A/N: Ugh. I was up half the night doing homework for history, and then I walk into class, and what does the teacher say? IT WASN'T EVEN DUE! AND I WAS UP UNTIL 1 DOING IT!
You know, this is why I wish teachers would update their websites periodically. To let us know these slight changes in plan that could have occurred over spring break.
…I need a weekend.
Chapter 26: Human, Youkai, and Hanyou
Kirara touched down right inside of Naraku's castle. In an instant, Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, and Shippou jumped off the nekomata, weapons at the ready.
They scanned the castle, feeling the intense jyaki all around, enough to make them feel cold from within. The castle looked ordinary enough, but the eerie purple glow was enough to tell them that there was no doubt that Naraku had made it his castle.
"We're here." Miroku said, gripping his staff tightly, ready to fight if something unexpected came upon them.
"Yes," Sango replied, Hiraikotsu slung over her shoulder, ready to throw. "We made it."
Shippou popped up on the monk's shoulder, glancing around. "Where is he?" the kitsune asked, sounding afraid.
'We'll know when he attacks us." Miroku told him causing the kitsune to shake in fear.
Kohaku suddenly gasped in surprise. "Ane-ue! There's someone coming!"
They all turned, and did indeed see someone coming towards them through the mists. They walked at a relatively slow pace, but nonetheless, it put them all on their guard.
But their fears of Naraku were lessened when it appeared to be Kikyou.
"Kikyou-sama." Miroku said, lowering his staff from where it had been in attack position. "You made it."
She didn't reply to that odd remark, but she glanced around the few, seeing faces missing. "Where is Inuyasha?" she asked. "And Kagome, and the wolf youkai?"
With that question, the miko was greeted with each face falling. She stared, waiting for an explanation, but by the looks in their eyes, she understood.
"Kikyou-sama," the monk said slowly. "Inuyasha is—"
"A youkai again, isn't he?" the miko asked, glancing downward. To everyone's surprise, the miko who usually tried to be stoic didn't even hide her emotions this time. Her eyes were completely tragic, looking defeated. Her face didn't seem shocked, more like worried; like a child caught in the wrong.
Sango knew that look, it was the look Kagome had when Inuyasha had turned youkai months before. It was the look that was back when Kagome had left them to find him. She didn't have to ask to know that for some reason, Kikyou felt guilty.
Miroku sensed it as well. "Kikyou-sama…"
"We don't have time to wait for them." The miko said, pulling herself together. "We must defeat Naraku first. That alone, should be our priority."
Miroku and the rest seemed to buy it, but Sango had known that same trick from Kagome, changing the subject to get her mind off it. It was plainer than ever to the youkai exterminator that Kikyou felt guilty over something, and that it was plaguing her greatly.
But she had no more time to think about it because at that moment, there was a great rumbling, like an earthquake, beneath them. Everyone grabbed their weapons as they felt a surge of jyaki coming closer, knowing all too well who it was.
"Naraku has noticed our presence here." Kikyou told them, stringing an arrow on her bow, and pointing towards the castle entrance. While everyone, including Shippou, prepared themselves and gathered their courage, Sango suddenly felt more afraid then she had ever felt in her life.
It didn't make sense, she had fought Naraku many times, and had faced youkai daily, but nothing could prepare her for the feeling of fear she would get from realizing it was the final battle. Perhaps it was her frightened brown eyes, or perhaps it was the way her hand was gripping Hiraikotsu tighter than usual, but somehow, Miroku knew, and then he was at her side.
"Courage, Sango." He told her sweetly, reaching down and giving her hand a tight squeeze for strength.
Suddenly, all emotions she had been bottling up broke. Sango felt herself tremble slightly, though she knew she shouldn't be like this. She turned to see her betrothed, the man she had only kissed for the first time the night before and whimpered, "Housh—M-Miroku…I—"
"I know, Sango." He cut her off with a smile, and a loving twinkle in his indigo eyes. "I know."
The monk wished that there had been more time, there was so many things he wanted to tell her, so many things she had to know, but not another second occurred before Naraku emerged from his castle, a deadly purple aura around himself, and a smirk on his face. "So, you've come." He chuckled. "But you seem to be missing a few. Where is Inuyasha, may I ask? Or Kagome, for that matter."
He knows. Sango's eyes widened. He knows everything…Did he somehow do it?
No one answered. "No one wishes to tell me?" Naraku's smile grew wider. "What a pity. I guess I shall just have to seek them out, I wanted to see him in action once more—"
"You will not lay a hand on Inuyasha, Onigumo!" Kikyou yelled, releasing an arrow in a flash of pink light. The arrow flew right for Naraku, piercing the red barrier that sprouted up around him and landing in his shoulder, blowing his arm off. All the time, Naraku just stood there, unmoving, smirk still on his face.
If Inuyasha was here, he would have been the one to make the first hit. Sango thought with a small grin, before it faded. He would probably be locked in combat with him now, swinging Tessaiga around without relent. The youkai exterminator glanced once more at Miroku, and as he looked back at her, she whispered with a smile, "For Inuyasha and Kagome."
He also wore a grin when he replied, "For Inuyasha and Kagome."
And with that, they both charged, the others following in their wake, into the battle that would decide the future.
"Inuyasha, stop!" Kagome gasped, as if suddenly realizing, as they flew through the forest.
"What?" he asked, obviously annoyed, as he slid to a stop, causing a small cloud of dust to form when he finally did. She was still wearing his fire rat haori, leaving him in his white shirt.
"We have to get Kouga-kun!" she told him, leaning forward and pointing in the direction.
"Hey, watch the ears!" he growled, lowering his ears on his head where her arm had brushed past them.
Quickly recoiling her hand, she apologized quickly, but didn't give up on her errand. "Inuyasha, it's that way! We have to go get him!"
"Why?"
Sighing in impatience, Kagome quickly explained, "He was supposed to come get me when I went to you, but I had to leave him behind."
As he reluctantly set off in the direction that she pointed, Inuyasha asked, "How did you ever give that clingy wolf the slip."
After a pause, Kagome told him, "I had to purify him." When she could see the look of horror in Inuyasha's eyes, knowing all too well the pain of purification, she added, "Just a little bit! Only enough to knock him out."
What Kagome had expected was Inuyasha to tell her that was overkill. To not run away from someone that was supposed to protect you. And most importantly, not to purify anyone with youkai blood, since it was the most painful experience of his life. What she had not expected was what happened; he laughed.
She stared as Inuyasha continued, "Too bad I wasn't there. The wolf needs a good zap every now and then."
"Inuyasha! How can you say that! You know it hurts!"
The hanyou rolled his eyes. "Kagome, if you hadn't done that, Naraku would have done something worse to get you and him separated. I doubt that having him there was part of his plan."
Kagome didn't respond, because she knew it was right. Though she felt guilty about doing it, it was better that he didn't get himself killed by Naraku for something that didn't involve him.
Inuyasha followed Kouga's scent, until at last, they found the wolf, just waking up after having been knocked unconscious for two hours. Kagome jumped off Inuyasha's back, and ran to the wolf youkai's side (making an extremely sour look pop up on the hanyou's face) asking, "Kouga-kun, are you all right?"
"Kagome?" he asked, holding one hand over his face, scrunched up in pain as he sat up. "What happened?" Before Kagome could answer (which she had planned on taking her time doing) Kouga noticed that Inuyasha was there as well, with the sour look still on his face.
"Mutt? What are you doing here? I thought…" he trailed off, thinking it would upset Kagome, since before he had been knocked out, everything seemed to make her cry, but once again, she proved him wrong.
"He's all right now, Kouga-kun!" she said with a smile. "He wasn't a youkai at all!"
"What?" the wolf youkai asked, glancing at Inuyasha for confirmation. All he got in response was another glare from the hanyou who even now couldn't get over his jealous tendencies. "But how? I thought you were a goner for sure."
"We'll save the story for later, wolf." Inuyasha cut him off, sniffing the air, his expression turning hard. "Just as I thought, they're already in battle." He looked back down at Kouga. "Come on, get up! You're not getting any sympathy from me."
Kouga tried to stand up, but he was met with pain all over. As he slumped back the ground, his hand clutched to his chest, wondering what could have happened to cause him this pain, Kagome gasped, "Kouga-kun!"
But Inuyasha couldn't stand it any longer. His friends were in danger. And soon, he'd have to put his mate in danger as well. This wasn't the time for sympathy. "Get up!" he growled, pulling the wolf to his feet despite how he cringed in the pain. "You were purified, and you'll be sore for a couple of days. But don't go whining to me; I'll give you much worse pain if you don't move it. You were only purified a little bit, just be glad you got up." With that last sentence, the hanyou gave him a hard glare, and turned away.
Kouga was leaning against a tree with one hand, still getting used to standing up on legs that felt completely worn out. "'Got up'? What do you mean?" It took a few seconds before it clicked. "Wait…That's how she did it, didn't she? That's how Kagome brought you back the first time, wasn't it? She had to purify you…and it killed you, didn't it!"
The hanyou turned sharply around and faced him, ferocity in his amber eyes. For a second, Kagome was afraid that he might hit him. This wasn't the time for her to feel guilty any more. Like Inuyasha had said, there was still Naraku out there. She ran up to him, putting one hand on his shoulder, the other his chest, trying to get him to back off. "Inuyasha, please!" she begged. "He's in pain, don't get into a fight now. I'm all right." He glanced back down at her, almost in disbelief, but she nodded back at him. "We have to go fight Naraku, remember." Kagome glanced back at Kouga once more. "Please, just put aside your differences this once and work together!"
That seemed to have an effect on both of them. The hanyou and the youkai stared at her, before she sighed, thinking, They'll never learn! Before Inuyasha finally turned away.
"Keh, you better keep up, or I'm leaving you!" he said, pulling Kagome on to his back.
"I may be in pain, but that doesn't mean I won't outrun you!" Kouga yelled back as they set off for Naraku's castle, the sounds of battle growing with each step.
Finally, after what had seemed hours to Kagome (mostly because Inuyasha and Kouga had bickered the entire way) but in reality wasn't that long of a time, they ended up at Naraku's castle. Both hanyou and youkai couldn't see it at first, because of the barrier. But Kagome led them to it. Though Kagome had expected Inuyasha to burst in swinging Tessaiga, making a grand entrance like he always did, he surprised her stopping by telling Kouga, "Go ahead, we'll come in a minute."
The wolf glanced from Inuyasha to Kagome who was sliding off Inuyasha's back, and he understood. Giving an annoyed snort, he said, "I'll tell the others to expect you.", and ran into the fray.
Inuyasha and Kagome hung back behind the wall that blocked them from the battle raging inside. He looked down at her with such emotion in his amber eyes, his silver dog ears slightly drooping, that the silence was awkward. "Well, here we are." She whispered, hearing someone (probably Kouga) give a yell of fury in the middle of the battle.
"Here we are." Inuyasha nodded, reaching out and tracing her cheek, making her heart race as it always did.
But now isn't the time! She looked away quickly, asking, "Inuyasha, I just remembered, I still have on your haori. Do you want it back?"
The hanyou shook his head. "No, you keep it. It'll protect you." He guided her face towards his once more, hearing her stiffen in surprise.
"Inuyasha…"
But there was no more hesitation. Without warning, or permission, he wrapped his arms around her in a vice-like grip, taking her lips with his hungrily. And when he felt her kiss him back, he knew she had wanted it too.
They only had a little bit of time, the sounds of battle bringing them back to what they were supposed to do. They pulled away, clinging to each other, and Inuyasha could smell the salt in a tear unshed by Kagome.
Hugging her tighter, he whispered in desperation, "Kagome, this may be the last time I say this…I love you."
"I know…" she murmured, shutting her eyes tightly as if trying not to think about it. "I love you too."
They pulled away slowly, another small explosion and a flash of white light bringing them back to reality. Before Kagome could pull completely away, Inuyasha grabbed her left hand with his right. "Don't get yourself killed in there."
"You too." She replied, almost in monotone. Before he could turn away, and they would look towards the scene of battle, preparing to enter it, Kagome added, looking back up at him, her chocolate eyes shining in love, while a smile was on her face. "Inuyasha…no matter what I've acted like over the past couple of months, I want you to know…Becoming and being your mate…was the happiest thing in my life."
A smile appeared on his face, while he gave her hand a small squeeze, said softly. "I know…I was just waiting for you to realize it too."
And finally, he let go of her hand, Kagome feeling loss at the same time, knowing that they might not live, and that this would be the last time they would get to hold each other like this. He unsheathed Tessaiga, the sword transforming in a flash of light into it's true, fur-bearing form, while she gathered her bow and arrows, hugging his haori for courage.
Inuyasha gave her one last encouraging smile, making her suddenly think of something she had never thought before. You can't divide his heart…she realized. It isn't youkai, but it isn't human either…No matter what blood he has, or what he looks like sometimes…his heart is one, whole thing…It's the heart of a hanyou.
And with that last thought, all others were put aside as they strode into the castle's main courtyard to join their friends in the fight against Naraku, and to let their fate be decided.
A/N: Why is it that these scenes tend to be really LONG? Originally, this chapter had Inu and Kags fight Naraku in it, but I added a bit here, cut a bit there, so it ended up that it got pushed to the next chapter. Oh, well. More battle to write about, I guess.
Also, for you people that do well in English, I have a challenge for you! The title Human, Youkai and Hanyou, is a title that can be related to many things in the chapter (I think that 2 should be painfully obvious)
So, for the person who can find the most things in this chapter to relate, you get a special prize! (Sorta…)
