Kagome slowly watched, and recalled those words Bankotsu had said so long ago. Perhaps telling you would be even more torturous. He had whispered those words, but she had heard. Surprisingly, ironicly, she was not terrified now. She felt nothing but the never ending numb. She longed to feel. To scream. To run home and cry. Cry like she used to. Cry like she never cried before. She felt no fear as she faced her death at the mercenary's hands. No one to save her anymore. Her fault they were gone. She had trusted him. All because of those simple words. "I'm Sorry about the past Kagome..." and she had foolishly thought that he was sorry about the Mt Hakurei incident.But she was wrong. He was sorry for betraying her trust, for breaking her heart, for mudering her friends. She felt no grief, for she knew she'd be joining her friends as soon as her already weak knees buckled. No fear was felt as she fell. just peace. Knowledge. She was content. Perhaps it was just the shock she was being put through, the pain in her legs and heart long forgotten as the numb had consumed her. She heard and saw the slice from the sword rather than felt it. She saw the splatter of lifeblood across the ground. She never felt the pain from the sword, as she relished the darkness to come. She thought of her life.
They always say your life flashes before your eyes, right before you die. But what do they know? Have they died?
She thought of, how, in five hundred years, all of this would start over, in a neverending circle of tradgedy.
They say you have control over fate...the fools. You're forever caught in a never ending cycle.
She laughed. Not bitter, hating laughter, but full blown laughter, joyous as the birds that sang in the trees. She startled the mercenary, and he glanced on in wonder.
Your whole life is preordained. You have no choice in how you die. It never changes, never will change. They say you have freedom to choose, but like I said, they are fools.
Her eyes grew cloudy, yet she still smiled at him. Her voice was raw and wispy, tired and dieing, but he heard. "I forgive you." she said quietly. He simply stared, not understanding the meaning of her cryptic, dying words.
They lie, as to quell your fears of fate. To quell their own fears. Can you see through the lies?
She slowly sat up. "Finish me..." she whispered. Bankotsu nodded dumbly. Hefting his sword above his head, he swung, and the blood flew from her frail body. Faintly in her mind she wondered if she'd see her friends again soon.
The only way to be truly free...is to die, destroy your bonds to life...to lies. See the world, the hatred and betrayel. When you die, you earn a gift.
Darkness surrounded her and she felt her bonds slipping. Then she knew. She saw the future, the past and the present. She gained the knowledge of the dead.
Infinite knowledge. The secrets kept from the living. The knowledge of the future, the past, the present. Fate.
She realized true freedom. She realized that in order to be truly free, you had to sacrifice. Death was the price.
Life does flash when you die...but not your life. The life of the world. Every single life. Then you feel it...
Suddenly Kagome was terrified. Horrible spasms of pain tore through her body. The white hot terror seized control and she pulsated, her power flaring wildly, trying desperatly to cling onto life. It was hopeless. As Bankotsu saw what was tearing through the girl, and the pure power flowing from her body, he felt something long lost to him. Pity and Remorse. He bent down to her body, that was quivering as the power tore through her and the blood loss began to make each spasm more violent. Tenderly, he stroked her face. "I'll make it up to you." he whispered, and he stabbed her through, ending her terrible pain.
Knowing these secrets releases you from numbness. Allows you to feel terrror one last time. And when the darkness takes you away, you feel the beauty of ecstasy, of happiness, of contentment. You feel the real happiness. Knowing such a terrible truth. Strange, no?
He left after that, but he took something with him. Shining in the night like a pink moon, the jewel that had started it all rested around his neck. He had sworn to make it up to the miko...no matter the cost. Even if he'd have to wait 500 years until she was born again. He'd watch as a ledgend lived and flared, a ledgend he had so cruelly ended. He had ended such a beautiful and wonderful tale in a terrible tradgedy. It was he who had destroyed the ledgend. He felt like a monster.
It's a nightmare.