His Last Words

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the manga or anime show InuYasha.

Chapter 5: Goodbye, Sister

Sango let out a pained cry as she fell forward onto her hands and knees. Fists clenched and body shaking, she turned her head towards the kusari-gama in her shoulder. The blade gleamed dangerously in the afternoon light. Looking past it, she saw the figure of her brother standing in the doorframe with the end of the chain in his hand. His eyes were emotionless, the soul nowhere to be seen. They were the same eyes that had struck Sango twice before using the same weapon.

Kohaku pulled on the chain and the blade ripped out of Sango's shoulder. She screamed aloud and collapsed as the kusari-gama was flung back into Kohaku's hand. Not a moment later, she felt it stab her again, this time on the back of her left leg. When it ripped out once more, she shrieked with pain. Struggling to stay conscious, she shakily used her arms to twist herself around onto her back and face her attacker.

"Kohaku...no! You...you have to fight it!" she cried out hoarsely. Naraku had taken control of him again...the thought hurt her almost as much, perhaps more, than the stabs of his blade.

Kohaku raised his weapon again and threw it straight at her face, but Sango managed to slip the hidden dagger she kept in her sleeve out. Just before the blade reached her, she stabbed at it from the side and caused it to miss by a hair. As it collided with the wood floor, she began to push herself to her feet using whatever strength she could muster.She had barely managed to stand for a moment before she looked up to see Kohaku running straight at her with his sword drawn, its blade long and thin. She pulled herself backwards just as he swung, yet she wasn't quick enough to avoid the blade cutting her on her left thigh. She yelled in pain and fell backwards to the floor once more. Not a second later, Kohaku twisted himself backwards and kicked out with his right leg. His heel collided with her right temple.

Sango fell on her side, unconscious. Her eyes closed and her face blanked, but blood still soaked her shoulder, thigh, and leg and tricked down to the floor. Kohaku approached and loomed over her.

'Kill her,' the cold voice demanded. 'Kill her now!'

There was struggle, somewhere deep in his mind. He could feel it. Fighting it, fighting something. Who was that voice? Why did he want him to kill this woman? He raised his hand with the hilt of the sword clutched in it like a dagger. He held it over the woman, aimed just between her neck and collarbone, a tender spot of the body. Who was she?

'Kill her!' the voice urged.

'No! I can't kill Sango!' he answered. Sango? Why had that name risen from the struggle of his mind? Was the name connected to this woman? What had been the name? The woman...he had a connection to her. Who was she? Why did he resist like this?

'Kill! Kill her!' hissed the cold voice. Cold...so cold...like his eyes. Whose eyes? It was another memory that had risen from the struggle, but melted away as soon as grasped. What had he been thinking of?

A sudden pain erupted from his back. Faced twisted to match it, his arm dropped an inch lower, the tip of the blade grazing the woman's flesh. Fighting it, always fighting... His limbs shook from the effort.

"NO!" he screamed aloud. Spinning around, Kohaku fled from the hut. He fled from the woman laying unconscious on the ground, flows of blood trailing from her.

The voice said nothing, but there was fury. Distant anger twisting his unseen face. Kohaku ran. He ran from everything, blindly fleeing from the village, from the path, from the woman laying unconscious. The pain still hadn't left his back. There was a taint to it, making him want to empty his stomach. He didn't know how long he ran for. Maybe an hour, maybe a year. All he knew was the pain and the struggling forgotten memories and the fury of the being that shared his mind.

'Kohaku,' the voice finally said. Was that his name? Kohaku? 'Take the jewel shard out of your back. Take it out now.' His fingers stiffened. It was only then he realized that he still clutched the hilt of the sword. He wanted to throw it, toss it away, but the voice was so strong. He felt his side of the struggle weaken. He had to fight it...but the voice was so strong. He had to fight--the voice's fury began to rise, as did the arm holding the sword. He had to fi--anger, cold anger. His arm rose higher. He had--'Now,' the voice said and his hand twisted to move the edge of the blade towards his back. He--'Now!' the voice urged. The edge of the blade touched the spot where the pain had come from.

With Sango...

She felt consciousness return to her, only a moment before the pain returned as well. Letting out a groan, she tried to pinpoint where the pain came from, but she could not. Everything felt numb, as if she had been running for a week straight and collapsed at the end. She strained to open her eyes.

She was on a floor and there were trails of blood leading from her body. Suddenly everything came crashing back to her. Kohaku. His dull soulless eyes. The kusari-gama. It took her a moment to realize that there were tears in her eyes. She would have been dead by now, but she wasn't. Kohaku must have resisted Naraku. That was the only explanation. But then where was he?

"Kohaku!" she called, but nothing stirred. Where was he? Had Naraku taken him back to his castle again? The thought made her want to refresh her flow of tears. Forcing herself as hard as she dared, Sango pushed herself to her knees and then slowly made herself stand. Almost immediately she had to grab the wall from her unsteady feet. Where was Shippou? She prayed he wasn't hurt as well.

Staggering outside, she struggled to remain standing. Stumbling away from the hut, she spotted the kitsune child a little further ahead. He was laying on the ground unconscious. Coming closer, she saw that there was a raw bump on his head and a rock beside him. She sighed in relief, he would be all right. Looking back up, she saw rough footprints in the ground. She didn't need to examine them to know they belonged to Kohaku. Forcing herself to stand once again, she began at a soft jog as she followed the trail. The back of her leg was pounding and stung almost as bad as her shoulder, but she pushed herself on.

Slowly her feet grew steadier and her soft jog melted into a slow run, which in turn grew faster as what little strength she had returned to her. Her eyes flashed wildly, intently watching the footprints, praying that they didn't stop in mid-stride. If they did, it would be plain that Kagura had come on Naraku's orders and stolen Kohaku back. She wasn't sure how long she ran for. Perhaps an hour if not more.

It felt like years were passing as she ran. Her shoulder, thigh, and leg throbbed strongly. The edges of her eyes began to show black spots, but she still pushed herself. She had to find Kohaku. She had to. Her run began to slow as fatigue threw itself against her. Sango struggled to keep going, but it became harder and harder until her run dissipated into a staggered walk.

Finally the scene stretched out before her. Kohaku was on his knees with his face looking down at the ground. One of his arms was raised with a sword in his hand. The tip of the sword was pointed straight at the spot where the jewel shard was. What was he...? 'Naraku wants him to kill himself,' she suddenly realized. 'He wants Kohaku to take the jewel shard out!'

"No..." Sango said hoarsely. Her throat felt so dry. She struggled to push herself towards her brother, but she felt so weak. Her knees gave way and she crumbled to the ground. Still, she pushed herself to her hands and tried to crawl forward. Every breath was laboured. "No..." she said a little more strongly. "Kohaku, please..."

'You're sister calls you,' said the voice in Kohaku's mind. It had a strange quality to it, as if the voice was grinning. For some reason the image of greedily gleeful red eyes flashed in his mind. They seemed to match the voice. He felt his head turn slightly and look up. It was the woman that he had been ordered to kill. The sight of her face pounded at him, the memory nearly beating its way free. There were tears in her eyes that flowed down her damp cheeks.

All of a sudden the struggle stopped. He felt the presence of the voice vanish from his mind and the pain of the jewel shard in his back lessen. The hand holding the sword fell down to the ground and he collapsed to his side. His breath came in and out in great waves. He blinked a few times and a small natural light appeared in them. Kohaku's whole body shook as he slowly raised himself and looked back at Sango.

"Sango..." he said weakly.

"K-Kohaku!" Sango voiced, her voice tone identical to his. "Kohaku...you...I..."

"Sango," Kohaku continued, grimacing. He could feel the voice trying to push its way back into his mind. "Sango...Naraku, he cut me free, just for a moment...he wants me to kill myself, to take the jewel shard out..."

Sango stared at him longingly, she wanted to reach him, but her body was so weak, by the time she reached him, Naraku would have taken over his mind again. He was trying to toy with Sango, a last stab at her heart before he stole her brother away from her for good.

"Sango...I can't hold out much longer..." Spots began to appear in his eyes. He knew there wasn't much time left. He wasn't strong enough to fight anymore. "Sango...this is the...the last t-time...I'll ever see you..."

"No..." Sango whispered, making a final attempt to push herself towards her brother. "No..." she said desperately. Her eyes held so much fear; Kohaku didn't want that to be the last sight of his sister.

Pushing a small smile onto his face, he let out a sigh. "Sango, I love you, I'll always love you..." Naraku's presence was strengthening in his mind. "Even if I die here, I'll be with you always..." His strength weakened and he half-fell onto his left forearm and his breath became increasingly laboured. "Goodbye, sister..." Finally, Kohaku's eyes closed and his face fell forward. He couldn't fight anymore; he didn't have any strength left. Naraku took over his mind once more, and all memory, all thought faded. His right arm twitched and retook the dropped sword hilt.

Sango wanted to scream, to run to him, but she couldn't. Pushing herself with all her might, she desperately tried to crawl to him. "No..." she said shakily. Kohaku began to raise his arm and twisted his hand to aim the blade to his back.

"No..." Sango cried again. He was too far, she couldn't reach him. She had too... Kohaku placed the tip of the blade directly on the jewel shard, his knuckles white against the sword hilt. A tear dropped down from Kohaku's face onto the ground.

"NOO!" Sango shrieked and threw her arm uselessly towards her brother, but it was too late. Kohaku grunted and drove the sword in. The jewel shard sparkled as it came loose and Kohaku fell lifelessly to his side. Sango's shriek echoed through the trees of the woods even as her little brother collapsed, his last breath of life hissing beyond his lips.

Sango knew it was useless at this point, but she still summoned up every scrap of strength she had left in her body to throw herself towards her still brother. Tears streamed down her face in flows and her entire body shook violently. By the time she reached her brother, darkness had already begun to surround them. She pushed herself into a sitting position and gently took her brother into her lap. She cradled his head, pressing him to herself. She rocked back and forth in attempt to sooth herself.

"No...Kohaku...please...please wake up...don't leave me...Kohaku..." she chanted over and over. There was no warmth in his flesh, no pulse in his heart, no breath in his lips. The jewel shard lay beside the sword, forgotten.

From behind her, the figure of Miroku appeared. He stopped a little short of the two, not daring to come closer. His face bowed and his lips moved in silent prayers. Sango continued to clutch her brother, rocking back and forth, sobs racking her body. The sky was a near black; only a few stars awake to lighten its deep weight.


... -lets out shaky breath- There you have it. Don't know what else to say. Hope it was powerful enough. Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming. One chapter left, so please be patient a little longer.