Across Time Part 18
Hello again, been a while eh? Sorry about the long wait. After I got home from Spring Break we had our
Drama production, Grease, that week and after that I that I had SATS, birthday parties, improv comedy
practices, and a girlfriend to chase around as well. Needless to say I've been busy. Next week isn't
looking good either. Nor the one after it. I have Prom on the 8th and an improv comedy show on the
15th so don't be shocked if you don't see another chapter for a long while. Oh well, at least this is
long...
Also, I've been getting a lot of reviews mentioning beta readers. Not going to happen folks, sorry.
I spell check with ms word and that's it, I'm not going to make people wait additional days for
corrections. However, if you spot a glaring error in a chapter please mention it to me. I'd appreciate
that and I'll correct it. We'll make a game out of it and keep score of who finds the errors first
and how many :D. Ready, set, Spellcheck!
As I said above I have a girlfriend now, meaning I spend most of my free time on her now (sorry all
you disappointed single ladies out there ;) ). However, indirectly this does benefit you romance
lovers. For one, I will finally be able to be a bit more detailed in the whole physical affection
thing (though I still won't describe a kiss so nyeh!). It also gives me a chance to practice what I
preach and gives me quite a few new ideas as well. I'd like to gloat to say that all of them have
worked out flawlessly so far :).
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-TheWraith1- No clue if they do or not, but we have Japanese cars so maybe there's a lincoln or two
around...
-Endless Moonlight- Nope, there won't be a lemon in my fic, I refuse to write one. Besides, I don't
want to lose all my lovely reviews over it. *strokes computer* Yessss my Preciousss.
-Valdimarian- To tell you the truth I tried to write the whole dinner scene but it was too much
dialouge for me to think of. I mean, it isn't like Inuyasha is all that knowledgable about what's
going on in the world. Assume they talked about the Warring States era. Also, chapter 17 was what
I like to call a filler chapter :D.
-Amygurl- 'Fraid he's going to get scary and cute at least one more time. It's like the ebbing and
flowing of the tide ;).
-Kobayashi Eiko- Thank's, I fixed the error. Or at least I think I did... Part of the problem is
probably because I write in word pad. It's one of those obsessive compulsive author things. I could
easily write in ms Word or something, but I'm stubborn because this is how I wrote my first chapters.
-Sailor Saturn-Star- That is true, I believe hanyou's age more like youkai than humans, but it was
five hundred years and Shippo grew quite a few years over the time and I really didn't want a mid
twenty year old hanyou chasing around an 18 year old girl.
-Airen2- I think you misread it. What it meant was that because Souta got rid of his, and he is younger
than Kagome, sibling pride forced her to give up hers.
-Sashi- No you're wrong, I'm not going to do one of those walk in on the teacher with a student affair
kind of things. Good idea but I'm walking a different path this fic.
-I am Sango- That's too bad, maybe something will happen and you'll get to go. I wish you luck.
-priestessmykala- There may be some light lime in the distant future, don't expect much. PG-13 is
pushing my conscience enough ;).
-cap'nyossarian- Actually I do have a few Inuyasha fic ideas lieing around. They're multi chapter so
I won't write them till AT is over. I also have a few original ideas I kinda like.
-inudog- No his part is done.
-not_my_cup_of_tea - No offense taken. It really pays off when you have a girlfriend let me tell you.
Maybe another day I'll tell you some of my romantic ploys.
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Outside the school building the world appeared to be to have been blotted out by some gigantic
eraser, leaving nothing but white in its place. Kagome blinked several times as the wind blew an endless
amount of snow flakes into her eyes as she searched through the chaos for the correct bus, or more
properly the correct yellow blur (yes there are at least some yellow school buses in Japan. I searched
for a half an hour to confirm it. They look cooler than ours though.). "Kagome!" called Ayumi, her voice
reaching Kagome faintly through the gale, as she trudged through the growing blanket of snow. Kagome
turned towards the girl, wrapping her arms around herself in a futile attempt to keep warm. "There you
are! It's really blowing out here isn't it? Reminds me of Asahikawa." she said, smiling and not seeming
to mind the cold all that much despite the lack of a coat. But then, Ayumi had live in a much colder part
of Japan before moving to Tokyo.
"Well, come on. Let's find the bus, I'm wearing normal shoes and snow is going to get in them."
said she, grabbing Kagome by the arm and leading the way past several buses. "There it is." said Ayumi,
pointing towards the farthest bus. 'Figures.' thought Kagome grimly as she followed her friend past the
other buses. "Hurry up you two! I haven't got all day." called the bus driver as he leaned through the
open door. "Coming!" they both called to the sour man as they picked up their pace until they were
nearly running, kicking up snow as they went. "Bout time, everyone else is already aboard. If you took
any longer the snow'd be too heavy to drive in." grumbled the man as the two girls stepped into the
bus, apologizing as they did.
They had barely gotten seated when the bus began to move. The Kagome brushed the snow off of
her uniform, relieved that their school had invested into heated buses. "Christmas Vacation is nearly
here Kagome. I can't wait for almost three weeks of no school, no homework, and no Mr. Orumi!" said the
girl excitedly, removing one of her shoes and scraping the unwelcome snow from the inner sole of it.
Kagome smiled at her friends enthusiasm. It definitely would be something to look forward to, Mr. Oyumi
had been hitting them especially hard recently. Luckily, she had Shippo to assist her in that department.
It would be a pity that Inuyasha would no longer be subbing for gym, but she'd definitely have lower
blood pressure.
"You know, we were thinking about finding a place up in the mountains. Maybe somewhere near a
ski hill. It might be the last Christmas we'll all be together and it might be fun to spend it
together away from home." she continued, putting her shoe back on and taking off the other. She gave
Kagome a glance as she began scraping snow out of her shoe. "Do you know of any lodges or
places to rent Kagome?" she asked. Kagome thought for a moment. Hadn't Shippo said something about
having a home in the mountains? "Well, I might know of a place. I'd have to ask Shippo and In- er Mr.
Shiro, I think they have a house upland that they might let us use, I don't know. I don't think my mom
would like me spending the whole vacation away from the family anyways. I'll have to talk to her about
it, sounds fun though." Kagome replied.
"Really?! That would be great! In fact, I was going to ask you to ask him if he'd come along.
Mr. Shiro could come too!" exclaimed the girl, clasping her hands together. "And Mr. Shiro wouldn't be a
teacher any more either." she added playfully, giving Kagome a friendly nudge. Her smile suddenly turned
devious while Kagome smiled at the girls innuendo, though it no longer was necessary. "Speaking of them,
will you tell me about Shippo? Yuka and Eri were hogging him at your party and he's such an interesting
person. I think we'd make a cute couple don't you?" Kagome gave her friend an annoyed look. "That's what
inviting me to come home with you is all about isn't it?" Ayumi gave her a sheepish grin and rubbed the
back of her head. "What ever gave you that idea?"
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Inuyasha leaned back in his seat around the long, oblong table, gnawing on his second pencil
since the meeting had started. Correction: as the meeting started. The last few faculty members had found
spots around the spacious table, which was situated in an otherwise completely bare room lacking any
decoration or even windows. Mr. Ishimaru, sitting at the head of the table farthest from the door,
cleared his throat. "All right, let's get started shall we? I know how eager you are to spend the
afternoon here." A polite ripple of chuckling emerged from the teachers before it quickly disappeared.
"Now then, let's get on with our monthly review. Miss Sakata, we'll start with you. Oh, and by the way,
the rolls in the teacher's lounge were delicious." said the principal to the young woman to Inuyasha's
left with a pleasant smile.
A half an hour, and half a dozen pencils, later the circle of reports had nearly reached Inuyasha
in its clockwise rotation. "Thank you Mr. Suzuki, I'll certainly bring up the issue of new computers with
the board tomorrow." said Mr. Ishimaru, nodding to the man to Inuyasha's right. Inuyasha phased back into
the conversation somewhere at that point to give his report, one that Shippo had prepared in advance for
such an occasion as this. A bunch of crap about health awareness or something. "Well I think that
concludes the meeting. Remember to have all grades into the office before Christmas break. I'm sure I
don't have to remind you all on the policy for parties on the last day before break. Have a good day
everyone." And with that the meeting ended and people began to converse among themselves and filter out
of the room while Inuyasha sat blankly where he was, pencil in mouth.
A few moments later Mr. Ishimaru began to walk by with a large folder in his arm, only to be
stopped by Inuyasha. "Don't I have to say anything?" asked the hanyou, not that he particularly wanted
to, but he had been sitting here doing nothing when he could be out with Kagome. The old man blinked.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry Mr. Shiro. As you are not a true faculty member, you aren't required to make a
report on the status of your department. You are welcome to attend these meetings but it isn't required
of you. Once again I'm sorry, I didn't realize I hadn't told you. Have a good day." Inuyasha watched him
as he turned and began his way towards the door, occasionally making conversation with teachers as he
went. Inuyasha stared after him for a moment completely still. Then, with an inaudible growl he clamped
down on the pencil, shattering what was inside his mouth. It didn't take very long for him to regret it.
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"I'll see you later Ayumi, thanks for letting me borrow your jacket. I'll bring it to school
tomorrow for you. Oh, and tell your mom thanks for the snacks." said Kagome as she stepped out the front
door of her friends house, covered in a warm winter coat. Ayumi smiled and waved from inside the door.
"See yah Kagome. Make sure to ask Shippo if he can come." Kagome sighed in amusement and shook her head.
"I think I had better ask my mom if I can go first. Plus we have to see if we can even use it. Don't get
your hopes up just yet. Keep a lookout for any other places." Saying their final farewells, Kagome took
her leave of her friend and began her trek through the snow. While the buses weren't operating any more
in this part of the city, the steady flow of people had made the walkways easy enough to tread apon.
Kagome let her mind take over the act of walking through the winter wonderland she found herself
in and let herself drift into thought. 'It'd be great if we could go up there for at least some of
Christmas break. I haven't had a chance to ski in years, I doubt I even remember how any more. I don't
think Inuyasha would mind taking me up there some time, but Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri might be a little harder
to bring along...' she mused, dodging a few passerbys absently before stopping at a cross walk with
several other people. 'Probably won't be as hard as convincing mom though, I wonder just how big his
house is up there? If it's as big as the one in Tokyo maybe we could all go.'
The light changed to signal it was safe to cross and Kagome followed an elderly couple across
the road. The rest of the walk was lost to Kagome as her thoughts drifted to various imaginings such
as her family and friends around a fire as the snow continued to pile up, blocking their view of the
mountains in the distance. Before she realized it, Kagome had walked up the last of the shrine steps
and was standing and staring with unseeing eyes at the shrine grounds. From out of nowhere, a snowball
suddenly struck Kagome on the arm, sending cold powder all over her. Kagome blinked in surprise, coming
out of her trance to see Souta standing covered with a large jacket, scarf, and hat in the distance
wielding a big grin and a bigger pile of snow balls. "Got you sis!" he crowed excitedly, tossing
another snowball in her general direction and missing.
Kagome smiled at her brothers enthusiasm. Heavy snow such as this was not a terribly common
occurrence in Tokyo. It had been several years since they had enjoyed an experience such as this, an
experience Kagome intended to obtain, pushing her thoughts aside for now as she squatted down and
scooped up a bit of snow and patting it into a ball, savoring the icy cold tendrils lancing through
her hands. Souta's eyes widened as he saw the projectile coming his way a few moments later, but it
was too late to react. The ball caught him square in the chest. Kagome laughed slightly and scooped
up some more snow before dodging a counter attack by Souta. Kagome circled her little brother, who
responded by backing away towards the shrine steps, throwing and dodging the occasional snowball.
Kagome tossed another ball, causing her little brother to jump back a bit. Unfortunately,
he began to slip and waved is arms around to regain his balance. Kagome smiled triumphantly and tossed
a second snowball straight at him. The boys unbalance came in handy and he slipped just before it
reached him. The ball sailed past him and down the steps of the shrine. Kagome raised her eyebrow
when an unusual splat was heard instead of the silence that should have resulted from snow hitting
snow. Souta also turned from his place on the ground to look just in time to see a black haired
Inuyasha make his way up the last steps, his face, other than his eyebrows which were arched in
annoyance, covered by a certain frozen projectile. In his hand he was carrying the umbrella that had
been loaned to him.
Kagome bit her lip to prevent laughter, which would only cause problems, from erupting from
her. Souta was of a similar opinion, clasping his hands over his mouth. Kagome prepared another two
snowballs as Inuyasha walked past the boy and up to Kagome. "Well?" he asked, his mouth appearing
from behind the snow. Kagome mouth finally twitched up into a smile a moment before she raised her
arm and tossed another snowball at pointblank range at him, hitting him again in the face with a
splat.
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Kagome handed Inuyasha a towel, having fled very quickly to seek shelter in her home from
Inuyasha's snowball wrath she had had plenty of time to grab him one from the bathroom. Her lips were
still turned upward into a playful smile as the hanyou scrubbed his face and hair with the peace
offering. "There you are Kagome, did you have fun at Ayumi's?" asked Mrs. Higurashi, coming into the
room carrying a basket of dirty laundry. Kagome nodded. "I'm glad you called to tell me, I was worried
about you walking home without a jacket. It was nice of Ayumi to lend you hers." Mrs. Higurashi turned
to Inuyasha, who had finished drying himself, though his now silver hair was a bit frizzled, and
smiled. "Hello Inuyasha, I'll take that for you." she said, indicating his towel. Inuyasha handed it
to her and she placed it on the already large pile of laundry.
"So, how was your day?" asked the older woman as set down her load by a nearby wall and began
to tidy up a few things around the living room, wrapping up Souta's video game controllers and whatnot.
Kagome, unsure to just whom her mother was addressing, spoke for the two of them. "It was fine, mom.
Getting out of school early is hard to complain about." she answered, watching in amusement as Inuyasha
tried in vain to flatten out a rebellious strand of hair. "Yes, it was quite a surprise to see snow
when I looked out the window this morning. It's amazing how mother nature can so quickly change her
mind about the weather. I heard on the radio that this winter is going to the coldest since 1906.
Hopefully, we'll have a white Christmas. Wouldn't that be lovely? I always thought this old shrine
looked the most beautiful when covered in snow. That's how it was when I met your father you know."
said Mrs. Higurashi. She wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh dear, I'm getting all sentimental now." Mrs.
Higurashi chuckled.
"Speaking of Christmas mom. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi came up with the idea that we'd all spend
Christmas break up in the mountains together. I know you like the family to spend Christmas together,
so I thought I'd ask you before I agreed. Maybe we could all go up." said Kagome to her mother. Unable
to resist, she wetted her index finger and smoothed down the lock of hair Inuyasha that was still
resisting him. Inuyasha made an annoyed face at the babying but allowed her to anyways. Mrs. Higurashi
nodded and put a finger to her chin. "You're right Kagome, I would rather you spend your vacation here
with us, but maybe there is a place nearby we could stay at or you can find a way to come back to at
least spend Christmas day with us. We'll talk about it later, do you have any place in mind?" Kagome
scratched her head. "Well, sort of. I still have to check and see if we can use it." said the girl,
glancing at Inuyasha, who simply stared back in confusion. "I don't know if I feel very comfortable with
just the four of you going anywhere in the mountains alone. I'd feel a lot better if you were taking
some mature company with you. Maybe Inuyasha would like to go with you?" said Mrs. H, looking towards
the boy with an affectionate smile.
Kagome decided not to comment on the said mature company, seeking to press the advantage.
"That's a definite possibility. We were going to ask if you and Shippo would come along Inuyasha."
said Kagome. "Well, enough talk. There's plenty of time to decide, maybe you'll change your minds.
You should be enjoying your extra free time! Go on now, make sure to stay warm." said Mrs. Higurashi
with a shooing motion as she walked over to the table and picked up the umbrella Inuyasha had set
there earlier. Inuyasha turned to Kagome with a fanged grin on his face and Kagome gulped. "Actually
mom, I was thinking about staying in for some hot chocolate and-" "Nonsense!" cried Mrs. Higurashi.
"Go out and have fun, Souta could use the company if you have nowhere you'd like to go." said Mrs.
H, refusing to hear her daughter's veiled pleas as she all but pushed them out the door and slid it
closed behind them. Kagome looked over at Inuyasha and smiled nervously. "So, do I get a head start?"
she asked half jokingly. Inuyasha, still wearing his grin, said nothing and kneeled down in the snow,
scooping up a rather large amount as he kept his gaze on Kagome the entire time.
It didn't take Kagome long to get the hint. As Inuyasha packed the snow into something roughly
the size of a basket ball, Kagome fled for her life towards Souta, who had been building a snow fort
facing the door and stockpiling snow balls. Inuyasha let her reach the pitiful wall, where Souta,
all smiles, handed her several snow balls. The hanyou launched his snowy projectile of destruction
straight at the fort, though not as hard as he could have. The siblings ducked and covered their heads
just as the ball collided the snow wall. Snow flew everywhere, but Souta had proved his worth as
a fort builder as the wall held (though there was now almost as much snow on Kagome and himself as on
the wall) despite losing a large amount of the top. The two recovered quickly, shaking off the snow
and sending a hail of snowballs at Inuyasha. Most either miss or were dodged, but a few lucky shots
struck home and covered parts of his red kimono with white.
Inuyasha leapt upwards, landing some twenty feet to their left and scooping an even larger
amount of snow before leaping again as the two began to toss snow balls at his new location. By the
time he landed again his new snowball was ready. Instead of throwing it straight at them this time
he hurled it upwards. Kagome and her little brother stopped throwing to watch it in horror as it
slowly arched through the air towards them. No communication was neccesary for the two to both leap
out of their protective barrier after it was clear it was going to hit. A tidal wave of white
exploded from the impact site, sending snow in all directions. When the last flakes settled, the
Higurashi fortress was no more.
Kagome turned from where she had managed to get before the snowball had hit, dusting off a
little snow from her rear end and smiling in childish pleasure as she looked at the wasteland of
snow. Souta, who hadn't been so lucky in escaping, stood up from where he had been all but buried.
Kagome laughed at the sight. All of his snow gear was completely caked with layers of snow, stuck
to his body. "Souta! You're going to be soaked! You had better go inside and take all of those
clothes before you catch a cold." she said. Souta nodded and quickly made his way back towards the
house. "Well Inuyasha." said Kagome, turning. "I guess you-" She paused after noticing that Inuyasha
was nowhere to be seen. "Inuyasha?" she asked, turning all of the way around. 'Why do I get feeling
that this game isn't over?' thought Kagome.
A gust of wind began to blow snow across the flat shrine grounds. Kagome shivered a little
at the change in temperature and crossed her arms as she continued to search for the hanyou. Red
wasn't exactly the most concealing color in a sea of white. She heard a soft noise to her right and
turned quickly, but saw nothing. Warily, Kagome stooped down and grabbed a bit of snow to pack into
a ball. Kagome continued to scan the area, a playful smile on her face. She began towards where she
had heard the sound. "Inuyashaaa." she called. She heard another sound from behind her and quickly
turned and threw her snowball, at nothing.
Kagome scooped up another ball of snow continued her walk until she had reached the entrance
of the well shrine, a place where she hadn't entered in some time. On a whim she entered, closing
the door behind her. She rested her elbows against the old well and peered down. Memories of all of
the exciting adventures she had gone on came back to her in a flood. The first time she had been
pulled down the well, the fight with Yura the hair, Kikyo's return, the final battle for the shikon
jewel. Kagome let her snowball, watching as it dropped down to the well's bottom, where it exploded
into a cloud of snow before settling. She could still remember the battle with crystal clarity, how
they had won. She had often daydreamed at the possibilities that could be once it was all over, how
Inuyasha would treat now that he didn't need her to detect shards. Now that it was, Kagome had to
wonder if it was worth it. She had Inuyasha and Shippo, and their return had for these past weeks
blotted out the pain of the loss of all the other people who were important to her. She hadn't even
so much glanced at the shrine in who knew how long. But now it all came back. Sango, Miroku,
Kaede, she'd never see them again. They could never be part of her life again. Kagome felt a few
tears run down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away with a finger.
Kagome sighed. She shouldn't grieve any more. It was time to go forward in life with who
she still had. But, she could always remember. It would never hurt to remember...
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The sky was black and lightning streaked across the sky. No wind blew across the open,
desolate field where they all were. It was as if the forces of nature themselves could not stand
the presence of one so evil as Naraku. A maniacal laughter assaulted the group, all ready for battle.
"It is true, what they say. I see it now for myself after all this time. The shikon no tama truly is
most beautiful when corrupted." said Naraku, clutching the completely formed jewel, his eyes radiating
with something that could be best described as insanity.
Kagome looked around to her allies in their war with Naraku, her friends. "Get ready everyone,
this is it." she called over another bout of Narku's laughter. "Now Shikon no Tama!" Shouted the
demented hanyou, standing far above the rest on a large outcropping of rocks which jutted out of the
ground, likely caused by the evil energy that was still swirling around that point. "Grant me my wish!
Rid me of my accursed humanity forever!" With brutal force, Naraku slammed the object into his bare
chest, splattering a bit of blood as it embedded itself into his rib cage.
The already darkened jewel began to radiate an almost black light, sending bolts of energy
flowing across the skin of the one who had dared to call on its power. Screams depicting a fraction
of the pain that he was no doubt feeling erupted from Naraku, his hands clutching his chest as he
fell onto his knees. Kagome's group tensed as the energy began moving faster and faster over his body,
causing him more agony, until it was nothing but a constant glow of dark red and purple energy covering
every part of his body. The energy began to throb, sending waves of dark light across the field. Faster
and faster it began, brighter and brighter until everyone but Inuyasha was shielding their eyes. Then,
the light stopped, leaving the world comparatively dark, before the brightest flash of them all
appeared several, incredibly slow, seconds later. The light encompassed everything, blocking out all
over sights but the light.
It might have been a matter of seconds, perhaps a matter of hours or days, before the light
subsided, the screams as well. When the group's eyes readjusted, Naraku was kneeling calmly as if he
had done nothing more extravagant than tell a slightly funny joke. "It is done." he said, his voice
holding no emotion. "I am complete, and you are all doomed." Inuyasha gave a snort of contempt. "You
doubt me hanyou?" asked Naraku, gazing down at the mere insect. "Perhaps if I demonstrate..." he
said, more to himself than anyone. He calmly reached out his arm towards the warriors, who all gripped
their weapons more tightly. Scales seemed begin to cover the hanyou turned youkai's arm. Faster than
an eye blink, the scaly arm stretched forward, growing to the size of a very large tree trunk.
Kagome felt herself whisked away by Inuyasha just in time to escape the attack, which crashed into the
ground an instant later, the shockwave knocking the two around in mid flight like flys. Inuyasha turned
himself enough that when they hit the ground he landed on bottom, creating an impressive crater.
The others were in similar situations, thrown around like rag dolls. Naraku watched as his arm
returned to its normal size, though it remained scaly. "Is everyone all right?" called Inuyasha as he
helped Kagome to a standing position, a little awkward considering he had the Tetsusaiga in one of his
hands. Affirmatives came from the group, no injuries. "What amazing power, more than I had imagined."
muttered Naraku, gazing at his arm. "What little chance you might have had has just disintegrated.
I will show you the rightful power that I now posses!" roared the demon to the group, his entire body
beginning to morph and change, scales beginning to pop up everywhere. Kagome stood in awe at the
transformation. Naraku began growing, and growing, and growing, his body changing colors and shapes as
it did. It became clear what was happening, all of the hundreds of youkai that made up the foul demon
were appearing in the form of parts of his body. His arms, legs, everything were turning into a
writhing mass of youkai. A bellowing laugh erupted from the maw of many youkai. The transformation
was complete. The overall form was something of a behomothic dwarf, a dwarf made up completely of
smaller youkai connected together.
"Shit." Inuyasha hissed, bringing the Tetsusaiga to bear with both hands. Kagome saw in the
distance Kirara leap into the sky with Miroku, Sango, and Shippo (cowering in rear of course) on her
back. Sango was shouting something to her but she couldn't make it out. Whatever it was, Sango suddenly
leaped off the back of her companion and loosed Hiraikotsu at the enormous entity. The boomerang cut
a large gash across the shoulder, if a large, ever-changing swarm of youkai could be called a shoulder.
Hiraikotsu returned to the hunter's grasp and she landed gracefully back on Kirara, who turned to make
another pass. The mammoth head of the new Naraku turned to the four. "Fools, you're weapons are useless."
he taunted, the wound inflicted regenerating as he spoke. "Kagome! Stay here!" Inuyasha called as he
leapt upwards. 'This isn't good.' thought the miko as she raised her bow and notched an arrow, closing
in eye to take aim.
"KAZE NO KIZU!" roared Inuyasha, swinging his sword in a downward motion. Kagome released as
soon as she saw the familiar beams of energy spout forwards. The two attacks intersected precisely
at the right moment to cut deep into Naraku's chest. In certain places the gashes went all the way
through the body. A roar of pain emerged from Naraku as he staggered backwards on his pedestal. His
head, voidless of any visible eyes, turned towards the two. The wounds began to heal, though slower
than before. He stepped forward, swinging an arm towards the still airborne Inuyasha. The hanyou had
no chance of dodging and was shot backwards from where he came. Kagome's eye's widened just before
the hanyou slammed into her, knocking her breath away as well as sending spots before her eyes as
they tumbled backwards in a tangle.
She must of blanked out for a moment, because when she opened her eyes Inuyasha was standing
above her, protecting her as Naraku ponderously came towards them, causing the earth the shake with
each step. She saw Miroku and the others struggling to stand up from where they where now were. Her
hearing must have been temporarily paralyzed as well, for she could see Inuyasha's lips moving, but
heard no sound. Naraku stopped some fifty feet away, momentarily distracted by something behind her.
Suddenly, her hearing came back all at once, a piercing howl breaking her deafness. She saw figures
running past her in a blur. It took her a few moments to realize they were wolf youkai, dozens of
them. A pair of arms lifted her up and turned her around. "Kouga-kun?" she asked, staring at the
amorous wolf youkai. He flashed her a cocky grin. "Didn't I tell you I'd protect you? Can't expect
dog boy to manage on his own can I?" At any other time this would have been met with a scathing
comment from Inuyasha, but he was too busy hacking at one of Naraku's legs to notice. "Besides."
the youkai continued. "We have two grudges against him. Not only did he kill my friends, but he stole
my jewel shards as well!" Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but with a wave and another grin, Kouga
ran off, a bit slower than he used to be, towards the battle.
When Kagome turned, bodies were strewn everywhere. Some were still moving but it was clear
that at least a few were dead. Kagome felt a twang of pity for these souls, who's only crime was
that they were trying to help. With new determination, Kagome picked up her bow and fired off several
more arrows in quick succession. Several new wounds appeared on the body of their enemy, though it
wouldn't be long before they regenerated again. Kagome saw Sango in the air again, preparing to
throw her Hiraikotsu again, but Naraku was too fast. Before she could react, a lance of youkai reached
out and pierced her in the stomach. The girl's eyes widened as the youkai continued straight through
her back. "SANGO!" Kagome cried in horror, rushing towards the girl as she was flung clear by Naraku,
landing with a heavy thud onto the ground. She didn't move.
Kagome was all but hysterical when she reached her friend, dropping her bow and falling to her
knees beside Sango. Kagome grabbed the wounded girl by one of her hands. "Sango! Are you alright?"
What a stupid question to have asked, of course she wasn't all right, she had already lost enough blood
to be in trouble. Sango turned her head slowly towards Kagome, her face contorted with pain. She tried
to say something, but it wouldn't come out as anything but a gurgle. Kagome did have any time to grieve,
as a wave of dark energy flew so close above her that she nearly had her head cleaved off. Kagome looked
up to see where the energy came from, only to come face to.. well knee of Seshoumaru, who stood nearly
above the fallen youkai exterminator, holding the Toukijin in his hand and pointing it out towards
Naraku, who had just received an enormous gash from the attack of said weapon. The inuyoukai paid no
attention to the two girls below him, staring impassively at the monstrosity before him. The noise of
fighting softened for a moment at the sight of this newcomer, unknown to be friend or foe, as Naraku
turned towards Inuyasha's half brother.
"Naraku." he called. "You may look like a youkai now, but you will never be more than a pathetic
half breed in my eyes." Naraku bellowed in fury at the comment. "I, the lord of the west, will never
bow to such a thing as you. It is here you will be destroyed." Seshoumaru continued, raising the point
of his sword. As if it was a signal, a battle cry sounded from behind Seshoumaru. From the shadows a
horde of youkai, armed and armored will various items of varying quality, streamed out, charging around
Seshoumaru and the two girls. These new reinforcements jumped upon Naraku's gigantic frame, hacking,
tearing, and biting at him only to be knocked away by the dozen. Seshoumaru sheathed his blade for the
moment and gazed down at the two humans. Silently, he unsheathed his other blade, the Tensaiga. Kagome
watched as, in a wide arc, the youkai sent a wave of healing wave of energy flying across the battlefield,
reviving the many dead and dieing wolf youkai. Sango gasped and Kagome looked down at her again only to
see the grievous wound heal before her eyes. Uttering a sound of joy Kagome looked back up at Seshoumaru
to say her thanks. However, the youkai was already walking past her towards the battle. He turned his
head to look at them for a moment. "Fight." he commanded.
Kagome didn't have much recollection of the next minutes of fighting, it all blurred together
into a big web of fighting, death, and destruction. The next thing she did remember clearly was standing
once again by Inuyasha's side. The hanyou's left arm was hanging limp by his side and a dozen large
gashes were leaking blood onto the ground below him. It was clear they were losing, despite overwhelming
numbers. Inuyasha knew as well, she could tell. "Kagome." he murmured, looking over at her. Kagome looked
at him and his expression. She didn't need words to tell that he was about to do something drastic,
something that might kill him. Without warning, he leapt forward, the Tetsusaiga above him in his one
good hand. "Naraku!" she shouted at the top of his lungs, sailing towards his head. The massive blob
of youkai turned towards him. His massive maw opened and hundreds of tendrils reached out, grabbing at
the hanyou. Inuyasha struggled, swinging his blade at the tendrils until his sword arm was also trapped.
Kagome felt her heart stop as the hanyou was pulled in, the mouth closing around him, swallowing
him whole and leaving no trace of Inuyasha. Time seemed to stop all across the field as Kagome stared in
absolute horror. Inuyasha was gone, if he was lucky he was dead. If not, he was now part of Naraku.
He was gone.
Ceased to exist.
Dead.
Dead.
Dead, such a hollow sounding word
Kagome felt a level of hatred emerge from her that she had never felt before. The kind of hatred that defies
all rational thought, all sanity. The kind that comes from a place deeper than the consciousness. It seemed
to be radiating off her in waves. Indeed, it was in the form of pink energy, no longer the pure pink of before
but a darker pink. Naraku seemed to sense this over all the energies on the battlefield as Kagome raised her
bow and arrow, her face in a expression beyond description. The tip of the arrow glowed the same color as the
energy radiating from her body. The massive youkai's taunting laughter reached her ears as he turned his full
attention towards Kagome, ignoring all of the insignificant ones attacking him. "Go ahead miko, your
hatred will only make me stronger. All things are more beautiful when once pure but now filled with malice
and you are now exception. Fire then! Show me your might!" His voice rumbled towards her, goading her on.
Kagome was more than happy to comply, releasing her arrow and sending all of her negative emotions
towards him. The arrow struck dead center on Naraku's chest of wriggling youkai, piercing a hole slightly
smaller than a basketball straight through. Naraku laughed cruelly at the girl, feeling exhausted from her
outburst. "Do you see how futile it is? You can never kill me- what?" Naraku's head titled downward
towards his chest, where a fist, glowing slightly red, was sticking out of the whole that had just been
made, clutching something small. "NO!" roared Naraku, but it was too late. Inuyasha burst out from the
monster, clutching the jewel in one hand and the Tetsusaiga, which was emitting the protective red barrier,
in the other. All fighting stopped as the fighters gazed up at the monstrosity, that began to wail
unintelligible things as convulsions began to rack Naraku's body.
The Shikon no Tama, glittering in Inuyasha's hand, showed the terrible price to be payed for
invoking its power. Naraku's mighty body seemed to wrap around itself tighter and tighter, a terrible
sound of a thousand wails emitting from it. It was the sound of all of the youkai that had come together
to form Naraku from the husk of Onigumo, the thousand calculating minds behind the eyes of Naraku. The
youkai formed a rapidly condensing ball, the wailing increasing. By the time Inuyasha had landed onto the
ground, falling to his knees after his great exertion, the ball was no bigger than a pool ball. Then, it
disappeared, erased from existence. No sound, no bright lights or flashes. The price of the jewel was
simple, everything.
The battlefield was silent. No one said anything, they were all too tired to say anything. But
all could tell, it was over.
********************************************************************************************************
Some thirty minutes after she entered, Kagome let herself out of the shrine, wiping the last
tears from her face. She found Inuyasha leaning against the side of shrine, waiting for. He stood up
as she turned to him. "Are you all right?" he asked as the began to walk away by silent consent. Kagome
smiled at him. "I'm fine, I guess you could say I just needed to exorcise a few old ghosts." she replied.
Inuyasha nodded, wrapping an arm partially around her. A few moments later he smirked. "Good." he murmured,
dropping a large snowball on her head.
-
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SOOO LONG! In fact, I think it might have topped Pretending as longest single thing I've ever written.
Hope you enjoyed! And to think, I was worried that this chapter would be too short.. I have carpal tunnel!
Hello again, been a while eh? Sorry about the long wait. After I got home from Spring Break we had our
Drama production, Grease, that week and after that I that I had SATS, birthday parties, improv comedy
practices, and a girlfriend to chase around as well. Needless to say I've been busy. Next week isn't
looking good either. Nor the one after it. I have Prom on the 8th and an improv comedy show on the
15th so don't be shocked if you don't see another chapter for a long while. Oh well, at least this is
long...
Also, I've been getting a lot of reviews mentioning beta readers. Not going to happen folks, sorry.
I spell check with ms word and that's it, I'm not going to make people wait additional days for
corrections. However, if you spot a glaring error in a chapter please mention it to me. I'd appreciate
that and I'll correct it. We'll make a game out of it and keep score of who finds the errors first
and how many :D. Ready, set, Spellcheck!
As I said above I have a girlfriend now, meaning I spend most of my free time on her now (sorry all
you disappointed single ladies out there ;) ). However, indirectly this does benefit you romance
lovers. For one, I will finally be able to be a bit more detailed in the whole physical affection
thing (though I still won't describe a kiss so nyeh!). It also gives me a chance to practice what I
preach and gives me quite a few new ideas as well. I'd like to gloat to say that all of them have
worked out flawlessly so far :).
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-
-TheWraith1- No clue if they do or not, but we have Japanese cars so maybe there's a lincoln or two
around...
-Endless Moonlight- Nope, there won't be a lemon in my fic, I refuse to write one. Besides, I don't
want to lose all my lovely reviews over it. *strokes computer* Yessss my Preciousss.
-Valdimarian- To tell you the truth I tried to write the whole dinner scene but it was too much
dialouge for me to think of. I mean, it isn't like Inuyasha is all that knowledgable about what's
going on in the world. Assume they talked about the Warring States era. Also, chapter 17 was what
I like to call a filler chapter :D.
-Amygurl- 'Fraid he's going to get scary and cute at least one more time. It's like the ebbing and
flowing of the tide ;).
-Kobayashi Eiko- Thank's, I fixed the error. Or at least I think I did... Part of the problem is
probably because I write in word pad. It's one of those obsessive compulsive author things. I could
easily write in ms Word or something, but I'm stubborn because this is how I wrote my first chapters.
-Sailor Saturn-Star- That is true, I believe hanyou's age more like youkai than humans, but it was
five hundred years and Shippo grew quite a few years over the time and I really didn't want a mid
twenty year old hanyou chasing around an 18 year old girl.
-Airen2- I think you misread it. What it meant was that because Souta got rid of his, and he is younger
than Kagome, sibling pride forced her to give up hers.
-Sashi- No you're wrong, I'm not going to do one of those walk in on the teacher with a student affair
kind of things. Good idea but I'm walking a different path this fic.
-I am Sango- That's too bad, maybe something will happen and you'll get to go. I wish you luck.
-priestessmykala- There may be some light lime in the distant future, don't expect much. PG-13 is
pushing my conscience enough ;).
-cap'nyossarian- Actually I do have a few Inuyasha fic ideas lieing around. They're multi chapter so
I won't write them till AT is over. I also have a few original ideas I kinda like.
-inudog- No his part is done.
-not_my_cup_of_tea - No offense taken. It really pays off when you have a girlfriend let me tell you.
Maybe another day I'll tell you some of my romantic ploys.
-
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-
Outside the school building the world appeared to be to have been blotted out by some gigantic
eraser, leaving nothing but white in its place. Kagome blinked several times as the wind blew an endless
amount of snow flakes into her eyes as she searched through the chaos for the correct bus, or more
properly the correct yellow blur (yes there are at least some yellow school buses in Japan. I searched
for a half an hour to confirm it. They look cooler than ours though.). "Kagome!" called Ayumi, her voice
reaching Kagome faintly through the gale, as she trudged through the growing blanket of snow. Kagome
turned towards the girl, wrapping her arms around herself in a futile attempt to keep warm. "There you
are! It's really blowing out here isn't it? Reminds me of Asahikawa." she said, smiling and not seeming
to mind the cold all that much despite the lack of a coat. But then, Ayumi had live in a much colder part
of Japan before moving to Tokyo.
"Well, come on. Let's find the bus, I'm wearing normal shoes and snow is going to get in them."
said she, grabbing Kagome by the arm and leading the way past several buses. "There it is." said Ayumi,
pointing towards the farthest bus. 'Figures.' thought Kagome grimly as she followed her friend past the
other buses. "Hurry up you two! I haven't got all day." called the bus driver as he leaned through the
open door. "Coming!" they both called to the sour man as they picked up their pace until they were
nearly running, kicking up snow as they went. "Bout time, everyone else is already aboard. If you took
any longer the snow'd be too heavy to drive in." grumbled the man as the two girls stepped into the
bus, apologizing as they did.
They had barely gotten seated when the bus began to move. The Kagome brushed the snow off of
her uniform, relieved that their school had invested into heated buses. "Christmas Vacation is nearly
here Kagome. I can't wait for almost three weeks of no school, no homework, and no Mr. Orumi!" said the
girl excitedly, removing one of her shoes and scraping the unwelcome snow from the inner sole of it.
Kagome smiled at her friends enthusiasm. It definitely would be something to look forward to, Mr. Oyumi
had been hitting them especially hard recently. Luckily, she had Shippo to assist her in that department.
It would be a pity that Inuyasha would no longer be subbing for gym, but she'd definitely have lower
blood pressure.
"You know, we were thinking about finding a place up in the mountains. Maybe somewhere near a
ski hill. It might be the last Christmas we'll all be together and it might be fun to spend it
together away from home." she continued, putting her shoe back on and taking off the other. She gave
Kagome a glance as she began scraping snow out of her shoe. "Do you know of any lodges or
places to rent Kagome?" she asked. Kagome thought for a moment. Hadn't Shippo said something about
having a home in the mountains? "Well, I might know of a place. I'd have to ask Shippo and In- er Mr.
Shiro, I think they have a house upland that they might let us use, I don't know. I don't think my mom
would like me spending the whole vacation away from the family anyways. I'll have to talk to her about
it, sounds fun though." Kagome replied.
"Really?! That would be great! In fact, I was going to ask you to ask him if he'd come along.
Mr. Shiro could come too!" exclaimed the girl, clasping her hands together. "And Mr. Shiro wouldn't be a
teacher any more either." she added playfully, giving Kagome a friendly nudge. Her smile suddenly turned
devious while Kagome smiled at the girls innuendo, though it no longer was necessary. "Speaking of them,
will you tell me about Shippo? Yuka and Eri were hogging him at your party and he's such an interesting
person. I think we'd make a cute couple don't you?" Kagome gave her friend an annoyed look. "That's what
inviting me to come home with you is all about isn't it?" Ayumi gave her a sheepish grin and rubbed the
back of her head. "What ever gave you that idea?"
*******************************************************************************************************
Inuyasha leaned back in his seat around the long, oblong table, gnawing on his second pencil
since the meeting had started. Correction: as the meeting started. The last few faculty members had found
spots around the spacious table, which was situated in an otherwise completely bare room lacking any
decoration or even windows. Mr. Ishimaru, sitting at the head of the table farthest from the door,
cleared his throat. "All right, let's get started shall we? I know how eager you are to spend the
afternoon here." A polite ripple of chuckling emerged from the teachers before it quickly disappeared.
"Now then, let's get on with our monthly review. Miss Sakata, we'll start with you. Oh, and by the way,
the rolls in the teacher's lounge were delicious." said the principal to the young woman to Inuyasha's
left with a pleasant smile.
A half an hour, and half a dozen pencils, later the circle of reports had nearly reached Inuyasha
in its clockwise rotation. "Thank you Mr. Suzuki, I'll certainly bring up the issue of new computers with
the board tomorrow." said Mr. Ishimaru, nodding to the man to Inuyasha's right. Inuyasha phased back into
the conversation somewhere at that point to give his report, one that Shippo had prepared in advance for
such an occasion as this. A bunch of crap about health awareness or something. "Well I think that
concludes the meeting. Remember to have all grades into the office before Christmas break. I'm sure I
don't have to remind you all on the policy for parties on the last day before break. Have a good day
everyone." And with that the meeting ended and people began to converse among themselves and filter out
of the room while Inuyasha sat blankly where he was, pencil in mouth.
A few moments later Mr. Ishimaru began to walk by with a large folder in his arm, only to be
stopped by Inuyasha. "Don't I have to say anything?" asked the hanyou, not that he particularly wanted
to, but he had been sitting here doing nothing when he could be out with Kagome. The old man blinked.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry Mr. Shiro. As you are not a true faculty member, you aren't required to make a
report on the status of your department. You are welcome to attend these meetings but it isn't required
of you. Once again I'm sorry, I didn't realize I hadn't told you. Have a good day." Inuyasha watched him
as he turned and began his way towards the door, occasionally making conversation with teachers as he
went. Inuyasha stared after him for a moment completely still. Then, with an inaudible growl he clamped
down on the pencil, shattering what was inside his mouth. It didn't take very long for him to regret it.
*********************************************************************************************************
"I'll see you later Ayumi, thanks for letting me borrow your jacket. I'll bring it to school
tomorrow for you. Oh, and tell your mom thanks for the snacks." said Kagome as she stepped out the front
door of her friends house, covered in a warm winter coat. Ayumi smiled and waved from inside the door.
"See yah Kagome. Make sure to ask Shippo if he can come." Kagome sighed in amusement and shook her head.
"I think I had better ask my mom if I can go first. Plus we have to see if we can even use it. Don't get
your hopes up just yet. Keep a lookout for any other places." Saying their final farewells, Kagome took
her leave of her friend and began her trek through the snow. While the buses weren't operating any more
in this part of the city, the steady flow of people had made the walkways easy enough to tread apon.
Kagome let her mind take over the act of walking through the winter wonderland she found herself
in and let herself drift into thought. 'It'd be great if we could go up there for at least some of
Christmas break. I haven't had a chance to ski in years, I doubt I even remember how any more. I don't
think Inuyasha would mind taking me up there some time, but Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri might be a little harder
to bring along...' she mused, dodging a few passerbys absently before stopping at a cross walk with
several other people. 'Probably won't be as hard as convincing mom though, I wonder just how big his
house is up there? If it's as big as the one in Tokyo maybe we could all go.'
The light changed to signal it was safe to cross and Kagome followed an elderly couple across
the road. The rest of the walk was lost to Kagome as her thoughts drifted to various imaginings such
as her family and friends around a fire as the snow continued to pile up, blocking their view of the
mountains in the distance. Before she realized it, Kagome had walked up the last of the shrine steps
and was standing and staring with unseeing eyes at the shrine grounds. From out of nowhere, a snowball
suddenly struck Kagome on the arm, sending cold powder all over her. Kagome blinked in surprise, coming
out of her trance to see Souta standing covered with a large jacket, scarf, and hat in the distance
wielding a big grin and a bigger pile of snow balls. "Got you sis!" he crowed excitedly, tossing
another snowball in her general direction and missing.
Kagome smiled at her brothers enthusiasm. Heavy snow such as this was not a terribly common
occurrence in Tokyo. It had been several years since they had enjoyed an experience such as this, an
experience Kagome intended to obtain, pushing her thoughts aside for now as she squatted down and
scooped up a bit of snow and patting it into a ball, savoring the icy cold tendrils lancing through
her hands. Souta's eyes widened as he saw the projectile coming his way a few moments later, but it
was too late to react. The ball caught him square in the chest. Kagome laughed slightly and scooped
up some more snow before dodging a counter attack by Souta. Kagome circled her little brother, who
responded by backing away towards the shrine steps, throwing and dodging the occasional snowball.
Kagome tossed another ball, causing her little brother to jump back a bit. Unfortunately,
he began to slip and waved is arms around to regain his balance. Kagome smiled triumphantly and tossed
a second snowball straight at him. The boys unbalance came in handy and he slipped just before it
reached him. The ball sailed past him and down the steps of the shrine. Kagome raised her eyebrow
when an unusual splat was heard instead of the silence that should have resulted from snow hitting
snow. Souta also turned from his place on the ground to look just in time to see a black haired
Inuyasha make his way up the last steps, his face, other than his eyebrows which were arched in
annoyance, covered by a certain frozen projectile. In his hand he was carrying the umbrella that had
been loaned to him.
Kagome bit her lip to prevent laughter, which would only cause problems, from erupting from
her. Souta was of a similar opinion, clasping his hands over his mouth. Kagome prepared another two
snowballs as Inuyasha walked past the boy and up to Kagome. "Well?" he asked, his mouth appearing
from behind the snow. Kagome mouth finally twitched up into a smile a moment before she raised her
arm and tossed another snowball at pointblank range at him, hitting him again in the face with a
splat.
****************************************************************************************************
Kagome handed Inuyasha a towel, having fled very quickly to seek shelter in her home from
Inuyasha's snowball wrath she had had plenty of time to grab him one from the bathroom. Her lips were
still turned upward into a playful smile as the hanyou scrubbed his face and hair with the peace
offering. "There you are Kagome, did you have fun at Ayumi's?" asked Mrs. Higurashi, coming into the
room carrying a basket of dirty laundry. Kagome nodded. "I'm glad you called to tell me, I was worried
about you walking home without a jacket. It was nice of Ayumi to lend you hers." Mrs. Higurashi turned
to Inuyasha, who had finished drying himself, though his now silver hair was a bit frizzled, and
smiled. "Hello Inuyasha, I'll take that for you." she said, indicating his towel. Inuyasha handed it
to her and she placed it on the already large pile of laundry.
"So, how was your day?" asked the older woman as set down her load by a nearby wall and began
to tidy up a few things around the living room, wrapping up Souta's video game controllers and whatnot.
Kagome, unsure to just whom her mother was addressing, spoke for the two of them. "It was fine, mom.
Getting out of school early is hard to complain about." she answered, watching in amusement as Inuyasha
tried in vain to flatten out a rebellious strand of hair. "Yes, it was quite a surprise to see snow
when I looked out the window this morning. It's amazing how mother nature can so quickly change her
mind about the weather. I heard on the radio that this winter is going to the coldest since 1906.
Hopefully, we'll have a white Christmas. Wouldn't that be lovely? I always thought this old shrine
looked the most beautiful when covered in snow. That's how it was when I met your father you know."
said Mrs. Higurashi. She wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh dear, I'm getting all sentimental now." Mrs.
Higurashi chuckled.
"Speaking of Christmas mom. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi came up with the idea that we'd all spend
Christmas break up in the mountains together. I know you like the family to spend Christmas together,
so I thought I'd ask you before I agreed. Maybe we could all go up." said Kagome to her mother. Unable
to resist, she wetted her index finger and smoothed down the lock of hair Inuyasha that was still
resisting him. Inuyasha made an annoyed face at the babying but allowed her to anyways. Mrs. Higurashi
nodded and put a finger to her chin. "You're right Kagome, I would rather you spend your vacation here
with us, but maybe there is a place nearby we could stay at or you can find a way to come back to at
least spend Christmas day with us. We'll talk about it later, do you have any place in mind?" Kagome
scratched her head. "Well, sort of. I still have to check and see if we can use it." said the girl,
glancing at Inuyasha, who simply stared back in confusion. "I don't know if I feel very comfortable with
just the four of you going anywhere in the mountains alone. I'd feel a lot better if you were taking
some mature company with you. Maybe Inuyasha would like to go with you?" said Mrs. H, looking towards
the boy with an affectionate smile.
Kagome decided not to comment on the said mature company, seeking to press the advantage.
"That's a definite possibility. We were going to ask if you and Shippo would come along Inuyasha."
said Kagome. "Well, enough talk. There's plenty of time to decide, maybe you'll change your minds.
You should be enjoying your extra free time! Go on now, make sure to stay warm." said Mrs. Higurashi
with a shooing motion as she walked over to the table and picked up the umbrella Inuyasha had set
there earlier. Inuyasha turned to Kagome with a fanged grin on his face and Kagome gulped. "Actually
mom, I was thinking about staying in for some hot chocolate and-" "Nonsense!" cried Mrs. Higurashi.
"Go out and have fun, Souta could use the company if you have nowhere you'd like to go." said Mrs.
H, refusing to hear her daughter's veiled pleas as she all but pushed them out the door and slid it
closed behind them. Kagome looked over at Inuyasha and smiled nervously. "So, do I get a head start?"
she asked half jokingly. Inuyasha, still wearing his grin, said nothing and kneeled down in the snow,
scooping up a rather large amount as he kept his gaze on Kagome the entire time.
It didn't take Kagome long to get the hint. As Inuyasha packed the snow into something roughly
the size of a basket ball, Kagome fled for her life towards Souta, who had been building a snow fort
facing the door and stockpiling snow balls. Inuyasha let her reach the pitiful wall, where Souta,
all smiles, handed her several snow balls. The hanyou launched his snowy projectile of destruction
straight at the fort, though not as hard as he could have. The siblings ducked and covered their heads
just as the ball collided the snow wall. Snow flew everywhere, but Souta had proved his worth as
a fort builder as the wall held (though there was now almost as much snow on Kagome and himself as on
the wall) despite losing a large amount of the top. The two recovered quickly, shaking off the snow
and sending a hail of snowballs at Inuyasha. Most either miss or were dodged, but a few lucky shots
struck home and covered parts of his red kimono with white.
Inuyasha leapt upwards, landing some twenty feet to their left and scooping an even larger
amount of snow before leaping again as the two began to toss snow balls at his new location. By the
time he landed again his new snowball was ready. Instead of throwing it straight at them this time
he hurled it upwards. Kagome and her little brother stopped throwing to watch it in horror as it
slowly arched through the air towards them. No communication was neccesary for the two to both leap
out of their protective barrier after it was clear it was going to hit. A tidal wave of white
exploded from the impact site, sending snow in all directions. When the last flakes settled, the
Higurashi fortress was no more.
Kagome turned from where she had managed to get before the snowball had hit, dusting off a
little snow from her rear end and smiling in childish pleasure as she looked at the wasteland of
snow. Souta, who hadn't been so lucky in escaping, stood up from where he had been all but buried.
Kagome laughed at the sight. All of his snow gear was completely caked with layers of snow, stuck
to his body. "Souta! You're going to be soaked! You had better go inside and take all of those
clothes before you catch a cold." she said. Souta nodded and quickly made his way back towards the
house. "Well Inuyasha." said Kagome, turning. "I guess you-" She paused after noticing that Inuyasha
was nowhere to be seen. "Inuyasha?" she asked, turning all of the way around. 'Why do I get feeling
that this game isn't over?' thought Kagome.
A gust of wind began to blow snow across the flat shrine grounds. Kagome shivered a little
at the change in temperature and crossed her arms as she continued to search for the hanyou. Red
wasn't exactly the most concealing color in a sea of white. She heard a soft noise to her right and
turned quickly, but saw nothing. Warily, Kagome stooped down and grabbed a bit of snow to pack into
a ball. Kagome continued to scan the area, a playful smile on her face. She began towards where she
had heard the sound. "Inuyashaaa." she called. She heard another sound from behind her and quickly
turned and threw her snowball, at nothing.
Kagome scooped up another ball of snow continued her walk until she had reached the entrance
of the well shrine, a place where she hadn't entered in some time. On a whim she entered, closing
the door behind her. She rested her elbows against the old well and peered down. Memories of all of
the exciting adventures she had gone on came back to her in a flood. The first time she had been
pulled down the well, the fight with Yura the hair, Kikyo's return, the final battle for the shikon
jewel. Kagome let her snowball, watching as it dropped down to the well's bottom, where it exploded
into a cloud of snow before settling. She could still remember the battle with crystal clarity, how
they had won. She had often daydreamed at the possibilities that could be once it was all over, how
Inuyasha would treat now that he didn't need her to detect shards. Now that it was, Kagome had to
wonder if it was worth it. She had Inuyasha and Shippo, and their return had for these past weeks
blotted out the pain of the loss of all the other people who were important to her. She hadn't even
so much glanced at the shrine in who knew how long. But now it all came back. Sango, Miroku,
Kaede, she'd never see them again. They could never be part of her life again. Kagome felt a few
tears run down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away with a finger.
Kagome sighed. She shouldn't grieve any more. It was time to go forward in life with who
she still had. But, she could always remember. It would never hurt to remember...
***************************************************************************************************
The sky was black and lightning streaked across the sky. No wind blew across the open,
desolate field where they all were. It was as if the forces of nature themselves could not stand
the presence of one so evil as Naraku. A maniacal laughter assaulted the group, all ready for battle.
"It is true, what they say. I see it now for myself after all this time. The shikon no tama truly is
most beautiful when corrupted." said Naraku, clutching the completely formed jewel, his eyes radiating
with something that could be best described as insanity.
Kagome looked around to her allies in their war with Naraku, her friends. "Get ready everyone,
this is it." she called over another bout of Narku's laughter. "Now Shikon no Tama!" Shouted the
demented hanyou, standing far above the rest on a large outcropping of rocks which jutted out of the
ground, likely caused by the evil energy that was still swirling around that point. "Grant me my wish!
Rid me of my accursed humanity forever!" With brutal force, Naraku slammed the object into his bare
chest, splattering a bit of blood as it embedded itself into his rib cage.
The already darkened jewel began to radiate an almost black light, sending bolts of energy
flowing across the skin of the one who had dared to call on its power. Screams depicting a fraction
of the pain that he was no doubt feeling erupted from Naraku, his hands clutching his chest as he
fell onto his knees. Kagome's group tensed as the energy began moving faster and faster over his body,
causing him more agony, until it was nothing but a constant glow of dark red and purple energy covering
every part of his body. The energy began to throb, sending waves of dark light across the field. Faster
and faster it began, brighter and brighter until everyone but Inuyasha was shielding their eyes. Then,
the light stopped, leaving the world comparatively dark, before the brightest flash of them all
appeared several, incredibly slow, seconds later. The light encompassed everything, blocking out all
over sights but the light.
It might have been a matter of seconds, perhaps a matter of hours or days, before the light
subsided, the screams as well. When the group's eyes readjusted, Naraku was kneeling calmly as if he
had done nothing more extravagant than tell a slightly funny joke. "It is done." he said, his voice
holding no emotion. "I am complete, and you are all doomed." Inuyasha gave a snort of contempt. "You
doubt me hanyou?" asked Naraku, gazing down at the mere insect. "Perhaps if I demonstrate..." he
said, more to himself than anyone. He calmly reached out his arm towards the warriors, who all gripped
their weapons more tightly. Scales seemed begin to cover the hanyou turned youkai's arm. Faster than
an eye blink, the scaly arm stretched forward, growing to the size of a very large tree trunk.
Kagome felt herself whisked away by Inuyasha just in time to escape the attack, which crashed into the
ground an instant later, the shockwave knocking the two around in mid flight like flys. Inuyasha turned
himself enough that when they hit the ground he landed on bottom, creating an impressive crater.
The others were in similar situations, thrown around like rag dolls. Naraku watched as his arm
returned to its normal size, though it remained scaly. "Is everyone all right?" called Inuyasha as he
helped Kagome to a standing position, a little awkward considering he had the Tetsusaiga in one of his
hands. Affirmatives came from the group, no injuries. "What amazing power, more than I had imagined."
muttered Naraku, gazing at his arm. "What little chance you might have had has just disintegrated.
I will show you the rightful power that I now posses!" roared the demon to the group, his entire body
beginning to morph and change, scales beginning to pop up everywhere. Kagome stood in awe at the
transformation. Naraku began growing, and growing, and growing, his body changing colors and shapes as
it did. It became clear what was happening, all of the hundreds of youkai that made up the foul demon
were appearing in the form of parts of his body. His arms, legs, everything were turning into a
writhing mass of youkai. A bellowing laugh erupted from the maw of many youkai. The transformation
was complete. The overall form was something of a behomothic dwarf, a dwarf made up completely of
smaller youkai connected together.
"Shit." Inuyasha hissed, bringing the Tetsusaiga to bear with both hands. Kagome saw in the
distance Kirara leap into the sky with Miroku, Sango, and Shippo (cowering in rear of course) on her
back. Sango was shouting something to her but she couldn't make it out. Whatever it was, Sango suddenly
leaped off the back of her companion and loosed Hiraikotsu at the enormous entity. The boomerang cut
a large gash across the shoulder, if a large, ever-changing swarm of youkai could be called a shoulder.
Hiraikotsu returned to the hunter's grasp and she landed gracefully back on Kirara, who turned to make
another pass. The mammoth head of the new Naraku turned to the four. "Fools, you're weapons are useless."
he taunted, the wound inflicted regenerating as he spoke. "Kagome! Stay here!" Inuyasha called as he
leapt upwards. 'This isn't good.' thought the miko as she raised her bow and notched an arrow, closing
in eye to take aim.
"KAZE NO KIZU!" roared Inuyasha, swinging his sword in a downward motion. Kagome released as
soon as she saw the familiar beams of energy spout forwards. The two attacks intersected precisely
at the right moment to cut deep into Naraku's chest. In certain places the gashes went all the way
through the body. A roar of pain emerged from Naraku as he staggered backwards on his pedestal. His
head, voidless of any visible eyes, turned towards the two. The wounds began to heal, though slower
than before. He stepped forward, swinging an arm towards the still airborne Inuyasha. The hanyou had
no chance of dodging and was shot backwards from where he came. Kagome's eye's widened just before
the hanyou slammed into her, knocking her breath away as well as sending spots before her eyes as
they tumbled backwards in a tangle.
She must of blanked out for a moment, because when she opened her eyes Inuyasha was standing
above her, protecting her as Naraku ponderously came towards them, causing the earth the shake with
each step. She saw Miroku and the others struggling to stand up from where they where now were. Her
hearing must have been temporarily paralyzed as well, for she could see Inuyasha's lips moving, but
heard no sound. Naraku stopped some fifty feet away, momentarily distracted by something behind her.
Suddenly, her hearing came back all at once, a piercing howl breaking her deafness. She saw figures
running past her in a blur. It took her a few moments to realize they were wolf youkai, dozens of
them. A pair of arms lifted her up and turned her around. "Kouga-kun?" she asked, staring at the
amorous wolf youkai. He flashed her a cocky grin. "Didn't I tell you I'd protect you? Can't expect
dog boy to manage on his own can I?" At any other time this would have been met with a scathing
comment from Inuyasha, but he was too busy hacking at one of Naraku's legs to notice. "Besides."
the youkai continued. "We have two grudges against him. Not only did he kill my friends, but he stole
my jewel shards as well!" Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but with a wave and another grin, Kouga
ran off, a bit slower than he used to be, towards the battle.
When Kagome turned, bodies were strewn everywhere. Some were still moving but it was clear
that at least a few were dead. Kagome felt a twang of pity for these souls, who's only crime was
that they were trying to help. With new determination, Kagome picked up her bow and fired off several
more arrows in quick succession. Several new wounds appeared on the body of their enemy, though it
wouldn't be long before they regenerated again. Kagome saw Sango in the air again, preparing to
throw her Hiraikotsu again, but Naraku was too fast. Before she could react, a lance of youkai reached
out and pierced her in the stomach. The girl's eyes widened as the youkai continued straight through
her back. "SANGO!" Kagome cried in horror, rushing towards the girl as she was flung clear by Naraku,
landing with a heavy thud onto the ground. She didn't move.
Kagome was all but hysterical when she reached her friend, dropping her bow and falling to her
knees beside Sango. Kagome grabbed the wounded girl by one of her hands. "Sango! Are you alright?"
What a stupid question to have asked, of course she wasn't all right, she had already lost enough blood
to be in trouble. Sango turned her head slowly towards Kagome, her face contorted with pain. She tried
to say something, but it wouldn't come out as anything but a gurgle. Kagome did have any time to grieve,
as a wave of dark energy flew so close above her that she nearly had her head cleaved off. Kagome looked
up to see where the energy came from, only to come face to.. well knee of Seshoumaru, who stood nearly
above the fallen youkai exterminator, holding the Toukijin in his hand and pointing it out towards
Naraku, who had just received an enormous gash from the attack of said weapon. The inuyoukai paid no
attention to the two girls below him, staring impassively at the monstrosity before him. The noise of
fighting softened for a moment at the sight of this newcomer, unknown to be friend or foe, as Naraku
turned towards Inuyasha's half brother.
"Naraku." he called. "You may look like a youkai now, but you will never be more than a pathetic
half breed in my eyes." Naraku bellowed in fury at the comment. "I, the lord of the west, will never
bow to such a thing as you. It is here you will be destroyed." Seshoumaru continued, raising the point
of his sword. As if it was a signal, a battle cry sounded from behind Seshoumaru. From the shadows a
horde of youkai, armed and armored will various items of varying quality, streamed out, charging around
Seshoumaru and the two girls. These new reinforcements jumped upon Naraku's gigantic frame, hacking,
tearing, and biting at him only to be knocked away by the dozen. Seshoumaru sheathed his blade for the
moment and gazed down at the two humans. Silently, he unsheathed his other blade, the Tensaiga. Kagome
watched as, in a wide arc, the youkai sent a wave of healing wave of energy flying across the battlefield,
reviving the many dead and dieing wolf youkai. Sango gasped and Kagome looked down at her again only to
see the grievous wound heal before her eyes. Uttering a sound of joy Kagome looked back up at Seshoumaru
to say her thanks. However, the youkai was already walking past her towards the battle. He turned his
head to look at them for a moment. "Fight." he commanded.
Kagome didn't have much recollection of the next minutes of fighting, it all blurred together
into a big web of fighting, death, and destruction. The next thing she did remember clearly was standing
once again by Inuyasha's side. The hanyou's left arm was hanging limp by his side and a dozen large
gashes were leaking blood onto the ground below him. It was clear they were losing, despite overwhelming
numbers. Inuyasha knew as well, she could tell. "Kagome." he murmured, looking over at her. Kagome looked
at him and his expression. She didn't need words to tell that he was about to do something drastic,
something that might kill him. Without warning, he leapt forward, the Tetsusaiga above him in his one
good hand. "Naraku!" she shouted at the top of his lungs, sailing towards his head. The massive blob
of youkai turned towards him. His massive maw opened and hundreds of tendrils reached out, grabbing at
the hanyou. Inuyasha struggled, swinging his blade at the tendrils until his sword arm was also trapped.
Kagome felt her heart stop as the hanyou was pulled in, the mouth closing around him, swallowing
him whole and leaving no trace of Inuyasha. Time seemed to stop all across the field as Kagome stared in
absolute horror. Inuyasha was gone, if he was lucky he was dead. If not, he was now part of Naraku.
He was gone.
Ceased to exist.
Dead.
Dead.
Dead, such a hollow sounding word
Kagome felt a level of hatred emerge from her that she had never felt before. The kind of hatred that defies
all rational thought, all sanity. The kind that comes from a place deeper than the consciousness. It seemed
to be radiating off her in waves. Indeed, it was in the form of pink energy, no longer the pure pink of before
but a darker pink. Naraku seemed to sense this over all the energies on the battlefield as Kagome raised her
bow and arrow, her face in a expression beyond description. The tip of the arrow glowed the same color as the
energy radiating from her body. The massive youkai's taunting laughter reached her ears as he turned his full
attention towards Kagome, ignoring all of the insignificant ones attacking him. "Go ahead miko, your
hatred will only make me stronger. All things are more beautiful when once pure but now filled with malice
and you are now exception. Fire then! Show me your might!" His voice rumbled towards her, goading her on.
Kagome was more than happy to comply, releasing her arrow and sending all of her negative emotions
towards him. The arrow struck dead center on Naraku's chest of wriggling youkai, piercing a hole slightly
smaller than a basketball straight through. Naraku laughed cruelly at the girl, feeling exhausted from her
outburst. "Do you see how futile it is? You can never kill me- what?" Naraku's head titled downward
towards his chest, where a fist, glowing slightly red, was sticking out of the whole that had just been
made, clutching something small. "NO!" roared Naraku, but it was too late. Inuyasha burst out from the
monster, clutching the jewel in one hand and the Tetsusaiga, which was emitting the protective red barrier,
in the other. All fighting stopped as the fighters gazed up at the monstrosity, that began to wail
unintelligible things as convulsions began to rack Naraku's body.
The Shikon no Tama, glittering in Inuyasha's hand, showed the terrible price to be payed for
invoking its power. Naraku's mighty body seemed to wrap around itself tighter and tighter, a terrible
sound of a thousand wails emitting from it. It was the sound of all of the youkai that had come together
to form Naraku from the husk of Onigumo, the thousand calculating minds behind the eyes of Naraku. The
youkai formed a rapidly condensing ball, the wailing increasing. By the time Inuyasha had landed onto the
ground, falling to his knees after his great exertion, the ball was no bigger than a pool ball. Then, it
disappeared, erased from existence. No sound, no bright lights or flashes. The price of the jewel was
simple, everything.
The battlefield was silent. No one said anything, they were all too tired to say anything. But
all could tell, it was over.
********************************************************************************************************
Some thirty minutes after she entered, Kagome let herself out of the shrine, wiping the last
tears from her face. She found Inuyasha leaning against the side of shrine, waiting for. He stood up
as she turned to him. "Are you all right?" he asked as the began to walk away by silent consent. Kagome
smiled at him. "I'm fine, I guess you could say I just needed to exorcise a few old ghosts." she replied.
Inuyasha nodded, wrapping an arm partially around her. A few moments later he smirked. "Good." he murmured,
dropping a large snowball on her head.
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SOOO LONG! In fact, I think it might have topped Pretending as longest single thing I've ever written.
Hope you enjoyed! And to think, I was worried that this chapter would be too short.. I have carpal tunnel!