Content Warning: Character death, graphic imagery

Author's Note: Sorry in advance.

Kohaku struggled to his feet in the remains of Lady Kaede's destroyed house.

"Kohaku!" Sango's body collided into him. She pulled him into her embrace. He pushed himself away from her. Hotaru had run off with Magatsuhi. She was in danger. He had to get to her before something bad happened. He raced off in the direction she had gone. "Kohaku!" his sister called after him in protest.

"Hotaru's in trouble." He shouted over his shoulder. "I'm going after her! Get Inuyasha and the others! She headed north!" He wanted to get to his friend as soon as possible, but he knew if there was a battle ahead of them, they would need back up.

It wasn't difficult to follow Hotaru's energy. It burned like a beacon, calling out to him the same way the fireflies had guided him in his dream. Only now it was tainted. Magatsuhi's foul demonic presence threatened to eclipse Hotaru's light. Kohaku forced himself to move faster.

He finally spotted her at the bottom of a ravine a few miles from the village.

"HOTARU!" Kohaku shouted. He slid and skidded down the side of the ravine to his friend's side. She was on all fours, gripping the grass so tight that her knuckles were white. Her face was an ashy gray color, and she looked as if she was going to vomit. Her entire body was shaking violently. Her weapon was discarded a few meters away. "Hotaru!" He dropped to his knees next to her.

She looked up at him, the simple movement was awkward and disjointed, as if it caused her physical pain. She continued to tremble. He was taken aback by the terror in her eyes. He had never seen her look so frightened. He had never seen anyone look so frightened.

"Kohaku..." She managed to choke out. "Please, help me..."

There was no doubt in his mind about what was happening to her. He recognized what was going on immediately. Magatsuhi had left Kohaku's body only to find another host.

"I will. What do I need to do?" He asked.

"I need..." She broke off crying out in pain. "I need you..."

"I'm here..."

Hotaru shook her head.

"I need you to..." She couldn't finish. She started retching. Kohaku didn't know how to help. He put his hands over hers. Her skin was hot to the touch, as if she had an extremely high fever.

She's going to burn to death from the inside. He panicked.

"Tell me what you need me to do!" Kohaku begged her. "I'll do it. I'll do anything."

Tears started leaking from Hotaru's eyes as she fought against her internal agitator. Whatever she needed Kohaku to do, Magatsuhi didn't want him to know. The demon wouldn't let Hotaru get the words out. Blood was seeping from her nose as she fought against his possession.

"Kill me!" Hotaru finally managed to cry out. "I need you...to kill me!"

Kohaku's heart stopped for a moment.

The whole world went cold.

"What?"

"Please...you have to kill me." She panted. "Kill me, and it'll kill Magatsuhi!"

"Don't talk like that." A voice came from behind Kohaku's back. It was Kagome, Kohaku hadn't even noticed the others had arrived. "You don't know what you're saying."

"I know perfectly well...what I'm saying." Hotaru replied. "Magatsuhi is trying to possess me..." She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, "I can't...I can't let that happen...I can't!" She looked back up at Kohaku, her eyes now flooded with tears. She spoke low and fast, speaking only to him. "Remember what I told you about myself. Remember what you saw. You know what I'm capable of. I'm the soldier of destruction. If Magatsuhi takes control of me...even for a second...he can destroy this entire planet! Everyone will die! I won't be able to stop it!"

Kohaku squeezed her hands, "I won't let that happen!" He said desperately.

"Even if he manages to take control of you, I'll stop him from doin' anything." Inuyasha promised.

"You won't be able to!" Cried Hotaru. "You don't understand the power I wield! I'll kill you all before you can even draw your sword! Don't let me do that! I...I don't know how much longer I can hold him off! You have to kill me now before he can take over. Please!"

"No..." Kagome said, firmly, "We'll find a different way."

"There isn't a different way!" Screamed Hotaru, "Please!" She dropped her head again. She was sobbing. "Please..."

"Hotaru..." Kohaku held her, her skin was so hot it nearly burnt him. He couldn't diminish her pain. He could feel it in her stiff muscles and shaking frame.

"She may be correct." Miroku said quietly. "Ending her life may be the only way we can help her..."

"Miroku!" Kagome snapped in outrage and disbelief.

"I don't want to admit it, either. But we don't have any way to contain her or free her from Magatsuhi's control." The monk said. "We know she's strong. Stronger than anything we've ever faced. If Magatsuhi is able to use her we have no way of knowing the damage he could do."

"So you're willing to sacrifice her!? She's a child!" Shouted Kagome.

"PLEASE!" cried Hotaru. She was nearly hysterical now. "I'm not afraid of dying, but don't let me become possessed. Don't let me kill everyone I care about. Not again. Anything but that!"

Kohaku remembered the vision of the three women forcing Hotaru to destroy her home. The dark wave of silence that had engulfed everything. That had been her past life. Something that should have been washed away with rebirth. But the fear and pain of that day had transcended a lifetime, scarring her soul so deeply that it still haunted her. That was the power she possessed. If Magatsuhi got a hold of it, there would be nothing anyone could do to stop him.

Hotaru was strong enough to fight off possession for a while, but she couldn't keep it up. She must be in agony right now. Her nose was bleeding worse than ever, blood started to seep from her eyes as well. Even if she managed to stop Magatsuhi from taking control of her, the effort involved would tear her apart from the inside. Kohaku felt tears start to fall from his own eyes. He couldn't stand seeing her in this much pain. But how could he face letting her go?

He thought back to when she discovered his plan to use his Jewel Shard to defeat Naraku. I'll stay with you. She had told him. I'll be with you. I'll hold your hand. I won't let you die alone.

Kohaku felt his own body trembling now. He promised to protect her, he couldn't let her die but...it was too cruel to do nothing, to let her go on trying to fight. She had stood by him through everything, now she was asking him to end her pain. He owed this to her.

He heard his words leaving his mouth before he had even decided to say them.

"Okay...it's...it's going to be okay now..." He felt tears roll down his face. "...We won't make you fight any longer..." He squeezed her hands, then looked back at Inuyasha and the others. His chest so tight he could hardly say the words without his voice quivering. "Will...will one of you do it?" He asked, "I can't..." After all the blood he had on his hands, he couldn't add hers. He couldn't bear it.

"Kohaku..." Sango said.

"Forget it! We ain't killin' a kid!" Inuyasha protested.

"It's not up to you."

"Like Hell it isn't! We ain't sacrificin' any kids and that's final!"

"You might think it's kinder to try and keep her alive, but it's not." Kohaku replied, "You don't understand what it's like to be like us, you've never been possessed, not like this. The power Magatsuhi has isn't like anything you've experienced before. There is no escaping him." Kohaku felt tears fall hot and fast down his face. "I can't sit here and watch her suffer. But I can't..." He looked down, "After everything I've done, I can't be the one who kills her, too."

"We can find a better way..." Kagome insisted, "We just need to..."

"The longer we sit around discussing this, the longer she's in pain!" Kohaku shouted. It was pathetic. There he was, shaking and crying when he should be holding strong for Hotaru's sake. She was the one dying, yet he still couldn't be as strong as her. He was ashamed. "There are only three ways this can end. Either we end her suffering now, we let this continue and the effort involved in fighting off the possession destroys her and Magatsuhi escapes, or Magatsuhi manages to possess her and countless die. Please, don't make her suffer any longer than she has to. Please."

The others stood in silence. He knew what he was asking of them. None of them wanted to be the one to do this. To kill an ally...a young girl...someone as kind as Hotaru...it would haunt any one of them for the rest of their lives.

Suddenly, Hotaru's body convulsed. Energy sparked off of her, burning Kohaku's hands. She grabbed her head and screamed in pain. Kohaku reflectively pulled her close. It felt as if he was embracing solid fire. She retched, discharging blood from her mouth now was well as her nose and eyes. Her body was just about at it's limit. She wouldn't be able to handle much more of this. If he were stronger he could save her...or at least spare her from her pain. She gripped his arms tightly. She couldn't keep up this fight much longer. Kohaku looked up in desperation at the others. Finally his sister stepped forward.

"Hotaru, are you absolutely sure that this is the only way?"

Hotaru nodded, she had regained control once more, but she looked even weaker now than before. She was shaking so hard she was practically vibrating. Her breathing was quick and labored. She clung to Kohaku as if he were the only thing that was keeping her from drowning. "Now that he knows the power I have...he's not going to give up...until he uses it."

Sango nodded, she looked sick.

"Then I'll do it." Sango said, Kagome protested behind her but was ignored. "If this truly is your final wish, I will fulfill it." She knelt down by Kohaku and Hotaru. "You saved my brother. I can never repay you for that. But I promise I'll make it quick and clean."

Hotaru nodded, "Thank you..." She was becoming less steady by the second, but Kohaku was still amazed by the amount of bravery she was able to show. "Use my glaive...I've trapped Magatsuhi in my body...so he can't escape when I die...He'll die with me."

Sango nodded somberly. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Hotaru's forehead. Then she stood and picked up Hotaru's weapon from the ground.

Kohaku and Hotaru looked at each other, both of them were crying but trying to be brave for the other. "I'll be right here." Kohaku promised, a lump in his throat making it nearly impossible to speak. "I won't..." He had to stop and take a breath, "I won't let you die alone."

Hotaru's face screwed up and she nodded. "Don't forget...burn my body..."

"I will..."

"Kagome...find my parents...in our time...please...find them for me...and tell them...tell them I love them...so much. Tell them I'm sorry...for not coming home. And...tell them I was brave...don't...don't tell them I cried...please...tell them I died bravely...and that...that I didn't feel any pain..."

Kagome clearly didn't even know how to respond. She broke down and buried her face in Inuyasha's chest. He wrapped his arms around her as if to shield her from what was about to happen.

Kohaku wanted to say something more, something comforting, something that would make her less frightened or make goodbye easier, but he doubted such words existed. He felt sick and dizzy. He couldn't let this happen, but he had to. He couldn't help her. He couldn't even form the words for goodbye.

Hotaru closed her eyes. "Do it now."

Kohaku exchanged a look with his sister. Sango closed her eyes, letting tears fall down her cheeks, then she opened them with a look of determination and pierced the girl square in the middle of the chest. Magatsuhi's scream filled the forest, there was a violent explosion of energy from Hotaru's body. Then she went limp in Kohaku's arms. He held her close to his chest.

"It's okay..." He choked out. "I've got you."

His teardrops fell onto her face, but he somehow kept his voice steady. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't. She coughed up more blood. Her breaths were disjointed and panicked as if her body couldn't understand what was happening. Her hand desperately groped for his, he took it and held it tight. He couldn't help her. He couldn't ease her pain, he couldn't take away her fear. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't get the words out.

"Don't try to speak." He told her, talking just because he didn't know what else to do, how else to help her. "It's okay. I'm here. You're not alone. I've got you."

Her ragged breathing silenced. He felt her body relax in his arms and her grip on his hand slacken.

She was gone. Kohaku buried his face in her hair and started to sob.