The Broken Miko
Chapter 28: When Gods Walked the Earth
Memories swirled through her mind. Some were of her time with Amatsu and some were not. Many of them had happened before she even found the well, before even Sesshoumaru was taller than Souta. It was overwhelming to sift through not only her own recollections, but also those that the link with Amatsu had given her. She felt as if she was only scratching the surface, that if she dug deep enough, she could find the memories of the creation of the world.
She knew she was unconscious, drifting through the multitude of memories that Amatsu's words had triggered to come forth again. Not eager to return to the world of the waking, Kagome traveled her newfound remembrances. It was like a book with its pages jumbled up and no page numbers. She had to guess where each memory fit in its place in history. It didn't help that half of the creatures in the mental images were foreign to her, never seen by her eyes in the real world. She recognized Sesshoumaru's father, a younger Makoto and a painfully realistic copy of Jaken. He had not changed over the centuries.
A dull throbbing of pain began to manifest itself, warning the hanyou that she had little time to make sense of the memories. They were not truly for her to examine, a quiet voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Amatsu did not want her to access these recollections for they gave her an undesirable advantage.
'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,' she murmured within her mind. The pain increased as she moved through the images faster, trying to cram in as much as possible.
Suddenly her eyes popped open and Kagome took a rattling intake of breath, as if she had been drowning in the salty ocean waters.
"Kagome!" someone cried in relief. It sounded like Ginta, forcing every last bit of his remaining energy into the word. He would have to be truly tired if he forgot her honorific.
Sesshoumaru came into focus, leaning over her and holding her shoulders up off the ground, against his chest. "You fainted," he muttered so that only she could hear.
His mate smiled sleepily. Simply coming back into consciousness had worn her out and she was prepared to lie down and slip away into dreams again. "Were you worried?" she asked instead, ignoring the fact that he hated questions that forced him to reveal his feelings towards her, especially with an audience.
The inuyoukai was saved from having to answer it however, as Kagome shot up in arms, nearly knocking heads with him. She disregarded the near miss, swiveling her head to glare at the god and his two companions, who had made their way back to his side during her brief collapse. Scrambling to her feet, she pointed rudely at Amatsu. "You!" was all she could get out.
The divine being arched a black eyebrow. "Yes, my heart?"
"You used us all!" she yelled back.
Inuyasha threw his lord a bored look. "I think she already told us this one. I suppose she hit her head on the way down, do you think?" He turned his eyes to his former love and sneered. "If you can't say anything nice, Kagome, don't say anything at all," he mocked, repeating the words Kagome used so often after he had hit Shippo in their former life together.
Sesshoumaru had risen to his feet during this infantile exchange and cleared his throat, garnering the attention of all present. "Kagome, you must elaborate or allow us to return to the fight. Do try to do it without the high-pitched screaming though."
Cowed only slightly by her mate's impatience, Kagome nodded and consciously forced herself to calm down a bit. "Sesshoumaru… what he said… about your mother under the love spell. It's true. But he took her soul a different way."
Amatsu made a little noise of indignation and when the hanyou turned to look at him, he bowed and held up a hand. "I was going to tell the boy… but please… go ahead and spoil the surprise."
She gave him a brief glare and then looked back at her mate. "Kaori was obsessed with the human sorcerer because of the spell, just as he was obsessed with her without the spell. But when he realized that he was going to die soon, he told your mother to sacrifice herself to give him immortal life. She offered herself up to the gods, but none of them would listen except him," she said, jerking her thumb towards the evil god. "He took Kaori's soul in exchange for the sorcerer's immortality, but he didn't tell either of them that he was going to do it by inhabiting the human shell."
The god's anticipatory expression fell flat. "Now, that wasn't a very exciting way of putting it."
"Oh? And what would you have said?" countered Kagome, momentarily losing grip on the volume of her voice.
He waved his hand around, as if trying to pick the words from the air. "Oh, something like… 'Sesshoumaru, your mother's soul was consumed by the fires of hell for her sin of bringing me to earth and she will never return'? Or perhaps… 'It was your mother under the god's orders that bombed your castle and sabotaged your food supply and sent the tengu after the pups of Japan in order to help Amatsu rise to the preeminence of power on this plane of existence'?" He grinned with a deadly spark to his eye. "Yes, I like those versions much better."
"Well, you didn't get to it first, so too bad," jeered Kagome, crossing her arms and looking back at Sesshoumaru. Her eyes softened when she saw his clenched jaw. "Are you… alright?"
He ignored her question, his eyes immediately seeking out Amatsu. "Is it true? What you said about her?" he asked, nodding to Kaori. "Has her soul disintegrated?"
"Yes," said the god and Kagome together, one with laughter in his eyes and the other with pure empathy.
But Sesshoumaru seemed to take the news rather well. His eyes turned to golden steel and he nodded once. "Then there is no reason to give you any mercy, in exchange for a soul that does not exist any longer."
Amatsu frowned. He had not thought of this, although it wasn't especially important. For all of his posturing, Sesshoumaru had about as much power against a god as an ant has against an elephant. The taiyoukai knew it as well, of course. The god suspected that he kept this air of bravado to placate the girl, who was afraid for his life and rightly so.
The hanyou had other ideas, however, and stopped them from drawing their swords once again by holding out her hands. "Wait!" she cried. "I never said that I was finished."
"What more is there to tell?" asked the inuyoukai, rather annoyed that he had been interrupted again.
"It's about your brother," murmured Kagome. She narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha. "And not that one. Kamlyn."
"Good. If I had three brothers, it would begin to get difficult," he replied with more acid than he had intended for his mate. Stopping on the edge of battle was like playing half a piece of music and breaking off at the climax. Simply irritating.
Kagome recognized his tension and decided to get right to it. "Kamlyn… he's not a bad guy, Sesshoumaru. He's on our side. He hates Amatsu and your…"
"Quiet!" roared the god. He advanced upon them like a predator, forcing Kagome to back up directly into Sesshoumaru. "You think that I didn't want to destroy the boy? He's been a thorn in my side for centuries, whining about how I took away his mother's soul. He's even tried to attack me once or twice, after I gave him all that power! Godly power to encourage him to join me and he rejected it! The only reason he's still alive is that I seem unable to kill Kaori's sons. That, my heart, changes now."
Something entirely unrelated to memories rose within Kagome's chest. She could only liken it to a premonition, because it gave her another spark of hope. "No," she intoned, making the god pause again. "You think you've locked him up? He still can fight you. Kamlyn isn't your prisoner anymore and he knows that we are his allies against you."
"He cannot escape again," seethed Amatsu.
A faraway expression passed over her face. "But he did. Even if you destroy us, he will be at your heels, sabotaging your plans."
Amatsu growled, long and low. "He is a coward who should have been exposed as a baby to die in the woods."
Kagome ignored his crude comment, letting focus come back into her eyes and turning to her mate. Her moment of clairvoyance had passed without a hint of how it had occurred. "He's a bit of a way off. Scouts keep catching up with him. We'll have to do this alone for now, at least."
Sesshoumaru nodded. This was a variable that he had not included in his predictions for the outcome of the battle. A brother with godly powers, even if he was not exactly a god himself, would be quite an asset. It would just take a bit of maneuvering to keep the god and his companions at bay for awhile. He felt his determination to live and protect his mate strengthen.
The female hanyou glanced back at the god, who was doing a poor job of keeping his overflowing rage in check. His knuckles were white as his hand gripped the sword. She smiled lightly and took hold of Tetsusaiga. They rushed towards each other simultaneously, their swords grinding together as they came together. Nearby, Sesshoumaru and the others had casually fallen back into the fray with Kikyo and Inuyasha as if there had never been any pause. Kaori only stood by, silently watching.
The god's strength was far greater than her own capabilities and so Kagome fell back, rotating the shoulder that had received the greatest pressure. Amatsu gave her precious few seconds to recover though, attacking her again with a silent swing of his blade. The hanyou rolled deftly out of the way, arcing Tetsusaiga back over her shoulder and hitting something solid and unbreakable.
Turning, she lost heart to see that she had caught the god squarely on the calf, but that the blade did not even tear his mist gray robe. He saw her look of surprise and laughed softly. "Don't you remember your time with me? Invincibility! It's glorious."
Kagome scowled and stood up, blocking another of his attacks, but barely in time. She briefly considered tossing Tetsusaiga and taking up a hand to hand combat with the god, but realized that she would probably break her foot on his granite form. Her sword was the only thing protecting her from becoming a broken, crumpled mess.
'I only have to keep him distracted until Kamlyn arrives,' she thought with relish. 'He will help us and we will win.'
Amatsu had no trouble picking up her idealistic musings and grinned like a jack-o-lantern. "The boy will be of no help. You mistake him for someone who is in my graces. He is not and has no access to my power." He tilted his head. "Why do you pin your hopes on someone you have never met anyway? It is most unwise, my heart. It is the hope of someone desperate for a miracle."
"Perhaps," admitted the hanyou, "but stalling in your battle against me just shows that you are equally unsure of the future."
Her words did not please the god and he attacked again without warning, using his divine speed to take her by surprise. She twisted away, unable to make a counter-attack and receiving a smack from the broad side of his sword for her lack of vigilance. Kagome fell to the ground and groaned, but pushed herself to her feet as quickly as possible as Amatsu chuckled behind her. "My, that training of Sesshoumaru's didn't take very well, did it?"
She snarled at him, but kept her mouth shut. If he didn't know about her sudden knowledge of Tetsusaiga, she certainly wasn't going to tell him. Of course, the intimate details of how to use the Fang weren't being of much use to her at the moment.
They passed each other again, their swords sliding off of each other with a sing of heated metal. Kagome almost breathed a sigh of relief for surviving another attack, when Amatsu's foot connected with her lower back, sending her sprawling forward onto the grass and Tetsusaiga flying out of her hand. It landed, battered and old once again, twenty feet from her position.
The tip of his blade pressed the back of her neck as she lay there and his foot on her spine kept her on the ground. She didn't struggle. "Fine," she said. "Kill me. End this ridiculous charade."
Amatsu laughed again, letting it rumble through his chest and limbs. The point of the sword pressed dangerously down with the rhythm of his movement, threatening to draw blood. "That's just what you want, isn't it? You can't do it yourself, so you want me to kill you in some fit of rage perhaps? I'm surprised that Sesshoumaru didn't smother you in your sleep last night. It would have been the logical thing to do." He laughed again, but moved his blade away from her neck. "No, I want you all to suffer, my heart. Then I will take you, alive and well."
Kagome turned her head, looking over to her mate, who was battling Kikyo. They appeared evenly matched. His strength and strategy was countered by her fearsome miko powers. Several snaps of pink light emanated from her hands and her bow. He was so wrapped up in the battle, that he did not notice his mate's peril. Kagura stood nearby, blood pouring from a chest wound that Ruri was desperately trying to clot. The wolves could barely stand against Inuyasha, depending on the two celestial youkai to prevent their deaths. All six of her friends were injured, groaning in pain with each blow.
Feeling Amatsu's foot removed from the base of her spine, Kagome was able to get up and turn to face her tormentor again. He was standing beside his demon wife and mate, his sword hanging loosely by his side. For the first time, Kaori's eyes were focused. She was staring at Kagome with an air of disdain, mirroring Amatsu's expression.
A shrill scream tore across the sky and everyone turned to see Kikyo clutching her abdomen. Sesshoumaru had neatly pierced her between her ribs. Tokijin was dripping with the blood of the dark priestess as she fell to her knees. Kagome's heart leapt into her throat. Kikyo had been hers to kill, the one that she most wanted to reap vengeance upon but she could not stop as the thrill of an imminent kill took hold of her body. After all, she reasoned, she and Sesshoumaru were one. He could take revenge for her.
Still, Sesshoumaru hesitated and looked over at his mate with the question in his eyes. She smiled encouragingly at him, but frowned when his golden eyes flickered away and horror creased his face. Kagome followed his gaze to see that the god had Kaori in his arms, with his sword pressed against her jugular. She appeared glazed over, unaware of what was happening, but Amatsu had made himself perfectly clear.
"Touch Kikyo again, Sesshoumaru, and your mother will die at my feet," warned Amatsu, unnecessarily saying the words.
The taiyoukai growled softly, but let his sword drop. Kikyo scrambled back to Inuyasha, who had broken off from his fight with Makoto to tend to her wounds. Divine power flowed between them in a rush of red light and sealed the normally fatal injury, although Kagome noticed that the priestess winced still.
Amatsu's sword remained against Kaori's throat, pressing harder when Sesshoumaru took a step forward. "Why do you threaten her life? She has given everything for you," intoned the taiyoukai.
"The human shell loved her once," murmured the god in return, "but I do not. I admire her and keep her out of respect for her sacrifice, but I daresay she has outlived her worth. Even the spawn she created with the human shell is of no value to me. Kikyo is much more my… taste."
Kagome shuddered at his implications, realizing that he was trying to goad Sesshoumaru into an attack that would kill both the mother and the son. It was working too. She felt the wind begin to stir as Sesshoumaru's transformation began. She stepped forward and held out her hands to her mate. "Please, stop! You'll die! So will she!"
Although Sesshoumaru did not spare her a glance in his enraged state, Tenseiga seemed to agree with her. It pulsed its disapproval and the taiyoukai glanced down in surprise. "Again, you will not allow my transformation?" he murmured.
"Perhaps it wants to save you the humiliation of being a crippled mutt," shot Inuyasha.
The inuyoukai ignored his younger brother and looked towards the god. "I released your whore, now release Kaori in return."
Amatsu flushed in anger. "You think that you hold the power here?" he snapped.
"No," acquiesced Sesshoumaru. "I believe that you are honor-bound to hold your end of our unspoken agreement to release our hostages."
Kagome watched as the god's sword began to move across Kaori's skin, leaving a trickle of blood against her pale skin. "You coward! Let her go!" she yelled. He paused and she went on. "This is why Kaori's sons will defeat you! You are nothing but a tyrant who wastes the life around him!"
"Shut up, Kagome!" snarled Amatsu, calling her by her name for once. He seemed perturbed by the fact that all eyes were on him, even those of his two companions.
She pressed on, however, dredging up memories from the book she had found his symbol in so long ago, connecting it with the memories she had gleaned from his mind. "No wonder you're despised among the gods! You're vile! Willing to kill the one creature in the world that would give everything to you! She would kill herself if you asked! You are the lowest of the gods, spat upon by the others." His eyes widened in shock and she knew she had hit a nerve. An inferiority complex. She should have known.
Kaori was suddenly released and Kagome was on her back with the god pressing down on her chest. The hanyou gasped for air as the weight began to crush her. "You know nothing of my place," he growled. "Japan will tremble before me and then the gods will come crashing down to their knees and proclaim me as emperor of all."
"Yeah… right," wheezed Kagome. Over his shoulder, she could see everyone watching them in awe. Sesshoumaru appeared cold and distant as usual, but a soft flicker of emotion through his eyes told her that he understood what she was doing.
Amatsu quickly caught on as well and he pulled back a bit, releasing the pressure on her chest. "You almost had me there," he murmured, a sardonic smile spreading across his face. "You almost made me kill you. Very good."
"I try," Kagome shot back.
He chuckled and leaned forward over her again. "You want to die then? Perhaps that isn't a bad idea after all," he said, laughing harder as fear etched her face. He drew up very close to her, so that only she could hear him. "I will bring you to the brink of death and you will have no choice but to join me to save yourself and your child. At death's door, your heart is darkest."
She heard Sesshoumaru shout in anger and protest as Amatsu's hands lifted up and closed around her neck, squeezing hard. An immediate clash of swords told her that Inuyasha was blocking his path to rescuing her. Kagome could only think that she had lasted longer than she had anticipated and that that was something to be proud of.
She expected to slip into darkness, without oxygen going to her brain and pain running through her body, calling for sustenance. She expected her blood to slow and her heart to stop, even if only for a moment of death.
The hanyou did not expect the surge of power that suddenly flowed through her body or the hissing voice of Amatsu as he pulled his hands away and toppled off of her body. His hands were smoking and blistered, burned from touching her.
Kagome looked at him in wonder as the god tried again and again to heal himself with his power, but failing. Each time it seemed that his black magic was making it worse. She wondered how it was possible. Amatsu had touched her before. He seemed to have a predilection for it and how it unnerved her. What had caused this reaction?
Lifting her hands to her throat, Kagome felt the dragon-hide collar, rising high on her neck, and the silk scarf Kagura had given to her. When she touched the red fabric, she felt a trill of energy. Ripping it off, she stood quickly and marched over to where Amatsu was lying on the grass. The burn was spreading now, covering his wrists and arms. His moans of pain were distracting Kikyo and Inuyasha, who now sported several small injuries as Kagome's friends attacked them. Even Kagura was sweeping large gusts of wind towards the priestess that had harmed her.
With a savage grunt, Kagome wrapped her hands in the front of Amatsu's robe and pulled him to a sitting position. The god tried to send her into oblivion with a snap of energy, but the sparks fizzled at his fingertips. He appeared horrified, the most beautiful expression Kagome had ever seen on him. Without mercy, she wrapped the scarf around his throat and pulled tight.
Amatsu screamed in pain but Kagome felt as if the entire world's power was flowing through her veins. A blinding light surrounded them, forcing the others to stop their battles and hold up their hands to shield their eyes. The hanyou only laughed in triumph as she felt the entirety of a god's power enter her body.
When the light died, Amatsu was unconscious and the half demon was glowing with radiant, pure corona. Her crimson and black hair was now white with golden streaks, complete with gilded dog ears poking out from the top of her head. Eyes of amber, where there was once brown, stared at her mate, soft admiration evident in her gaze.
"Vermin!" screeched Kikyo, pointing her finger at the female hanyou. "What have you done?"
"Nothing but what was asked of us," responded Kagome with distant voice as she bent over to retrieve Tetsusaiga. Straightening up, she fixed the dark miko with a penetrating stare. "You, priestess, have turned your back on the path of virtue. You have killed and tortured those that have not deserved it. For punishing the innocent, you will die."
Kikyo scoffed. "Even if you have temporarily restrained my lord, I still have his protection. I should kill you for even suggesting otherwise." She looked towards Sesshoumaru and the others, where they were standing silently, watching as the scene unfolded before them. "Or perhaps I should kill them. Perhaps that will break this little magic trick of yours!"
Kagome narrowed her eyes, a terrifying gaze that would have intimidated someone with less vanity than the dark miko. "You are condemning yourself to hell as we speak."
"I was condemned long ago!" yelled the priestess.
Wind began to swirl around the hanyou, lifting her radiant hair and letting it wisp across her features. The light emanating from her increased in intensity as Kagome began to grow angry. "You were given a second chance and you squandered it on a quest of vengeance," she intoned, her voice carrying over the wind. "You were only condemned to hell when you made others suffer. It is all you have done with this life and now you will serve your sentence."
Kikyo screamed in protest, running towards Kagome with dark energy rolling off of her in waves. The hanyou deftly dodged her attack and turned to face the priestess again. "Stop this. Repent and we will hear you."
But the dark miko ignored Kagome's last offer of peace, rushing at her again. There was a sing of metal slicing through the air and suddenly the others found themselves staring at Kagome, alone in a cloud of clay and dirt. The priestess had disintegrated with the touch of Tetsusaiga and souls began to escape to the air in droves. Orbs of light danced around them, many escaping into the wind to be carried to heaven or hell. One remained, silently joining with Kagome's body. She sighed, placing a hand over her heart. "We are whole again, then," she said, a slight sadness in her voice. "She did not have to destroy herself."
The wind died and Kagome turned to look at Inuyasha, who was clutching his chest and had fallen to his knees. "Inuyasha, you are dying," the female hanyou murmured.
"Why?" he pled. His eyes were large and liquid, devoid of the mania that had sullied them for so long.
She sailed across the clearing, ignoring the stupefied expressions on her friends' faces, and settling down beside the male hanyou. "Because you were never meant to return to this earth," she explained, brushing his hair away from his face. "Kikyo brought you back with Amatsu's power, but now that she is dead, your unnatural ties to this world are broken."
He smiled, sagging a bit under his own weight. "It feels like a dream. Like I wasn't really here anyway. I had no control over my actions," he said. He turned and wrapped a clawed hand around her wrist. "Please, Kagome, you understand that, right? It wasn't really me."
"We understand," she whispered.
Inuyasha fell to the ground, still holding her wrist. His golden eyes began to cloud over. "Do you still love me, Kagome? Do you forgive me for not winning against Kikyo? If I had… this never would have happened."
"There is nothing to forgive," Kagome answered, using her free hand to wipe away the sweat on his brow. "She was already under the god's influence. It was a lost battle before it began. You died for Kagome's sake and she will not forget that. She loves the Inuyasha that left her that day. She will always remember him."
He gave out a rattling sigh. "Good. You love my brother now too." He laughed a little, making him cough. When he brought his hand away from his mouth, there were flecks of blood upon it, but it didn't seem to bother him. His body was falling apart without dark energy to bind it together. "When I told you to live and be happy, I never thought it would be with him. But I'm glad that you've found someone who can protect you. He promised me that he would."
Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he listened to his brother's last words, recalling what he had said by the empty grave so long ago. Had Inuyasha been listening that night?
The male hanyou smiled at Kagome once more. "I still love you. Even in my nightmare with Amatsu, I remembered that I love you. I wish this had gone differently."
Kagome leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead. "Have no regrets, Inuyasha. Sleep now," she murmured against his skin. She felt his breathing slow down and his heart stop. His soul emerged from his body and lingered around Kagome's head, circling it like a halo. It paused briefly in front of Sesshoumaru, who bowed stiffly to his brother's soul, before zooming up into the bright sky, disappearing among the clouds.
She stood up and gazed at the male hanyou's body for a moment. When she finally turned back to her mate and friends, her eyes were a bit sad, but dry. Seeking out Sesshoumaru's gaze, she smiled brilliantly.
"Hello."
Sesshoumaru blinked. "Good afternoon, Kagome. Are you unharmed?"
Her golden eyes flickered over everything and the light in them dimmed. It was the look of a very old, wise woman on the face of a young beauty. It was disconcerting to say the least. "Yes, she is fine but so many are dead. We should help them."
Kagura coughed delicately, holding her makeshift bandages to her chest as gracefully as possible. "Um, Kagome… what's happened to you?"
The white-haired girl smiled. "Kagome is fine," she said again. She looked around her once more. The barrier that separated them from the battle was fading and the enemy was beginning to notice that their lord had fallen at the feet of the hanyou. Many of them began to break off from their fights and back away, losing faith quickly. Their own men were standing dazed, watching the enemy that was winning slink off into the forest.
"You mean, you're not Kagome?" asked the wind witch cautiously.
The hanyou tilted her head at the question. "We are one. She is me. I am her. There is nothing more to explain. We are here to help."
"I don't understand how this is possible," said Makoto. "We appreciate you taking care of the enemy, but why did you do that?"
"She said she would protect you," said Kagome, smiling brighter. "Did you forget?"
The taiyoukai, confused by the odd use of pronouns, frowned. "Who is 'she'?"
"I am."
Every head turned to see two figures emerging from what remained of the chaos around them. Except for Kagome, who appeared content and calm, the group was stunned into silence at the unexpected arrival. Hakkaku recovered first. "Asa?" he croaked.
The gardener laughed like chimes ringing on a nearby hill's temple. "Yes, you know me by that name, just as you know him as Haru," she replied, pointing to the lavender and green male beside her. "In truth, he is Daidoku, my cousin and kami of farming. He agreed to accompany me on this little trip. My true name is Amaterasu. I am, as many of you should know, the sun goddess." She waved her hand and their true forms shimmered into view. The cream and orange complexion melted away to show gold and copper while Daidoku became pale skinned with rich brown hair. They both glowed with divinity.
Sesshoumaru went down to one knee, quickly followed by the rest except Kagome, who stared disinterestedly at the kami. The taiyoukai glanced at his mate from the corner of his eye. "Kagome! She is a goddess! Kneel before her."
Amaterasu laughed again and shook her head. "Oh no, that's not necessary. Kagome is just as divine as I am at the moment. Please, everyone, get up."
Hesitantly, the group rose to their feet. Kagura looked back and forth between her friend and the sun goddess. "What happened here?" She gazed across the field, which was quickly emptying of the enemy forces. "How are they going to pay for what they've done here?"
"Well, that is all up to Kagome," answered Amaterasu. "I sold that scarf to you, Kagura, because I knew you would give it to her. I told you it was for luck and indeed, I wove an especially clever spell into it. It took Amatsu's energy upon contact and transferred it to Kagome while purifying it. She has the power of a god right now, even more so than Amatsu did in his human shell because she does not have the cloud of dark magic."
"Excuse me for asking, but why couldn't you have just helped us yourself?" asked the sorceress. Her bandage was turning scarlet beneath her hands. "We almost died. Numerous times. Some of us did die."
Amaterasu smiled, something that inexplicably warmed all of their hearts. "We do not interfere in mortal lives very often, my dear Kagura. The only reason we came to your plane at all was because it concerned one of our own, Amatsu Mikaboshi. We disguised ourselves and secured jobs as gardeners at Sesshoumaru's household to keep an eye on things and intervene when we felt it was absolutely necessary."
The taiyoukai groaned inwardly, remembering how he had brushed off Asa and Haru when they had arrived, telling them as long as they did their work and kept their mouths shut, they would have a job. He had been rude to gods. He was rarely horrified at his own actions, but this certainly topped the list.
"Besides," the goddess continued with a knowing smile towards the inuyoukai, "we knew we would have to come down eventually. Even if you had managed the task without our help completely, you have no method of containing a god, or returning him to his place in the heavens."
Sesshoumaru turned sharply to look at the still unconscious Amatsu. "You mean that after all he has done to us, he will live?"
"Not even gods can destroy another god's life without true reason," murmured Kagome.
"Quite right," agreed Daidoku. "Destroy the human shell if you wish. He is dangerous to mortal men, for he still possesses his sorcery. But Amatsu usually has very little power in the hearts of mankind because creatures of this world are inherently good. He simply took advantage of a strange situation, turning a vague prophecy into his own."
The taiyoukai frowned. "The prophecy seemed very clear to me."
Amaterasu laughed again, making Sesshoumaru feel rather childlike. "Amatsu didn't tell you the true prophecy, he made up those words that he told to you. The true prophecy reads like this. Half-demon, priestess and the girl that will become both will rise to eminence one after another. Power unsurpassed, they can to the dark or the light. The manner of their lives and deaths will foretell the future of the world.
"So you see, Amatsu easily interpreted that to mean that as long as they were alive and had dark hearts, he could rule the world." She grinned at the taiyoukai's skeptical expression. "Good! You doubt the veracity of the words. A sign of a great leader is his ability to judge things for himself. Do not place all faith into the words of seers who may or may not be correct. Amatsu did and he paid for his overconfidence."
Daidoku crossed the clearing and knelt down beside Amatsu, placing a hand over his heart. When he lifted it away, a dark orb of light rested in his palm. "We will take him back to the heavens and make sure that he does not escape again. He has broken the cardinal rule and interfered with mortal life. It will not be overlooked, I assure you."
Makoto eyed the ball of energy. "That's a god, then? Not very big is he?"
"You could call his obsession with power a compensatory technique," laughed Amaterasu, making the old celestial flush a bit. She clapped her hands once. "Now then! Kagome, come here."
The white haired hanyou walked towards the goddess and inclined her head. "Yes, my lady?"
The shimmering deity turned serious for a moment. "It is your task to clean up this mess. Amatsu laid waste to Japan and you must use his purified power to restore it. Raise the dead, grow the crops, send the shadows back to heaven or to hell."
Sesshoumaru looked around to see thousands upon thousands of shadow creatures now standing around them, silently waiting. Without a conscious leader, they seemed to have lost their way. "What are they?" he asked.
"Souls," responded the goddess. "Souls that have been twisted beyond recognition and given extraordinary powers. These were the darkest hearts that Amatsu could find over the centuries that he had to lay in wait for Kagome and the other two to arrive on the scene. He had much time to prepare this battle. He didn't want to compete with Naraku and so he stood in the shadows, collecting followers."
"Why couldn't Kagome purify them then?" Kagura asked, curiosity taking hold.
"They were human once. She cannot purify human souls," replied Amaterasu patiently. Seeing that there were no more questions from the stunned group of friends, she turned back to Kagome. "Remember, my girl. You have the power of a god but it is limited. By the time the sun sets, you will be a hanyou again. And it is possible to exhaust your power before then, if you do something drastic, like give immortal life."
Kagome nodded, taking every word into consideration. "We are prepared to restore Japan," she said. "What will happen to us afterwards, my lady?"
Amaterasu smiled again. "You will live with your mate and have your child in a peaceful land, of course."
"The well… is it still open? What will happen to us?" she repeated.
The sun goddess placed a hand on Kagome's silky white and gold hair. "The well has a mind of its own. It remains open for you and your new family to pass through. It will close eventually, when your grandfather dies, because the miko power in your blood comes from him. It will sever the link between generations and you will have to live throughout history. Do you understand?" She smiled as Kagome nodded again. "Good. Get to work then."
"You are leaving," stated the hanyou, sliding a hand around Amaterasu's wrist.
The deity laughed again. "Yes, my girl. I have spent months in this place and now I must return. One day, I will see you again, but that day is far in the future. Live well."
Amaterasu and Daidoku bid their farewells and vanished in an ocean of light.
"Not big on the long good-byes, are they?" muttered Kagura. The others agreed with quick nods.
Kagome did not pay heed to them, instead turning to the carnage of the field. Shadows roamed restlessly amongst the bodies of the fallen, no longer knowing if they could feed or if they should flee. She beckoned the Shadow, the one who had squeezed the blood from her hand and taunted her in the first battle. "Take your companions and leave this world," she said.
Her voice had barely fallen silent before the earth rumbled and the shadows began to disappear with wisps of smoke in their wake. Most screamed as they were dragged down to hell, their long forestalled punishment finally taking hold, but some turned to orbs of pure souls and escaped to heaven.
"That's it?" said the wind witch, watching the shadows fade away. "After all they put us through…" She trailed off and threw her hands up into the air. She swore as the bandage fell away, exposing her wound. "If you can do something about this, I'd appreciate it!" she called to the oblivious hanyou.
Kagome lifted her own hands into the air, as if she was praising the sun. Hundreds of thousands of bodies followed her movements, coming off of the grass and gasping in one breath as light poured their souls back into their bodies. Only Inuyasha and Amatsu remained on the ground. Even the blood was wiped off the ground and broken blades were restored. Kagura and the others gave little sighs as sunlight swept over them, closing their gashes and removing their bruises and aches.
"Handy trick," murmured Ruri, watching as her sliced hand sealed up, the skin knitting together without leaving a scar.
"Do you think we'll come out of this without any losses?" asked Keitaro, watching in awe as the long dead troops tested out their restored flesh and bone.
Ginta squinted into the sun, watching the burial ground in the barracks, now exposed to the eye where the shadows had toppled the walls. "Doesn't look like it. Those souls are long gone, I guess." He grimaced. "I hope she fixes the city up a little. Looks a bit of a wreck."
Without turning around, Kagome nodded. "We will manage all that is necessary to restore Japan."
The wolf's eyes widened slightly, surprised that she had heard him. "Oh, okay. Thanks."
As the hanyou began to repair the damage done to the city and the crops with a few waves of her hand, Sesshoumaru's attention shifted and walked over to Amatsu's prone figure.
"What're you doing, boy?" asked Makoto, coming to his side.
"The god said I could kill the human shell," answered Sesshoumaru.
"What about Kaori?"
The son looked at his mother, who had been standing silently across the clearing. He had almost forgotten about her. She seemed perfectly unharmed except the absence of light in her eyes, telling him that she still lacked a soul. "Perhaps Kagome can restore her."
"Perhaps," agreed the celestial, "but maybe she would prefer to kill the human herself. You lost a mother, I know, but she lost her soul and two sons' lives. Speaking of which, shouldn't the other one be here by now?"
Kagome, sending wave after wave of lush greenery throughout the land with a touch of her hand to the grass, looked at them over her shoulder. "We have told you that he will be here," she said with an encouraging smile. "He will be sorry that he missed our victory though."
"Hn," muttered the taiyoukai. Now that triumph was given over to them, he wasn't so sure that he wanted another half-demon brother around. Especially not one that was imbued with the power of a god. Next to him, Makoto smirked, easily guessing the younger leader's thoughts.
The demi-goddess stood up and brushed off her hands. They were now standing in pristine grassland with thousands of very confused soldiers.
"They're going to want an explanation for this," pointed out Makoto.
Sesshoumaru wasn't sure he wanted to give one. He didn't even understand what had happened there on the field, when defeat had been so close. But he nodded anyway. "They will get one."
Kagome appeared at his side. "We have healed Japan of its physical wounds," she said, breathing rather hard. "We are tired."
Makoto looked up at the sun, surprised to see that it was well into the afternoon. "You have a few hours left yet. I'm surprised that you feel drained already."
"We have little else to do," answered Kagome. She smiled at Sesshoumaru. "We will restore your mother though and bring back those in the caves. They must see our triumph so that they can stop worrying."
"We still have spies," pointed out the taiyoukai.
Kagome shook her head. "We left them deceased. It would be a waste of power to resurrect those that you were going to execute for treason."
"She has a point," said Makoto with a small smile. "Who were they?"
"The weasel demon that helped us find Nami, guarded the wolves on their first day here and reported your arrival," she replied. "And Bunjiro, the demon that insulted us in the hallway once. They were not very good at keeping it hidden from us, but they are insignificant, unable to do much more than speak of our whereabouts and set fire to food."
"It was almost enough," said the taiyoukai with a little annoyance.
Kagome nodded mechanically. "Yes, but all has been restored." She walked up to Kaori and pressed a hand to the base of the demoness's throat. "As will she."
"How? Her soul was destroyed."
"No, we said that it had disintegrated. Amatsu lied when he said it was consumed by the fires of hell, and we did not know at the time if it was true. Her soul has broken within her, but it has not disappeared. Anyone inferior to us would not have the power to repair it." She looked at the taiyoukai. "She did not deserve this treatment. It is our job to give new life."
Kaori sucked in air greedily, color coming back into her eyes as Kagome's hand glowed with divine power. She teetered on her feet, but managed to stay upright as Kagome backed away, allowing Sesshoumaru to gaze upon his true mother for the first time in centuries. Kagome had even taken the care to repair her kimono, making her a resplendent lady once again.
The inuyoukai and celestial bowed to the demoness, and creaking of armor told them that the others bowed as well behind them. "My lady," murmured Sesshoumaru, "it is good to see you once again."
"Who… who are you?" she said tremulously, as if she hadn't spoken for years. Her voice was dry and scratchy.
"I am your son," he replied, pulling himself up to his full height. "Lord of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru."
A hard gleam came into her eyes. "Thank you," she said stiffly, "but my son has been dead for years. He died when he was just ten. Do not mock your elder, pup."
"How can you look upon me and say that I have died?" the inuyoukai questioned. "I have my father's tail and your markings upon my face. My scent alone should tell you that I speak the truth. You are my mother, lost to me for centuries."
Kaori laughed without mirth. "I have seen many things that have turned out to be false. You are one of those mirages." She stepped closer to her son. "You are too cold to be my child. He was warm and happy, although perhaps a bit too studious sometimes."
"Much has changed since you left the West," he replied, narrowing his eyes.
"Left? I have never left the Western Lands," scoffed the demoness. "I have remained here for centuries, caring for my mate and mourning the loss of my sons. Yes, I lost two," she added seeing their raised eyebrows.
Kagome placed a hand on Kaori's shoulder, ignoring her flinch. "She has false memories, much like our time with the god. They will fade and her true past will come to light soon enough."
"Can't you do it for her?" asked Makoto, as he stared at a now perplexed and miffed Kaori.
The temporary goddess shook her head. "We could harm her if we did that. It is best to allow the memories return on their own. It will not take long. A few days or weeks at most."
"Who are you?" Kaori asked the gleaming girl.
"We are your son's mate," Kagome replied. The dog demoness frowned deeply but remained silent, choosing instead to stare at Sesshoumaru, her brow wrinkled in concentration. Kagome, meanwhile, looked up at the sun, moving rapidly across the sky. "It is time to perform our final task and then we will sleep."
Makoto followed her gaze. "I still say that you have hours left of your power."
"We have nothing else to do that would not disturb the natural order of this life. Giving immortal life, even if it is meant to happen, will drain us of our power. It is what our goddess said."
Sesshoumaru's eyes alighted with surprise. Within his heart, he did not need a name for this last assignment his mate had to address. He knew who would receive the gift. "You can do this?"
She nodded. "We can. It is the goddess's will that you receive reward for your diligence in this war. This is what you desire the most, is it not?" She snapped her fingers and suddenly a large crowd of dusty, damp demons surrounded them. It had not been like Amatsu's method of transporting people through space, with the crude ripping of the material plane and the nausea suffered by his subjects. The youkai merely melted into place around the hanyou and her companions. The guards with the tired, worried demons tensed until they spotted their lord.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, we have won the battle?" one of them asked, smiling when the taiyoukai nodded absently.
A loud cheer rose from all those that had been sent to the caves for safety. Nami emerged from the crowd, grinning giddily with Rin and Washi in tow. She spared a bow for Sesshoumaru, before leaving the children beside him and running to Keitaro in joy. The other females of the group began to disperse and cries of happiness rang through the air as they found their fathers, mates, brothers and sons.
The little girl and boy embraced their adoptive parents in turn, muttering unintelligibly about how worried they had been. "What happened to you, Mama?" asked Rin, as soon as she pulled away. "You're glowing."
"We are giving you a gift," the hanyou responded with a smile, "so that you may live with us for a very long time."
Rin's eyes widened in comprehension and she clapped her hands. "Will I be a demon like Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"No," stepped in the taiyoukai. "I forbid it. A human she is and a human she will remain." He looked at the pouting girl. "To change that would be to change you, Rin. This Sesshoumaru is fond of the present one."
Kagome seemed to understand before he even said the words, however. She summoned her energy, feeling it curl inside her heart, ready for expulsion. "We are ready to rest," she murmured, touching Rin upon her forehead. A pulse of light traveled down her arm and into the little girl, leaving a perfect crescent upon her brow.
Sesshoumaru gazed at his ward for a moment, pleased that she would not be taken from him in sixty years' time. The swaying movement of his mate quickly attracted his attention and arched a brow. "Kagome? Are you unwell?" he asked, moving to her side.
"I'm so tired," she said, her words slurred with drowsiness. She smiled up at him. "You were worried, when I fainted last time. But don't be concerned now… I will just sleep for a bit."
"You were marvelous, my girl," spoke up Makoto.
Kagome leaned against Sesshoumaru's chest and laughed softly. "I suppose so. See, Sesshoumaru? There must be demons in the future. We won't be alone."
The taiyoukai nodded, feeling the dead weight of his mate settling against him. Her eyes were drifting close as he swept her up, holding her with his arm and tail. The gold and white hair was fading, leaving crimson and black in its place. He could see her golden eyes settle into brown once again and the corona of light evaporated, leaving an ordinary hanyou in his grasp.
As her eyes slid shut, as the feeling of power left her, Kagome could see a figure coming towards them through the crowd of jubilant demons. Kamlyn.
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A/N: This was supposed to be longer, but I cut out a lot of the scene with Amaterasu and Daidoku – it was getting pedantic and, quite frankly, boring. I know that it was rather deus ex machina (i.e. totally from left field and dumb luck) but I wanted Kagome to reach a point where she was the complete opposite from the monster she became under Amatsu's hold. I could only really do that by giving her a god's power, so that left me the problem of how she would get it and how I wouldn't make it obvious to you guys. I hope I succeeded in that at least. For those of you wondering, Asa means "born at dawn" – very appropriate for a sun goddess in disguise – and Haru means "born in spring" – appropriate for the god of farming, which is what Daidoku controls. The next chapter is the last "real" chapter and then there's an epilogue. I hope I don't disappoint. Thanks for sticking with me this long.
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