Sango gasped, a sharp pain striking her in the ribs. Pressing her hand to her abdomen, she gritted her teeth as the pain continued. Kagome was by her side in an instant.
"Sango, what's the matter? Are you ok? Is it the baby?"
"I'm fine," she winced, "Everything's fine. The baby's just kicking, that's all."
"Are you sure that's it?" Kagome asked, still looking worried.
"Yes, it's just restless, that's all," Sango's face eased as the pain subsided, "It used to be just a nudge, but lately it feels like the baby is trying to use my body as a sparring arena."
"Well, it's definitely Ronuku's child then, just as restless as daddy," Kagome joked. Sango made an effort to smile, but it didn't last. The mention of her husband and father of her child brought back her melancholy mood.
Ronuku, where are you? She asked herself far from the first time that day. Before leaving he'd promised that he'd be back in time for the baby to be born. Nearly nine months along she felt ready to burst. She knew it would be any day now that she'd become a mother, her life would suddenly change and she'd have to dedicate everything to nurturing and protecting a new little human whose entire existence depended on her. To say that she was terrified was an understatement, she needed her husband now more than ever.
But he wasn't there. He was still missing, off training with Kaida and Naoe, and had no way of finding her even if he was on his way back.
She understood the reason they took him off to train, he hadn't practiced and they were worried that he'd become a liability in the battle against Naraku, it made sense. That didn't stop her from being angry. She was about to have a baby any day now, there were hordes of demons constantly assaulting her group, they had no right to keep him away from her when she needed him most!
She swallowed, pushing those emotions aside, and remembered her training. Taijiya, demon slayers, had been taught to focus their mind and body during battle. Strong emotions could distract and hinder them in combat, and considering their prey, distraction often meant death. Falling back on years of training passed down from her ancestors, she entered a familiar state of mind and pushed every worry and thought away except the mission: saving Kohaku.
Not that the thought of her little brother didn't come with its own set of emotions. She loved him dearly, had been prepared to lay her life down for the sake of his on multiple occasions, and owed it to her brother to protect him from Naraku, and from himself.
That night, the night where her brother became possessed and slaughtered her father and all of their comrades, played through her mind. Their dying screams, the dull lifeless look in his eyes, the horror when he'd realized what he'd done…Kohaku was consumed by guilt, and she knew that it plagued him every day since.
Sango thought that when Ronuku helped Kagome purify Kohaku's jewel shard and freed him from Naraku's control, maybe her brother had a chance of putting the horror behind him. He had stayed in Kaede's village recuperating, and for several months Sango actually thought that her brother was on the mend. He was actually starting to smile, to act like himself again…
…And then Naraku managed to retake control and forced him to attack again. She'd been a few months pregnant then, only just starting to show. The last thing Kohaku had said to her was about him not wanting to harm her or her baby, and then he ran away. Kikyo was the last person to travel with him, but now she was dead.
Kohaku was alone.
Sango was going to save him.
It had been nearly two days since Rin found one of Kohaku's shoulder pads. They'd found more traces of his passing along the way, footprints in the mud and trampled plants, in between their fights with demons and Naraku's attempts to stall them. They did their best to speed up, but the nine of them could only travel so fast. It was only just now that they were reaching the edge of the forest that opened to the wide face of a cliff edge.
"It appears that we've reached a dead end," Miroku commented, "I'm not sure if Kohaku would be able to scale that on his own."
"But then where did he go?" Kagome asked, frowning, "I can sense his shard somewhere ahead of us but the cliff…"
Inuyasha began sniffing the area, though his ears kept flicking back to catch any sound from behind them. They'd been attacked by another particularly large hoard about an hour ago and Sesshomaru had decided to take them all on by himself in order to keep them going. Nobody announced whether or not they were worried for the demon, they had no doubts that he would be the victor of that battle, but that didn't keep them from feeling jumpy or anxious. There was no telling whether or not they'd see him approaching from behind, or more demons.
"Kohaku's been here," Inuyasha announced, saying nothing of his poorly concealed concern for his brother, "His scent leads right up to the cliff. Somehow, he found a way up."
Sango frowned. The cliff was steep, her brother would have had a tough time just trying to climb it, but with Naraku closing in on him….
Kirara's ears suddenly twitched, and a low growl rumbled in her chest. Inuyasha and Futeki both seemed to notice something too as all three of them glanced up at the cliff, Inuyasha's eyes growing wide.
"What?" Kagome asked, "What is it?" Inuyasha didn't answer her at first, instead his head shot over and looked at Sango.
"Sango…" He started, his tone as if he were about to tell her to stay back. But she'd heard enough.
Kohaku. He's up there! Above the cliff!
"Kirara! Let's go!" She shouted, not waiting to be told. The cat took off into the sky, sailing over the cliff and leaving her friends yelling behind her. The top of the cliff was rocky and barren, only a few sparse trees scattered about here and there. The taijiya didn't pay much attention though, up ahead in the distance she saw a dark cloud of miasma, and somewhere within she heard the terrified cry that she recognized instantly.
Kohaku! It's him! Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she urged Kirara to go faster. She gripped her Hiraikotsu, steeling herself for battle and ready to fight to the death the monster that destroyed her village and ruined her brother's life.
A small thump in her chest gave her the slightest of pause.
My baby…She was rushing into battle. There was no question that her child's life would be at risk, one wrong move and she would lose it before its life even had a chance to begin.
But if she did nothing, then she would lose her brother.
A wave of guilt crashed over her as she realized the cruel choice she had been forced to make. She choked back a sob, knowing what she was about to sacrifice, hating herself that she knew she'd already made her decision.
I'm sorry, she thought, tears flying away as she sped through the sky while securing her mask to protect against the miasma, But Kohaku needs me. Her hand rested on her belly, only for a moment, and a small prayer was all she gave to protect her child. An instant later her heartbreak was at the back of her mind. All she saw was the battle ahead.
In the cloud of miasma, Kohaku swung his chain scythe, defending himself from an attack as tentacles flew about in an effort to grab him. At the center of the cloud stood Naraku, grinning evilly. The elusive monster probably decided to show himself as his only opponent was a young boy. All he had to do was subdue Kohaku and steal his shard, he probably expected this to be easy.
He was dead wrong.
"Hiraikotsu!" Sango flung her weapon forward and severed all of the tentacles near her brother. Kirara landed between the boy and Naraku, roaring in anger at her opponent.
"Sis!" Kohaku cried out startled, "Why are you here?!" Sango ignored him, glaring at Naraku as she raised her weapon.
"Kohaku, get out of here!" She yelled, swinging her weapon down on more tentacles.
"How touching," Naraku chuckled, voice dripping with malice "Kohaku's sister has come to rescue him. Considering her burden, I didn't expect her to put herself at risk."
Sango refused to be baited. She held her weapon up like a shield and unsheathed her hidden wrist blade. She and Kirara held their position as she sliced any tentacles that came by, Kirara assisting with her claws.
"Kohaku, I told you to run!" Sango yelled back again. Her brother still stood there gripping his weapon, unsure of what to do.
"Sis!" He yelled back, "You're pregnant, you shouldn't be fighting!"
"I'm here to save you, I-" Sango cut off as one of Naraku's tentacles flew over her head straight at Kohaku. Abandoning her defense, she spurred Kirara towards her brother. The cat sped as fast as she could, and when the tentacle struck it met only air. Sango had Kohaku by the wrist, Hiraikotsu on her lap as she used both hands to haul the boy onto Kirara's back. With both siblings on board, they flew away from Naraku and out of the miasma cloud.
"You shouldn't be here," Kohaku pleaded again, "I almost hurt you and your baby; you can't take me with you!"
"I'm not abandoning you," Sango interrupted, "You're my little brother I can't-" She and Kohaku yelled as a tentacle struck Kirara in the side, spiraling her flight and flinging the siblings through the air. They both landed on the rocky ground several yards apart.
Clutching her stomach in pain, Sango shoved her panic for the baby to the back of her mind. Her wrist blade had broken and sliced open her arm, and her Hiraikotsu was several yards away. Gripping the nearby rocks she hauled herself to her feet.
Above, she heard Naraku's cackle as the miasma cloud once again engulfed them. Kirara snarled, fighting to escape the mass of tentacles that engulfed her, and Kohaku groaned as he stood up.
"Fools, did you expect to escape me that easily?" Naraku smiled down at them, "Sango your attempt to rescue your precious little brother is a hopeless and futile struggle," he extended his arm, and the skin of his palm melted away to reveal the Shikon no Tama. Nearly complete, all except one small sliver, the jewel pulsated with dark energy.
"The jewel seeks to be complete again," Naraku said, "and I intend to help it reach its destiny. It's time Kohaku returns what he owes me." A wave of dark energy crept out of the jewel, slithering through the air towards the shard in Kohaku's back.
Crying out, Kohaku swung his chain scythe, but it passed through the dark energy as if it were smoke. In fear, Kohaku turned to flee, the energy in pursuit of his back.
"No!" Sango leapt forward but stumbled as her side screamed in pain. Pushing through it, she tried to run towards her brother. She wasn't fast enough, the extra weight was slowing her down. Her brother sprinted, but he wasn't quick enough as the energy caught up with him and made contact with the shard in his back. Kohaku screamed and fell to his knees, hands clawing at his head as the dark light grew from his back.
No! Kohaku, I won't let him take you! Sango's head screamed as more tentacles shot out and held her in place. She writhed, desperate to get free, and saw when the light slowly died from her brother's eyes, becoming replaced with the dull look that meant Naraku had control.
"Kohaku, No!"
Suddenly, a blinding flash of pink flew through the sky and severed the energy connecting the jewel to Kohaku. Naraku flew back just in time to avoid being struck as well; glaring he turned towards the source of the projectile.
Kagome, held up by Inuyasha as the hanyou carried her towards battle, readied another arrow into her bow. It hummed and began to glow, charged by the miko's power.
"Naraku, this next one is for you!" She cried out and fired her weapon. It purified the miasma in the air, burning away the darkness. Naraku barely had enough time to shoot up a wall of tentacles, letting them take the blow instead of himself or the jewel. Sango noticed his grip on her slacken, and she took the opportunity to slip out and kick away the tentacles holding her.
Inuyasha set Kagome down and unsheathed his Tetsusaiga. The sword transformed in an instant, the hanyou angrily growling behind it.
"Wind Scar!" He wasted no time sending out the attack, ripping the tentacles in front of him to shreds, passing through them like dead leaves. Naraku's eyes widened, he cast a barrier protecting himself and the jewel and disappeared into a cloud of miasma above.
"Damn that coward!" Inuyasha snarled, pointing his ears above and scanning the skies. Kagome narrowed her eyes and looked through the clouds.
"He hasn't left!" She called out, "I can still see the jewel; it's completely dark!"
"That bastard, he's not gonna leave until he has Kohaku!" Inuyasha raised his sword to the sky, "Kagome! Tell me where he is!" The miko pointed to a section of the clouds, and Inuyasha fired his attack again. When the Wind Scar hit the sky, the dark clouds crackled with electricity and swallowed the attack.
"It's the jewel," Kagome called out again, "He's using its power to protect himself!" Inuyasha cursed and snarled something angrily incoherent.
Sango had taken her opportunity to stumble towards her brother. Kirara, bleeding but free from Naraku's grip, flew over to help her mistress. They both reached Kohaku who was kneeling on the ground, cradling his head.
"No, f-father no!" He was mumbling aloud, tears streaming from his dull eyes as he was forced once again to relive his sin. "What have I done?!"
"Kohaku," Sango knelt beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Kohaku, please, snap out of it!" The boy ignored her touch and continued to tremble.
"Sis! No, no, I killed them! I was weak, and now they're dead! You're dead!"
"No, Kohaku I'm right here, I'm not dead! Please listen to me," She reached her other arm out, the wounded one, and as she touched his other shoulder her blood dripped onto his hands. His dull eyes widened, and he violently shuddered.
"No!" He pushed her away and suddenly leapt back. He wailed as his hands shook on his head. Slowly, as if pulled by invisible cables, his right arm pulled away from his head and reached for his weapon.
"Sango! Get out of there!" The taijiya gasped as a flash of red blurred in front of her and lifted her off her feet.
"Put me down!" She yelled, pushing away from Inuyasha as he pulled her back several paces, "Kohaku needs me!"
"What about your kid?!" The hanyou snapped, "It needs you to not get yourself killed!" Sango's heart shuddered, and she fought the urge to slap him.
"Inuyasha wait," Kagome said, reaching them, "I think Sango has a point. I can see Kohaku's jewel shard, it's nearly black by whatever Naraku did to it, but there's a little bit of light left. I think Naraku's waiting until its completely dark before he takes it, and Kohaku's doing his best to fight it. We'll be nearby to protect her, but I think Sango can help him."
Inuyasha hesitated, balking at the idea at first, but he trusted the miko and set Sango down.
"Don't let yourself get hurt," he grumbled and looked back to the sky, waiting for Naraku to give them an opening. Lightning crackled in the miasma cloud, and it rumbled as if daring the hanyou to attack.
Knowing that her friends were watching her back, Sango stepped forward again towards Kohaku. Her brother's knuckles brushed against the hilt of his weapon, though he hadn't gripped it yet. He stood there shaking.
"Kohaku?" Sango called out, "Kohaku, it's ok. I'm here. You can come with me."
"No," her brother shook his head, "No, sis I killed them. I killed father, I killed you!"
"You didn't kill me," Sango kept walking, her voice gentle, "I'm alive. And you didn't kill father; that was Naraku. He's to blame for all of this, not you."
"It's because of me!" His fingers wrapped around his weapon, "He used me to do it, because I was weak!"
"No, because he thought you were weak," Sango was only a few feet away from him now, "It was your first battle, you were afraid. We were all afraid, it could have happened to any of us."
"But it didn't…it was me!" Kohaku lifted his scythe, but instead of aiming it at Sango he pointed the weapon towards his own neck.
"Kohaku," a soft menacing voice echoed across the rocks, "You can end it. You can repent for what you did, and your suffering will end."
"Naraku, you bastard!" Inuyasha snarled, "When I find you-"
"Look!" Kagome interrupted him and pointed. Behind Kohaku a shadow loomed, the faint outline of what looked like a man. Its dark hand was extended towards the shard in Kohaku's back, though it was not touching him. Kagome glanced up towards the sky again, and then back towards the shadow in shock.
"I-Inuyasha," her voice shook, "Naraku still has the jewel, I can see it but…that…that thing is the jewel too!"
"What?!" The hanyou's ears shot up, and he stared at the shadow.
"Come on Kohaku," the shadow spoke again, "Do you see what you've done to your sister? She's suffered so long…because of you…you'd only bring more her pain by living."
"No!" Sango yelled out angrily, "Kohaku, don't listen to it!"
"Sis," tears streamed down Kohaku's face, "I'm sorry…"
"End it Kohaku!"
The scythe plunged towards his neck, but it stopped short of piercing him. Sango gripped his wrist, just barely holding him back.
"Kohaku don't do this! I forgive you, I've forgiven you long ago! But if you die, I'll never forgive myself," she'd begun crying, "Father, the village, they don't want you do die Kohaku! They loved you, they know what happened wasn't your fault! As long as we live, Naraku hasn't wiped out our village, we have to survive for them! Please don't do this, don't let Naraku wi-"
"Enough!" The shadow suddenly exploded and a burst of dark energy sent Sango flying backwards. The miasma cloud thundered and horde of demons rained down on them.
"Dammit!" Inuyasha swung his sword and began hacking away through the demons. Kirara was overrun by them as she tried to fly towards Sango, and Kagome yelped as she fought them off with her bow.
Landing on her back, Sango felt the briefest relief that she hadn't landed on her stomach before she managed to sit up, her body screaming in protest. The sky thundered overhead, and the shadow beckoned demons with its hand towards Sango.
"Remove her," it ordered, and the demons obeyed. Panicking, Sango glanced around looking for any sort of weapon, finding only rocks. Her Hiraikotsu was too far away. Her hands flew towards her stomach and she braced for the attack.
"No!" The demons headed for Sango were suddenly decapitated, Kohaku's scythe flying through the air. As it returned to his hand, he ran towards the pregnant taijiya and turned to glare at the shadow.
"I won't let you hurt my sister!" He yelled, light returning to his eyes. He flung his weapon out again, slaying more of the demons. His scythe caught one in the side, and he drug it towards himself before revealing a dagger. He stabbed the beast in the skull, ignoring its death cries as he turned his attention to more foes.
Kagome, having made it to Inuyasha's side by this point, looked over at Kohaku and gasped. The shadow was behind him again, though this time when it got to close to his back it appeared as though it were burning.
"His shard!" Kagome shouted, "The light is pushing out the darkness!" The shadow writhed in pain before dissipating into the air. Two glowing red eyes appeared through the darkness and glared at the miko.
"You," it growled, "When the time comes, I will see you again, priestess." The eyes blinked out, replaced with more of Naraku's demons.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha stood closer to the miko, using his claws to rake away a demon at her left, "What the hell was that?"
"I," the miko looked around the clearing for the eyes, a bead of sweat running down her face, "I don't know…" she looked back to Kohaku and Sango, "But Kohaku's light is back! We need to get out of here!" Inuyasha nodded sheathed his sword. Putting Kagome on his back, the two of them raced to free Kirara, before heading over to the sibling taijiya.
By now a pile of demon corpses lay at Kohaku's feet, and the rest seem to give him distance, unsure of what to do. Sango stood behind him looking shocked. When Kirara, Kagome, and Inuyasha reached them, the four made a protective circle around the pregnant woman. The demons hissed in fury, unable to reach their target. After a few moments they began to dissipate into the miasma cloud and left the clearing. The group stood defensively for a moment, waiting for another attack. After a long pause, Kohaku turned to face Sango.
"Sis," He said quietly, "I…I'm sorry for worrying you." She started to speak, but he held up a hand to make her pause, "I ran away, I thought that if Naraku could control me he'd use me to hurt you and your baby. But I…you…you're right. I don't think this is what father wanted, I…can't change what happened. I want to stop Naraku. For father, and our village."
"You can't do it alone," Sango said quietly.
"I know," Kohaku nodded and looked down, "So…can I…help you Sis? Is it ok if…" he looked up again, tears in his eyes, "Is it ok if I come home?" Sango stepped forward and hugged him.
"Yes, Kohaku," her voice choked, "you can stay with me. We'll defeat Naraku, and when this is over you'll live a normal life." Tears spilled out of her eyes again, she didn't think she could cry so much in one day. She had her brother back, she would never let him go again. A small kick thumped her ribs.
"Was that the baby?" Kohaku asked, having felt it. Sango nodded, stepping back and setting her hand against her stomach.
"Yes. Your niece or nephew will be happy to have their uncle," She said, quietly thanking the gods that her child had survived. The guilt began seeping back as she realized what she had been prepared to sacrifice to save her-
There was a quick noise, almost like a pebble flying through the air. The shard from Kohaku's back glinted in the light as a gray piece of flesh carried it into the miasma above. Blood seeped from the boy's neck, his eyes became lifeless as he fell face-first into the dirt.
"KOHAKU!"