressed her lips together, her hands grasping his tightly. "Inuyasha, are you…"
"Are you okay?" he asked first, and she stared at him, surprised. "I'm fine, you didn't hurt me." He laughed under his breath. "Yeah I did… I smelled your blood…" He lifted a hand, looking at the blood staining his claws. He closed his eyes then, and his hand fell to his chest.
Kagome panicked. "Inuyasha!!"
"I'm okay.. you missed." Kagome looked blankly at him. Missed? She glanced down and felt a stab of surprise. She HAD missed. The arrow was too high. She couldn't have even put him in the enchanted sleep that Kikyou had once done to him with that sort of aim.
She bit her lip. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, leaning close to him and he smirked. "Don't worry about it." He relaxed, only to have his body shudder in pain again. Kagome looked over him. "I should… pull it out.."
She rested her hand on his chest carefully and gripped the arrow shaft in the other. "Inuyasha, be still…" He nodded, and then Kagome pulled hard.
Inuyasha's face twisted into an expression of agony and he rolled slightly, his hand covering the small wound. Kagome threw aside the bloody arrow and grabbed Inuyasha. "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay, don't worry about it." He forced himself to his feet and glared across the chasm at Naraku, who looked back at him smugly. Turning away from the hateful creature, Inuyasha walked forward and dropped gracefully into the canyon.
The group gasped in surprise at this action, not understanding why Inuyasha would willingly go back down there. The surprise dissipated when he returned just as quickly, slipping Tessaiga into its sheath.
Kagome blinked. Of course. Naraku had knocked the blade away and it had fallen into the shouki-filled ravine. Inuyasha had followed after it, Kagome right behind him. It was only once they were down they realized Naraku's plan: force Inuyasha into transforming so they he could kill Kagome.
The hanyou looked down at her. "Kagome…" She blinked several times, stammering. There was an odd look in his eyes; it made her chest flutter. "Uhm… yeah?"
"I need you to help me now. It's time to really fight," he said and Kagome put on her game face. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go."
He grinned at her and then looked at the others. "We have to charge head on. It's not like we can sneak up on him, he knows we're here…" Miroku nodded, his right fist squeezing methodically. "That is true."
"Then let's go," Sango said, and Shippou nodded. "We'll get revenge for everything!" Inuyasha smiled, turning back towards Naraku.
The other hanyou held out the completed Shikon no Tama. "Aren't you coming?? Where's your bravado… Inuyasha?"
Kagome glared at the monster who was posing as a man, letting her utter hate for him surface. All she had to do was remember the things he had done. To Miroku-sama, to Sango-chan, to Kikyou. To Inuyasha.
"Min'na…" They all perked at Inuyasha's voice, soft and husky. His face was somber. "I won't let any of you die… but no matter what happens, this is still the end of our journey." He put his hand symbolically on Tessaiga's hilt. "Thanks for staying with me."
And then he charged.
~*~
Kagome looked up to the sky gratefully as the last few ashes that had been Naraku fluttered away on the wind. The sun began to rise over the horizon, spreading warm light over the battlefield. In the field she saw the glittering of the Shikon no Tama and bent, taking it into her hands.
She brushed off the residue of the shouki, and gazing down at the ball, she clasped it gratefully to her chest, sinking to the ground.
It was over.
Behind her, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippou stood, scattered across the field, their faces turned to the sky as the rays of the morning sun stretched out towards them. They were all alive. The new morning, the new beginning of a life without Naraku, began today.
"Miroku…"
At the sound of Inuyasha's voice, the houshi looked over at his friend. Inuyasha was standing, his face turned to the sky. He seemed empty of any emotion; his body seemed to tilt, as if he was going to fall. Miroku wasn't surprised; the young man was drenched in blood. If he fainted he'd just be the first.
"Yes, Inuyasha?"
"Is your kazaana gone…?"
The houshi blinked. So elated and so caught up with the gravity of the moment he hadn't yet had the thought to check.
Slowly he unraveled the beads from around his wrist and uncovered his right palm. It was empty. He felt a surge of relief and surprise, and he felt so light-headed that he thought he might faint. He was released from it.
He nodded once, a small smile gracing his lips. "The kazaana is gone."
Inuyasha smiled also, almost as if the action were fake. "S'good…" His eyes closed and he let out a halting, pained breath. Miroku looked back up to see Inuyasha crumple to the ground. Anxiously he called out the half-demon's name.
Kagome looked up when she heard Miroku cry out. Across the field, Miroku, Sango and Shippou raced to Inuyasha, who had collapsed.
For the second time that day Kagome raced to him, ignoring her body's protests that she was exhausted and wounded and in no shape to run as much as she was. She stopped at his side, staring in frantic horror down at him, at the pool of red liquid around him that endlessly widened.
She dropped to her knees, grasping his clawed hands. They were cold and limp. "Inuyasha!!" she screamed, and he opened his eyes. "Kagome.." Seeing his eyes, Kagome's blood ran cold. He didn't have to say anything, didn't have to do anything.
She knew. She could see it in his face that was ashen from the loss of blood. In his eyes which were glazed and blank.
He looked up at her weakly, his breaths heavy and labored. "You okay…?" he asked in a soft voice and she shrugged. "Nothing I can't heal. Inuyasha, you've gotta hang on, okay? You're gonna be okay."
He made a motion which some other time might have been a nod. His eyes closed and Kagome squeezed his hand fearfully. "Inuyasha?!"
He breathed out shakily and his face tightened. "Kagome, I…"
The miko wiped the tears from her face. Her entire focus was on him, on what he was saying. It would be his last words to her.
Inuyasha's last words… He was on his deathbed, Kagome realized. It felt like a curse, to get so far, to finally kill that hated Naraku, only for him to die now? It felt like it wasn't real.
Inuyasha was dying.
His words were cut off by a fit of coughing, and red colored his lips. Kagome gasped at the action, taken aback. She closed her eyes. This can't be happening, it can't happen. Please God, don't let him die!
"Kagome…" She could barely hear him; he'd only breathed her name. She bit her lip hard, tasting blood in her mouth as she leaned over him to hear his voice. Inuyasha's body shuddered from the effort.
"I.. have to tell you… I… Kagome, I will…"
Kagome wept, the tears streaming down her face unchecked. She didn't care. She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. He was so cold. So cold. "Inuyasha, I'm here."
His mouth worked silently. Kagome brushed back his hair. "Inuyasha?"
His breathing was shallower; his chest hardly moved at all. But he moved his lips again, desperately trying to make her understand him.
No, dammit, NO! He was trapped. Trapped in this dying body and goddammit, he had to tell her. His mouth worked the words over and over. His entire body was numb and going cold; he could feel her hand on his face and the other gripping his hand. She was so warm, so full of life.
The silver streams of tears ran down her cheeks as her mouth worked his name hoarsely over and over. He tried to reach up to her, but couldn't move his hands.
It was so dark, in this place, and he couldn't see anymore; he couldn't see anything. Not even her. God, no please don't leave me, don't leave me alone here to die like this, Kagome!
The miko watched him struggling to live, trying to survive this, and watched him failing. Frantically she realized her hand still clenched around a small globe. She looked at it and then back at Inuyasha. In a panic she pressed the ball to him. "Please! Please live, please, Inuyasha, I can't go through this life without you…"
She watched as the Shikon no Tama began to glow gently, and a small orb of pale pink light entered Inuyasha's body. For a moment Inuyasha took a deep breath, clear and unhindered and Kagome sighed, thanking God silently.
But then his eyes slid closed and he took a shuddering gasp as the blood filled his lungs. She gasped also, the fear and the grief filling her again as she realized it hadn't worked. "Inuyasha!!"
He coughed, choking. God, is this how Death was? Was he really going to die like this? Without having said anything? Without telling her how he felt?
Please let her hear me! ...Kagome... Kagome!!
"Kagome…!"
His body tensed under her hands, and then relaxed. His taut features eased and Kagome felt his last breath leave him. She pulled away in horror, staring at his face. Her eyes went to his chest, which didn't move.
She couldn't swallow. Her hands shook as she lifted them to her mouth. "Inu… yasha…" She leaned forward, grabbing his haori and shaking him. "Inuyasha!! INUYASHA!!"
Someone grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away, yelling something she couldn't understand, Kagome just stared past him, her sight blurring. Abruptly it started making sense. "Kagome-sama!!"
"Let go of me, I have to… I have to help him!!"
"Kagome-sama, he's dead!!!" Kagome halted all her movements, stopped the struggling. Miroku was too strong. She looked up at him helplessly. Tears had filled the houshi's eyes as well. "He's dead, Kagome-sama. Inuyasha's dead."
The strength bled from her legs and Kagome dropped to the ground. Miroku went down with her, holding her to his chest, and Kagome buried her face into his shoulder and wept.
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Okie guys, you wanted to know how Inuyasha died-- there you go. Please review~ And not with death threats.
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen
Disclaimer:: Me no own, and you no sue, I can't stand it and boo-hoo-hoo. ^-^
____________________________
Inuki
Chapter Eleven :: My Last Breath
Inuyasha staggered backward, his red eyes widening in confusion and pain. One hand went up and touched the arrow, and then he looked back up in the direction it had come from. At Kagome. The miko lowered the bow slowly, her face stoic as she kept her eyes trained on him.
And then something happened that no one had expected. His eyes cleared, turning bright amber-gold again. His face tightened painfully, a hint of betrayal in the golden depths. "K-Kagome…"
His eyes slid shut and Kagome screamed his name as he fell backward.
She was at his side in moments, skidding in the gravel and dirt and ignoring her skinned knees. It didn't matter; nothing else mattered. Nothing except the dying young man in front of her.
Inuyasha let out a soft whimper, his chest heaving as he gasped in pain. Kagome did not even try to hold back the tears that streamed freely down her cheeks. "Inuyasha! Inuyasha!!"
He opened his eyes, the unfocused gold orbs falling on her face. "Kagome," he whispered, and she pressed her lips together, her hands grasping his tightly. "Inuyasha, are you…"
"Are you okay?" he asked first, and she stared at him, surprised. "I'm fine, you didn't hurt me." He laughed under his breath. "Yeah I did… I smelled your blood…" He lifted a hand, looking at the blood staining his claws. He closed his eyes then, and his hand fell to his chest.
Kagome panicked. "Inuyasha!!"
"I'm okay.. you missed." Kagome looked blankly at him. Missed? She glanced down and felt a stab of surprise. She HAD missed. The arrow was too high. She couldn't have even put him in the enchanted sleep that Kikyou had once done to him with that sort of aim.
She bit her lip. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, leaning close to him and he smirked. "Don't worry about it." He relaxed, only to have his body shudder in pain again. Kagome looked over him. "I should… pull it out.."
She rested her hand on his chest carefully and gripped the arrow shaft in the other. "Inuyasha, be still…" He nodded, and then Kagome pulled hard.
Inuyasha's face twisted into an expression of agony and he rolled slightly, his hand covering the small wound. Kagome threw aside the bloody arrow and grabbed Inuyasha. "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay, don't worry about it." He forced himself to his feet and glared across the chasm at Naraku, who looked back at him smugly. Turning away from the hateful creature, Inuyasha walked forward and dropped gracefully into the canyon.
The group gasped in surprise at this action, not understanding why Inuyasha would willingly go back down there. The surprise dissipated when he returned just as quickly, slipping Tessaiga into its sheath.
Kagome blinked. Of course. Naraku had knocked the blade away and it had fallen into the shouki-filled ravine. Inuyasha had followed after it, Kagome right behind him. It was only once they were down they realized Naraku's plan: force Inuyasha into transforming so they he could kill Kagome.
The hanyou looked down at her. "Kagome…" She blinked several times, stammering. There was an odd look in his eyes; it made her chest flutter. "Uhm… yeah?"
"I need you to help me now. It's time to really fight," he said and Kagome put on her game face. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go."
He grinned at her and then looked at the others. "We have to charge head on. It's not like we can sneak up on him, he knows we're here…" Miroku nodded, his right fist squeezing methodically. "That is true."
"Then let's go," Sango said, and Shippou nodded. "We'll get revenge for everything!" Inuyasha smiled, turning back towards Naraku.
The other hanyou held out the completed Shikon no Tama. "Aren't you coming?? Where's your bravado… Inuyasha?"
Kagome glared at the monster who was posing as a man, letting her utter hate for him surface. All she had to do was remember the things he had done. To Miroku-sama, to Sango-chan, to Kikyou. To Inuyasha.
"Min'na…" They all perked at Inuyasha's voice, soft and husky. His face was somber. "I won't let any of you die… but no matter what happens, this is still the end of our journey." He put his hand symbolically on Tessaiga's hilt. "Thanks for staying with me."
And then he charged.
~*~
Kagome looked up to the sky gratefully as the last few ashes that had been Naraku fluttered away on the wind. The sun began to rise over the horizon, spreading warm light over the battlefield. In the field she saw the glittering of the Shikon no Tama and bent, taking it into her hands.
She brushed off the residue of the shouki, and gazing down at the ball, she clasped it gratefully to her chest, sinking to the ground.
It was over.
Behind her, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippou stood, scattered across the field, their faces turned to the sky as the rays of the morning sun stretched out towards them. They were all alive. The new morning, the new beginning of a life without Naraku, began today.
"Miroku…"
At the sound of Inuyasha's voice, the houshi looked over at his friend. Inuyasha was standing, his face turned to the sky. He seemed empty of any emotion; his body seemed to tilt, as if he was going to fall. Miroku wasn't surprised; the young man was drenched in blood. If he fainted he'd just be the first.
"Yes, Inuyasha?"
"Is your kazaana gone…?"
The houshi blinked. So elated and so caught up with the gravity of the moment he hadn't yet had the thought to check.
Slowly he unraveled the beads from around his wrist and uncovered his right palm. It was empty. He felt a surge of relief and surprise, and he felt so light-headed that he thought he might faint. He was released from it.
He nodded once, a small smile gracing his lips. "The kazaana is gone."
Inuyasha smiled also, almost as if the action were fake. "S'good…" His eyes closed and he let out a halting, pained breath. Miroku looked back up to see Inuyasha crumple to the ground. Anxiously he called out the half-demon's name.
Kagome looked up when she heard Miroku cry out. Across the field, Miroku, Sango and Shippou raced to Inuyasha, who had collapsed.
For the second time that day Kagome raced to him, ignoring her body's protests that she was exhausted and wounded and in no shape to run as much as she was. She stopped at his side, staring in frantic horror down at him, at the pool of red liquid around him that endlessly widened.
She dropped to her knees, grasping his clawed hands. They were cold and limp. "Inuyasha!!" she screamed, and he opened his eyes. "Kagome.." Seeing his eyes, Kagome's blood ran cold. He didn't have to say anything, didn't have to do anything.
She knew. She could see it in his face that was ashen from the loss of blood. In his eyes which were glazed and blank.
He looked up at her weakly, his breaths heavy and labored. "You okay…?" he asked in a soft voice and she shrugged. "Nothing I can't heal. Inuyasha, you've gotta hang on, okay? You're gonna be okay."
He made a motion which some other time might have been a nod. His eyes closed and Kagome squeezed his hand fearfully. "Inuyasha?!"
He breathed out shakily and his face tightened. "Kagome, I…"
The miko wiped the tears from her face. Her entire focus was on him, on what he was saying. It would be his last words to her.
Inuyasha's last words… He was on his deathbed, Kagome realized. It felt like a curse, to get so far, to finally kill that hated Naraku, only for him to die now? It felt like it wasn't real.
Inuyasha was dying.
His words were cut off by a fit of coughing, and red colored his lips. Kagome gasped at the action, taken aback. She closed her eyes. This can't be happening, it can't happen. Please God, don't let him die!
"Kagome…" She could barely hear him; he'd only breathed her name. She bit her lip hard, tasting blood in her mouth as she leaned over him to hear his voice. Inuyasha's body shuddered from the effort.
"I.. have to tell you… I… Kagome, I will…"
Kagome wept, the tears streaming down her face unchecked. She didn't care. She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. He was so cold. So cold. "Inuyasha, I'm here."
His mouth worked silently. Kagome brushed back his hair. "Inuyasha?"
His breathing was shallower; his chest hardly moved at all. But he moved his lips again, desperately trying to make her understand him.
No, dammit, NO! He was trapped. Trapped in this dying body and goddammit, he had to tell her. His mouth worked the words over and over. His entire body was numb and going cold; he could feel her hand on his face and the other gripping his hand. She was so warm, so full of life.
The silver streams of tears ran down her cheeks as her mouth worked his name hoarsely over and over. He tried to reach up to her, but couldn't move his hands.
It was so dark, in this place, and he couldn't see anymore; he couldn't see anything. Not even her. God, no please don't leave me, don't leave me alone here to die like this, Kagome!
The miko watched him struggling to live, trying to survive this, and watched him failing. Frantically she realized her hand still clenched around a small globe. She looked at it and then back at Inuyasha. In a panic she pressed the ball to him. "Please! Please live, please, Inuyasha, I can't go through this life without you…"
She watched as the Shikon no Tama began to glow gently, and a small orb of pale pink light entered Inuyasha's body. For a moment Inuyasha took a deep breath, clear and unhindered and Kagome sighed, thanking God silently.
But then his eyes slid closed and he took a shuddering gasp as the blood filled his lungs. She gasped also, the fear and the grief filling her again as she realized it hadn't worked. "Inuyasha!!"
He coughed, choking. God, is this how Death was? Was he really going to die like this? Without having said anything? Without telling her how he felt?
Please let her hear me! ...Kagome... Kagome!!
"Kagome…!"
His body tensed under her hands, and then relaxed. His taut features eased and Kagome felt his last breath leave him. She pulled away in horror, staring at his face. Her eyes went to his chest, which didn't move.
She couldn't swallow. Her hands shook as she lifted them to her mouth. "Inu… yasha…" She leaned forward, grabbing his haori and shaking him. "Inuyasha!! INUYASHA!!"
Someone grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away, yelling something she couldn't understand, Kagome just stared past him, her sight blurring. Abruptly it started making sense. "Kagome-sama!!"
"Let go of me, I have to… I have to help him!!"
"Kagome-sama, he's dead!!!" Kagome halted all her movements, stopped the struggling. Miroku was too strong. She looked up at him helplessly. Tears had filled the houshi's eyes as well. "He's dead, Kagome-sama. Inuyasha's dead."
The strength bled from her legs and Kagome dropped to the ground. Miroku went down with her, holding her to his chest, and Kagome buried her face into his shoulder and wept.
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Okie guys, you wanted to know how Inuyasha died-- there you go. Please review~ And not with death threats.
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen