Disclaimer: I didn't when I began, and I don't now. I DON'T OWN INUYASHA!
Author's Note: I apologize many hundreds of times! I actually meant to get this chapter up in late March, but it's called 18 college credits and the damn things wouldn't go away. I realize I've probably lost half my readers by now, but I'd better finish what I started.
Just a quick synopsis of what's currently going on:
The final battle with Naraku rages on. Beginning when Naraku killed most of Sesshomaru's vassals in order to cull his pending resistance, the remaining vassals, Kouga's wolves, and Inuyasha & Co. continue to battle it out, though Naraku's side is winning out of sheer numbers.
Naraku has kidnapped Kagome in order to strengthen the Jewel, which is now whole. Her priestess powers, when combined with hateful thoughts, are actually able to turn the Jewel black. Naraku hopes that by doing this, his wishes will become more powerful.
Inuyasha and Kouga, reluctantly teaming up, are currently perusing the castle in order to find Kagome, whom they rightly suspect has been kidnapped by Naraku. They separate after about an hour, but when Inuyasha hears a shriek in the direction of where Kouga has headed, he hurries to investigate. He finds that Kouga has been hit by a powerful sleeping spell, and that the caster was...Kikyo.
Kikyo appears to be league with Naraku...or is she? She actually appears to be enslaved by him, and it almost seems as if she would rather be with Inuyasha. When Inuyasha refuses to run away with her, however, she begs for him to kill her. But will he or not?
Finally, Miroku, having been hit by a spell that will open his Wind Tunnel permanently, has hurried down to the castle basement with Shippo in order to die safely and alone. However, they hear voices in one of the dungeons... It turns out to be Sesshomaru, who has slipped away from the battle in order to take the final shard from a boy who apparently has it, forcibly if he needs to. When Miroku and Shippo run to help the boy, however, the dungeon door magically locks and they are all trapped inside with Miroku, whose Wind Tunnel looks ready to burst any second. Worse still, the boy no longer has the Shard imbedded within him, which means that Naraku has completed it. Our last look at them ends with the group trying to force a way out, and with Miroku learning that the boy is indeed Sango's brother Kohaku, who no longer has the shard imbedded in his back but has now been revived by Sesshomaru's sword.
sighs The way this fic's going, it's just ASKING to be GAFFed:
Her heart pounding in trepidation, Kagome could feel her limbs quaking as she waited for something to happen. She couldn't move, she could barely even breathe; time seemed to crawl by at a snail's pace, one slow second after another. She wanted something to happen---something, anything, whether it was good or bad. Still, however, the heavy wooden door did not slide open, and she continued to tremble upon the dais, which stubbornly refused to conform to her arched back.
The wait was agonizing, but it was the only thing that she could do. Running away was not an option. She knew that Naraku needed her alive for his plans, but she wasn't even sure if she had the strength to walk, much less run away. She was afraid, much too afraid, not only of what would happen to her in the end, but Inuyasha and her other friends as well... (Please, Inuyasha, please hurry... Don't let that freak do anything to me!)
Her prayers went unanswered, however, when the door creaked open and Naraku stepped into the room, looking rather harried and wilted. Kagome squinted through the dim torchlight to further analyze his face; he definitely did not have the triumphant air that she would have expected from him at this point. (Could it be?) she thought excitedly. (Does this mean that something went wrong? Oh please---PLEASE let this be good news...)
Naraku was ignoring her for the moment, muttering brokenly to himself as he hurried to each corner of the room to light more torches. She couldn't really catch any of what he said, but that was most likely for the better... Whether the evil half-demon had found Inuyasha or not, she was unable to ascertain; all she knew was that she was still in for it when Naraku finished lighting the torches and sauntered up to her, his usual wicked smile creeping back onto his gaunt features.
Again she shuddered as he ran his bony hand up her leg, only stopping as it reached under the hem of her skirt. "I suppose you will not tell me where Kikyo went, my sweet?" he whispered into her ear, his rancid breath wafting unpleasantly into her nostrils.
"How the hell would I know?" she snarled in reply, fidgeting so that he was forced to withdraw his hand. "STOP THAT!" she shrieked as the hand transferred itself from her leg to her upper lip.
"You're in no position whether or not to tell me to stop," he replied dryly, his other hand caressing her cheekbone. He stopped abruptly in mid-stroke, proceeding to pace the room nervously. "I knew it," she could hear him spit contemptuously. "I knew that saintly little bitch would betray me the second I turned my back! So that's why I could not locate-" Just as suddenly before he turned back towards Kagome, delighting in her gasp as he cast his robe to the ground, revealing his pale torso and the black leggings that he wore underneath. "Never mind, I do not need her any longer anyway! I only need...you!" She gulped as he sat next to her on the dais. "Let them flee together! Once the Shikkon shines a midnight black, then they shall be beyond escape anyway!"
Before she could protest he was devouring her neck hungrily, his cold skin contrasting sharply with her warm as his strong arms enveloped her, crushing her mercilessly against his body. "STOP!" she yelled again, kicking out viciously but to no avail. He held her in a merciless, unyielding grip, and something told her that that grip wasn't going to loosen anytime soon...
"Go on, struggle," he declared to her a minute later, having lifted his head from nuzzling her hair. "The more you struggle, the blacker it gets!" Her eyes widened as he produced the already blackened Shikkon Jewel from a pocket in his sword sheathe; he ignored her revulsion and pressed the cold thing into her hand, clasping it tightly with his own so that she could not cast it away. "Just keep struggling, my dear, keep thinking about how much you loathe me...do all of those things and my strength shall be unrivaled!" He fell into a contemplative silence for a moment, much like a spider in waiting that was deciding how to trap its next victim. "Well...what shall we do first? The rack? Physical torture? Solitary confinement? Actually-" -he cocked his head, his thin lips snaking upward into a vicious smile- "-I think I'll go with what we were doing before, no woman likes that..."
She tried to turn her head away from him so that she did not have to feel his poisonous lips upon hers, but he only made things miserable for her by putting a hand up her shirt, squeezing and poking and prodding like some little child torturing an insect with a stick. Through all of this he still held onto her right hand tightly; the Shikkon felt like white hot fire in her hand, searing heat emanating from it as it turned blacker and blacker. She tried to keep her mind blank, she tried to keep her thoughts devoid of all emotion, but she was unable to do a very good job, and the jewel only grew hotter. She HATED, she LOATHED Naraku so much!
She stared at him hatefully as he rolled off her again, a triumphant smirk appearing upon his sweaty face as he opened her hand momentarily to check the Jewel's progress. "Blacker than black ebony, as I thought!" he murmured in barely above a whisper. "Black is my favorite color, how about yours?" He laughed cruelly, closing her palm again. "Now for the grand finale! If it only takes that much for it to blacken tenfold, then imagine what will happen when I-"
He was cut short by a disgusted snort coming from the doorway. "Heh, Naraku, you've gotten really careless of late! You kidnap Kagome and you don't even expect me to come after the two of you!"
Naraku's eyes narrowed into slits and Kagome's widened with joy as they both beheld Inuyasha in the doorway, a determined look on his face and the Tetsusaiga held to attention like a large, gleaming thunderbolt. "Get ready, Naraku!" he snarled, advancing a few paces and giving the sword a few warning swings. "I'm not coming for a compromise, I'm coming to kill!"
Naraku, rolling off of Kagome and landing lightly on his feet, unsheathed his own sword and pointed it in the direction of the half-demon, his crimson eyes flashing at the very sight of him. "Try me, you little freak!" he sniffed arrogantly, stepping in front of the dais and screening a terrified Kagome from view. "You truly expect me to allow you to go free after being such a thorn in my side for the past fifty years!"
The hanyou gritted his teeth frustratedly. "You can't live anymore, Naraku... Not after what you've done to everybody. Me, Kikyo, Kagome, Miroku, Sango; hell, you've even made life miserable for the entire Demon Realm!" He stared at Naraku with vengeful, burning eyes, anger boiling within him as he recalled all of the transgressions made against him by the ambitious half-demon. "I don't have a damn clue what you're planning, or why you're doing it; the only thing that I can do is make you-"
Naraku finished his sentence for him. "DIE!" he burst out, leaping for Inuyasha and trying to catch him off guard.
His attempt had been in vain, however, when Inuyasha on instinct raised the Tetsusaiga and matched his blade with Naraku's effortlessly. "Don't finish my sentence for me, Naraku," he spat into the other hanyou's face, which was perspiring and just inches away. "I've interrupted people often enough so that I know it's quite rude..."
Naraku, only growling in reply, attempted to jump him again; again Inuyasha raised the Tetsusaiga to match it. And it was then that the half-demon saw his chance; Naraku, when he had raised his blade for the offensive, had left his lower body totally unprotected. Inuyasha skillfully lowered his sword in a flash and thrust upward, attempting to run it right through Naraku's heart.
He knew that it could very well be his only chance. He knew that Naraku wasn't all that strong physically, but what he lacked in strength he unquestionably made up for in spiritual powers. One magical spell would be enough to ensnare him and kill him...or to possibly even control his mind. That was why he could not fail. He had to do this...for his final revenge. For Miroku. For Sango. For old Kaede. For Kikyo. For Shippo. For Kagome...
He struck. As hard as he could.
Kagome whimpered upon the dais, keeping her eyes tightly shut so as to not witness the scene. If she opened them and saw Inuyasha lying there bloodied and dead...she wasn't sure if she could bear it. Her limbs trembling uncontrollably and her heart palpitating madly, she just continued to lie to there, praying to every deity past and present that the one she loved would prevail.
Kouga, who was still lying in the antechamber where Inuyasha had met Kikyo, groaned and stirred, the last remnants of the sleeping spell cast away upon the stagnant air. "Ugh...man, what happened?" he grunted, his legs wobbling as he unsteadily attempted to get back onto his feet. "I don't even know what the hell's going on anymore...did he kill her? Did he kill...him!"
Like a lightning bolt Sango whirled around, slaying an amphibian-like demon in one fierce thrust with her bloodied boomerang. "What's going on!" she shouted to one of the wolf-demons nearby, one of the few still standing. "Suddenly they're getting even more vicious!"
"I don't know," the demon replied anxiously, throwing a stray javelin into the fray, "but it seems like they've got their second wind!"
Old Lady Kaede stared into the intense flames, trying to divine the outcome of the final battle. It seemed to be no use, however, as all she seemed to see was the eddying of cinder and gray ash. She sighed, frustrated at her weakening ability as she aged, and turned away, muttering to herself vehemently. "A fitting end for the last of the line... I cannot even use my powers of divination anymore. Until the Higurashi clan in the future begins to oversee the shrine, then I am afraid that the Bone-Eaters' Well will be unprotected..." Her eyes widened. "Wait! Higurashi! Why did I not notice this before!"
"You fool!" Sesshomaru stormed as he desperately tried to cling onto the iron bars of the cell. "This was not the way that I wanted to die!"
"Well, beggars cannot be choosers, now can they!" Miroku called back towards him at the top of his lungs, the roar of the growing Wind Tunnel becoming overpoweringly deafening as it strove to suck everyone in.
Kohaku held on to Shippo with one arm, trying to wedge himself into a crumbling corner with the other as the Void strove further and further to become one with him. "Oh, what can we do!" the little fox sniffed piteously, staring as the monk's attempts to close his hand became more and more feeble. "He can't hold on much longer, I know it! Are we really gonna die here!"
He struck for everyone. He struck for his parents, he struck for Granny Kaede, he struck for Shippo, he struck for Kikyo, he struck for Miroku and Sango.
Most of all, he struck for Kagome.
He struck. As hard as he could...
It all seemed so surreal to Kagome as she passed out of the brooding, crumbling gates and back out into the sunlight, which shone weakly through the thick clouds of early dawn. Her legs shaking unsteadily as they threatened to give out under her, she vainly continued to strive for the knoll just outside the shadow of the castle, where it seemed that some of Kouga's wolves were congregating. She didn't know how, she didn't know why they were there; all she knew was that she was vaguely glad of the sense of familiarity that it gave her.
She almost crumpled to the ground just under the knoll; she most certainly would have if not for the hand that steadied her. Much to her relief, she found that the owner of that hand was Sango, her armor bloodied and an apprehensive look on her peaked face. The ex-demonslayer's expression suddenly brightened, however, when she found out who she had given assistance to.
"Oh, Sango!" Kagome almost wept for joy, grabbing her close friend in a tight embrace. "It's really you! I didn't know what happened to you; I thought you'd DIED!"
Sango patted her back comfortingly, though she was no less rattled by the night's events. "A whole horde of demons wouldn't have been enough to kill me, Kagome," she said grimly, "not while that bastard Naraku was still living." She paused thoughtfully. "Something happened, though...we had almost lost, but suddenly all of Naraku's demons disappeared into thin air, almost as if - almost as if -"
"Yes, Naraku's dead," Kagome replied flatly, breaking the embrace. "Inuyasha killed him in one strike."
She heard a sigh of relief on Sango's part. "That is a load off my shoulders, Kagome... I didn't know what to expect; even though we won, there's still heavy losses. A third of Kouga's band is what remains alive, and only five of Sesshomaru's vassals made it as well." She stared at her friend hard, instinctively knowing that the sorrowful look on Kagome's face had to do with more than just the trauma of the previous night. "Kagome, what's wrong?... You look as if you're about to faint."
Kagome could hold it in no longer. Burying herself into Sango's shoulder, she began to wail uncontrollably, the pain of the previous days pouring out like a monsoon. "Oh, Sango!" she sobbed, holding her friend in a vise-like grip. "It's Inuyasha! He's in there right now, making his wish! He t-told me to leave, that he had to be alone...but that's not the worst of it... Oh, Sango!" she wailed, "the rosary broke when he killed Naraku! The rosary broke!"
Sango was silent for a moment, but when she spoke her voice trembled with firm resolve. "Listen, Kagome," she tried to explain, lifting her friend's chin with one finger, "I'll protect you from him if I must! Please...just trust me..." She bit her lower lip almost to the point of drawing blood, foretelling that she just may later rue what she was going to say next.
"I knew this would cause you heartbreak if you got to close to him," she continued steadily, clasping her friend's hand tightly, "but please just hold onto the memories with him that you have. He does love you...whenever he looks at you, the look in his eyes is unmistakable. Just please...please remember that for your sake..."
"Having a crying marathon, ladies?"
Both of the girls, completely startled, jumped and looked up only to find Kouga, who had somehow found his way out of the castle despite the lingering aftereffects of Kikyo's sleeping spell. Kagome shrieked and shrank away him, but he only shook his head and held out his hand to stop her, a grin spreading on his face as he did so.
"Listen, I'm not gonna try jumping ya again," he told her reassuringly, unbinding his silky hair so that it tumbled down past his shoulders. "Seriously, I learned my lesson the first time." He scratched his head. "And besides...your puppy'd be eating my balls on a stick if I tried anything." When she shrank away from his hand a second time he sighed and used it to scratch his head again, almost at a loss for words. "Listen, I'm sorry," he attempted again, looking rather humble. "I shouldn't have done that; I shoulda known better. And it's not because I'm afraid of Inuyasha---I just know that you won't settle for anything else."
Kagome gave one last sniff as she stared into the wolf-demon's dark eyes; his apology seemed genuine, and besides, Sango (though she was looking a bit confused at the entire thing) was right there to keep an eye on him. "Oh, all right," she said grudgingly, her voice still a little shaky. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me."
Kouga wrinkled his delicate nose as he caught a whiff of something during a gust of wind. "It's OK, don't get into a sniff about it," he said good-naturedly. "And when I say that, I mean it literally." He covered his nose. "When you're downwind, I can smell that arrogant puppy's scent on you. After our little incident, he sure must not have wasted his time with you, now did he?"
Kagome was aghast. "WHAT!"
"Um---never mind."
The three of them slowly walked up the knoll, none of them really fit for anything. Kouga pursed his thick lips as they all sat in the grass facing the opposite direction of the still smoldering castle. "It was worth it," he declared to Kagome and Sango, dangling his legs over the precipice. "It was all worth it. There might not be too many of my wolves left-" -here he gestured to the forty or so wolves that remained, all of them busy with tending other survivors' wounds- "-but now I know that we can sleep easy. Naraku had already driven us far down that valley---if there was a bad year then we might have starved to death."
He stared at the two girls, their eyes both downcast. "And you know, another thing...when I woke up from the sleeping spell cast on me, Kagome, I saw the woman who cast it dead nearby. She must have had strong powers in order to subdue any sorta demon. Any clue who it was, Kagome?"
Kagome turned towards him numbly. "Nope, not a clue," she replied listlessly, picking up a pebble and chucking it down the knoll. She really didn't want to answer Kouga's question; honestly, she really didn't want to do ANYTHING right now. Inuyasha was in that castle right now, unfettered and unrestrained, wishing to be a full-fledged demon so that he could kill her... However, even she could not ignore what Kouga said next.
"Really? You don't know?" he asked her curiously. "The woman looked almost exactly like you, Kagome. In fact, I thought it WAS you at first, and I was ready to clean Inuyasha's clock for killing you." He shook his head. "But I looked closer---and I knew better." He laughed shakily. "What a relief, eh?"
Kagome's momentary shock at the news soon faded away, however; what was the difference if Inuyasha had killed Kikyo anyway, no matter what the reason? That didn't change what he was going to do in the end, did it? She sighed, looking back at the castle. Probably already he was a full-fledged demon, dangerous, murderous, and ready to kill. She looked over at Kouga, who had fallen silent again. Even being a pureblood demon himself, would HE even be able to take on Inuyasha's indomitable spirit? If he couldn't then she might as well say sayonara to the living world...
The next thing to happen was even more remarkable than the last. At first Kagome thought that someone nearby had gone absolutely mad, whooping and hollering like an absolute madman, but as the person got closer to the knoll, her eyebrows suddenly shot up into her bangs as she realized who the whooper and hollerer was.
Sango realized it too. In fact, she was already at the other end of the knoll to meet him, hugging and kissing him as if she would never let go.
Kagome ran up too, genuinely happy that Miroku had somehow made it out alive and well. "You made it!" she cried happily, butting in on the two so that they were all in one embrace.
Miroku smiled proudly. "I did...and that's not the best of it..." He lifted his hand, which was still bound with prayer beads. Quicker than a wink, however, he ripped them off and revealed a perfectly normal, unholy hand; the curse had been broken with the defeat of Naraku.
Sango began crying with happiness. "Oh, Miroku," she sobbed, burying her face into his chest. "I can't believe it; this is all over! You're alive, the curse is broken, and now we can all live peacefully!" She smiled, nuzzling his smooth neck. "And I guess that means we can start having the four other children that I want..."
Miroku looked as if he was in pervert's paradise. "Hey, Sango-chan," he began in what he probably thought to be a debonair, seductive voice, "about that...can we start now?" He paused for a minute, jumping back to avoid the swing that the ex-demonslayer had attempted to lay on him. "And -er- well, another thing; maybe we should reduce the number to three children; we are not going to have enough room in the house, what with everyone else, with Shippo and-" He stopped short, mentally smacking himself as he realized that he hadn't actually told Sango about Kohaku yet.
Sango looked puzzled. "Shippo and - and - and who, my dear?"
Miroku gulped, trying to figure out the best way to explain. "Well," he began slowly, "to make a long story short, Shippo and I made a friend during the battle, during which I was fighting to keep my Wind Tunnel in check. And -er- one of those friends was-"
"Hey, Sango!" Shippo's head suddenly poked up over the knoll's precipice, looking rather dusty and dirty but with a wide grin spread upon his little face. "Great to see that you're alive!"
Sango, turning around to grin at the overjoyed little kitsune, was in for the shock of her life when she saw who was carrying him upon his shoulders. Miroku smiled genuinely, not even bothering to finish his sentence as he gently pushed Sango towards her younger brother.
Sango was speechless for about five seconds, but made up for her silence immediately when she practically bowled Kohaku over when she leapt into his arms. "Oh, Kohaku!" she sobbed, now crying even harder than she had with Miroku. "You're alive...and you're not trying to kill us!" She made an odd choking noise, rubbing her head into Shippo's overlarge tail.
"Yeah, sis, it's me," Kohaku replied, mere inches away from tears himself. "Just me, no Jewel Shards imbedded in me or anything..."
Sango looked up, her swollen eyes staring into those of her younger brother's. "But how?" she asked him curiously. "How! You were all set to die once the Shikkon Jewel was complete, and now the thing is whole, it doesn't even exist in fact, but now you're - you're still here with us. Oh, never mind, I don't care!" She hugged him again, her fingernails digging almost painfully into his scrawny back. "As long as you're here with us, nothing matters anymore!" She turned to Miroku, who was still bearing that "I-plugged-the-toilet" look on his face. "Oh Houshi-sama!" she endeavored, looking at her husband pleadingly. "Can we keep him? Please!"
Miroku laughed genuinely, a chiding smile spreading upon his face. "Honestly, Sango-chan," he teased her gently, "you sound as if you were asking for a pet!" He patted her shoulder warmly. "Of course he can stay with us. We would not want to break up a family, would we?"
For probably the first time during their marriage she bowed her head humbly at him, more grateful than words could ever express. "Thank you, Miroku...I am grateful that I made the right choice in marrying you." She started visibly, her mind quickly changing gears as she realized what this all meant. "Oh, but I'm being rude!" she exclaimed suddenly, pushing her husband over towards Kohaku. "I must introduce you to my family---my new family. You already know Miroku, my husband of three years, and the little demon that you're holding on your shoulders is Shippo, our adopted son. And of course there's Kyoko, our little daughter, but obviously she's not here right now---" She stopped short, having realized something not very pleasant.
"What's wrong, Sis?" Kohaku asked innocently, knowing that the familiar sour expression on his older sister's face usually led to profanity or near-violence (and, on some unfortunate occasions, actual violence).
"Miroku..." Sango's tone was extremely quiet, belying the tremendous danger that was in store for her husband. "What was that you said earlier---something about your Wind Tunnel during the battle?"
Miroku, despite having been in similar situations several times before this, answered cheerfully, "Oh, that? Naraku cast a spell on my hand in order to unleash the Wind Tunnel; Shippo and I left the battle and ended up in the dungeons, where we met Kohaku here." He punched the bewildered boy's shoulder playfully. "We got locked in and it looked for some time as if we would all die by my hand, but suddenly the hole in my hand disappeared, the spell containing the dungeon was broken, and we all got out unharmed."
He made as if to ramble on about some other exploits that had occurred on leaving the castle, but Sango cut him off shortly with a mere wave of her hand. "Yes, yes, but that means that you almost killed my brother with your stupid hand, doesn't it!" Her towering anger, not having been unleashed like this in perhaps years, surprised Kohaku and most definitely terrified Miroku, who despite this cool morning in late summer was now sweating profusely.
"But Sango-chan!" he protested, his fear making him lapse into his usage of her least favorite pet name, "I didn't mean it! Not at all!" He dropped down to his knees and clasped his hands together, knowing very well that his life (or to put it more accurately, his sex life) was at stake. "I had no idea who I was endangering when we were locked in!"
As the howls of agony and the profanity on Sango's part intensified, Kagome turned away, feeling happy for her friends (even for the unfortunate Miroku) but not really feeling joyful about anything else. It took a lot of energy right now---not only to be happy or sad, but even to breathe. Her legs clumsily shaking, she turned and sat back down next to Kouga, who was still staring ruminatively at the rising sun, blood red in its journey to the top of the horizon.
"What a night it's been, eh?" he asked her quietly, keeping his eyes fixed away in the distance.
"Yeah," she replied sullenly, kicking at a clump of dirt nearby. "So many things happened---it's so hard to even keep track of everything." She paused thoughtfully, a tinge of regret sounding within her as she realized that this would probably be the last time that she ever would see him. "So what are you going to do now? I mean, Naraku's gone, you and your tribe don't have to live in fear anymore."
Kouga smiled dreamily. "We'll move out of the mountains, down into the plains...finally fill our bellies for a change. Not with you or your friends, of course," he added quickly, noting the look on her peaked face, "though I really wouldn't mind living in the area that you're in." He looked at her calculatingly. "And what about you?"
She froze, not knowing what to say. She knew what she wanted to do, though that was certainly and definitely out of the question. Not to mention she had never really thought about it before; what had been preeminent on her mind had to do with Inuyasha and what he would do after it all. "Well," she began hesitantly, honestly saying what was on her mind, "I suppose I will go back to my own time. University is starting in two weeks, and I've worked so hard to get there, I-"
Kouga's look alone cut her off. "I thought you were probably gonna stay here with your puppy," he interjected discriminatorily. He stopped and stared at her hard, only opening his mouth again when she did not answer. "Well, AREN'T you!"
Kagome's reply was quite curt, though it was only so in an effort to hold back tears. "It's out of the question," she said dully, refusing to return Kouga's gaze. "It wouldn't work. Not - not anymore."
"Are you kidding!" Kouga spat, wrenching her shoulder around so that she had to face him. "All that crap, all that agony---and you're just gonna let him go!" He gritted his teeth as she nodded mutely. "Listen," he hissed, "I see the way that he looks at you...I saw it ever since I met you two! And you're just gonna - you're just gonna -" Snorting in disgust, he got up and stalked off to the opposite side of the knoll, not even bothering to say a word of good-bye.
Kagome wordlessly watched him depart, but she didn't have much time to process what had happened because it was at that point that a tall, slender figure stalked into view. At first she started visibly, thinking that it was Inuyasha version 2.0, but it actually turned out to be Sesshomaru...and he didn't look overly happy. However, destruction of whatever he was unhappy about did not seem to be an option for him, as he merely sniffed and sat on the grass nearby, staring at the rising sun much like Kouga had before he had stormed off.
She never quite knew how it slipped out, but before she knew it she found herself asking the intimidating dog-demon a question. "Er---have you seen Inuyasha recently?" she blurted out at him, immediately regretting opening her mouth in the first place and hoping to all higher deities that he would NOT try to kill her as he had previously.
She found that her fears were grossly misguided, however, when he merely looked her way and replied in a steady voice, "I have..."
This didn't particularly answer her question, but she decided not to push it. At any rate, she'd find out soon enough; moreover, she'd find out firsthand. Therefore she was mildly surprised to see that he hadn't finished talking yet, though either to her or to no one in particular she had no idea.
"I suppose this is the end," she heard him say gloomily, his hand neatly folded upon one knee. "Mortal death is the great equalizer for all beings, and it seems that I am just another of its victims. There is no glory or power to be had in Naraku anymore, nor can I make use of the Tetsusaiga...ever. I suppose it would be best to finally return to my seat in the Western Lands permanently and to tell the situation to all of its citizens... My ambition is completely gone."
Kagome listened keenly, though she had no idea what he was talking about. Her initial guess was that whatever he had had cooking up against Naraku was no longer possible, and he no longer had anything to direct his energies to, but that still didn't explain why he looked so...sad. She had never seen a pureblood demon ever convey much emotion before, but sad was the only word that could have described Sesshomaru at the moment. Whatever had affected him, it had to have been particularly powerful...
"Young girl..." She swiveled around all the way to face him, puzzled as to why he decided to directly address her. "Even you do not realize what is going on at the moment, do you?" She shook her head, still bewildered. He sighed darkly. "Then perhaps you'll find out in due time..."
He stood up, never taking his eyes from the horizon as he went on, "I must admit that the Shikkon Jewel has caused a lot of headache in the Western Lands, though no one, including me, ever would have thought that it would turn out this way. After all, for hundreds of years the demonslayers of Kyobe had guarded it jealously, believing that we would want it for its power, but only the most greedy and ignorant came, and they were all slain. We all knew better; we knew what it was capable of, and why it even existed... But now..." He trailed off, still not looking at her.
Kagome was flabbergasted. "What are you talking about? I thought that demons wanted the Jewel!"
The youkai laughed bitterly. "Would we want a curse? Would we seek mortality with open arms? Only the most foolish would believe that they could bend the Shikkon Jewel to their will...that is, unless they wanted to carry out Midoriko's mission." He laughed again, summoning up his Cirrus with a wave of his hand and stepping onto it effortlessly.
"Tell Inuyasha that our rivalry is over, since he unquestionably won," he spat as a good-bye, speeding off as fast as the wind could carry him.
Kagome blinked. What was it with people talking to her and then storming off today? She had never exactly thought of herself as a disagreeable person...well, most of the time, anyway... She sighed, hunching over as the elated cries of the Houshi family continued to reach her ears. (I have no idea what that was about, but he didn't tell me anything groundbreaking, at any rate. I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that once Inuyasha makes his wish to become a demon, something terrible will happen. Either he'll become a very very BAD demon and attempt to kill us all...or he'll trip on his own feet on his way out of the castle and die in a freak accident involving spikes.) She put a hand on her face as an annoying tic in her eye popped up, which only came when she was severely stressed out. (Seriously, I'm ready to have a psychotic episode, what with demons and humans and love affairs and clawed hands grabbing my shoulder-)
"AIEEEEEEEEE!" she shrieked, jumping out of her own skin as she realized that the last item on her list was real. Even scarier, she knew that hand, she knew what was grabbing her, and if she wasn't severely mistaken she should probably get away fast-
"Relax, you jumpy little wench! It's just me!" Unable to help her reaction to that familiar voice, she whirled around, her eyes widening to the size of car tires as she realized what she saw.
It was Inuyasha...and he looked utterly and completely normal. Well, not normal if you considered it by human standards, but normal in the sense that he was looking his virile half-demon self.
"The hell!" she stammered, unable to take her eyes off of him.
"What!" he retorted, a very cross look on his face starting to show as he recognized the half-afraid look on hers. "I'm not THAT freaky-looking, am I!"
"No, no, not at all," she reassured him quickly, still staring at him. "But...but I thought---why are you still a half-demon! I thought you wanted to become a pureblooded one!"
His expression softened. "Well, I considered that," he said honestly, realizing he had scared her, "but then I realized something---on the night that we became mates, in fact. I watched you while you were sleeping---and then you grabbed my hand while you were dreaming...and you called out my name." He paused in order to swallow, his words apparently hard to say. "That night I realized that if I went through with this and became a demon---we - we'd never grow old together."
His explanation was all that Kagome needed. Sobbing ferociously, she flung herself into his arms, which held her tightly as she buried her head into his broad shoulder. It took her a couple minutes to compose herself, and even when she backed away to get a good look at him she was still just seconds away from more tears. "Does this mean you're m-mortal?" she choked out, unable to stop her cracking voice. "That - that is wh - what you w-wished for?"
He nodded, rather close to tears himself. "Not just me: everyone."
"E-everyone?"
He laughed darkly. "Sesshomaru tried to stop me, but not even he could deny the fact that humans and demons would kill each other eventually if I didn't. Now we're on equal ground, and maybe we can work together instead of fighting." He cursed under his breath. "Damn, I'm getting corny..."
Kagome smiled wistfully, clasping her hand in his. "There aren't any demons in my time period---at least that I know of. You did the right thing, Inuyasha." She suddenly froze, realizing the absence of something around his neck.
"What is it?"
"Your rosary," she said dully, caressing his neck where it had once been. "I forgot---it's gone now. And so is the Shikkon Jewel." She swallowed hard. "That - that means I can't go home anymore. I'm stuck here."
"And that is bad because--? If you're stuck here then I get you all to myself," he breathed into her ear, pausing to kiss it.
She brightened immediately. "Is that a proposal?"
He shrugged. "More or less. If you have to stuff me into some ugly clothes and have a wedding then I 'spose I don't mind." He smiled deviously. "Besides, there's something called a wedding night that I'll have to look forward to."
Kagome swatted at him. "...You're getting to be as bad as Miroku."
"Heh, and maybe he'll teach me some tricks before the big night!"
"Inuyasha, don't you even DARE!"
"Why not? It's not as if you won't benefi-"
"SIT!"
"Feh, you silly wench! Sit doesn't work on me anymore!"
"Ah, but I know what does!"
"And what is that?"
"Permanent celibacy!"
"Feh, do you think that really scares me! You'll have to do a better job than that if you wanna scare me! ...Um, Kagome, what is celibacy?"
"Argh, you are just IMPOSSIBLE!"
With that the couple began kissing voraciously, and the sheer stupidity of it caused Shippo, who had been watching the proceedings from behind a rock, to roll his eyes disgustedly. "If THIS is what I have to go through when I hit puberty in a couple years," he snorted, swatting at a stray mosquito, "then I wish Inuyasha would have just wished to be a demon!"
Author's Note: And this is the end of the meat of the story. There's a two part epilogue left, but the Naraku plotline is officially over.
Before someone asks me about the whole mortal thing: to explain it in my words, Inuyasha wished for all demons to become mortal. This means that they now have the normal lifespan of a human and so age much more quickly. When I watched the canon there was a noticeable lack of demons (with a few exceptions) in Kagome's time period, so I assume that something must have happened in order for it to be that way.
Sorry, no review replies this time! I'll have them up like normal next chapter, but I figured that everyone would rather have the update than to wait a few more days.
Until then, sayonara!