Number One Reason Why I Hate Myself

By: Koneko Hanyou

Chapter 1: The Day That I Die

He hated humans. He could not stand them in the least. They were stupid. They were weak. And most of all, they smelled terrible. Well, most of them did anyway. Rin smelled nice. She always smelled clean and she hinted of strawberries, her favorite fruit. Mostly, though, it was because he would not allow her to smell any other way. She was his pride and joy. He would make her bathe daily and even though strawberries were hard to find normally, he would always make sure she had at least a few. In general though, she always smelled good.

Or, at least, she had up until this morning. Now, her body stank of dead flesh, dirt, and blood. He would pay. Oh yes, he would pay severely. For he had done this to her. The monster that had killed her would pay dearly indeed.

"…Naraku…"a harsh, low growl escaped his throat as he lunged toward his foe, thoroughly intent upon ripping open his throat and allowing all the life to seep out slowly. He wanted him to pay. He wanted him to feel the pain, the same pain he had inflicted on her. But most of all, he wanted him to feel fear. The same fear that Rin had felt before she had died. He wanted him to fear the great Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands.

He attempted to rush the foe, and lashed out decisively with his poison whip. His reward, for his efforts, however, was a sharp slash to his back, shattering his breastplate. A long, pointed tendril snaked through the air and punctured the soft, pliable skin of his torso.

Despite his injuries, however, he continued his assault against the hated enemy. Drawing forth the Toukijin from its sheath, he threw himself again at the demon before him. The metal struck repeatedly against the tough, outer shell of Naraku. No matter what the power behind his blows was, they affected the fiend naught. His battle for her spirit was not going to be won, but he attacked again and again.

Finally, with blood flowing forth from the many gashes and puncture wounds which covered his once proud form, he fell to the ground, breathing heavily as his knees met with the mud and dirt below him. He had sworn he would not give in to the beast, yet there he was, on his knees in front of the heathen. He was tired, beaten, and ready to die. How could he avenge her if he was dead? He had failed her.

"WIND SCAR!"

The voice broke the silence of the moment and an enormous amount of demonic power washed past him as the attack of his hated brother hurled itself toward Naraku, stunning him shortly. How dare he, that hanyou slime! This was his fight! He would be the one to avenge her death, not that filthy half-breed! No, he would not let him take his prey. He would fight until he died in mid-swing of his Toukijin.

He wrenched his broken body off of the ground and hurled himself once again towards Naraku. He would kill him. He would not allow his brother to do so before he got the chance. The monster had killed his… his what? Child? Pet? Servant? It did not matter, for she had been his. She had been his treasure. And now she was gone because of him, that bastard, Naraku.

Again and again, he was thrown to the ground by the snaking tendrils of the devil himself. Finally, even his demonic strength could not pry him from the ground. He was down, and down for good. This time, he would not be able to rise. The prey now belonged to his brother. His hated, accursed, stinking half-breed of a brother!

The life began to ebb from his eyes and he vowed he would come back. He would return to slay the vile, hated demon. No matter what form he took, he would return and he would kill Naraku!

Hours Later…

"Inuyasha! Please, don't leave me! Please!"

"I'll…come back…Kagome. It…It won't end… here…I'll…come…back…I promise…"

"INUYASHA! INUYASHA! No…no, please…no!"

She bent over his still figure, and peered deeply into his eyes, his bright, golden eyes which were now darkened and glazed over in death. He had fought bravely, valiantly, fighting not for his own life, but for the lives of those he loved. He had killed Naraku, yes, but at what cost? Now she would be without him, her reason to live. Now she would be the one left behind, for without him, she was nothing. She buried her tear soaked fact into the front of his haori, observing that the cadence of his breathing had ceased as her skin absorbed the last of the heat that had at one time radiated from him like light from the sun. She breathed deep, inhaling the last of his scent before the odor of death was allowed to permeate throughout his cells.

Pulling her face up from her sanctuary she surveyed the carnage around her. Miroku and Sango lay in each other's arms locked tightly forever in death's embrace. They would now have each other for all eternity, the taiji-ya and the houshi. The little kitsune youkai lay close to the neko-mata, both lacking the characteristic rising and falling of the chest, which distinguished immediately the living from the dead. Even the great Sesshoumaru-sama had set out for the world beyond, for his cold, golden eyes were glassed over and his remaining arm was extended in the direction of the child who had previously been in his care. He was barely recognizable from the bloody corpses of the common youkai which surrounded his once arrogant form, due to all the puncture wounds he had sustained in the battle.

Naraku was dead, yes, but if Kagome had learned anything from Kikyo, she knew that he would be back. And when he came back, she would kill him. In order to avenge the life of her beloved, no matter what form he took, she would kill Naraku!