It had felt like drowning. The darkness pulling, dragging, weighing them down into an eternal abyss. They'd been stuck there for what felt like a lifetime, thousands of lifetimes. There was no light, no air, only fear and confusion.
Suddenly, a force began to drag them up.
Images spun past them, voices shouting their names, faces they'd thought long gone. The dead were calling to them, pleading with them to wake up; faster and faster everything spun. Visions bled into one another until they could no longer tell them apart: A lake as black as tar, a cold and barren hill, Rin screaming for help, Naoe torn apart by demons, a whip of light, the Hiraikotsu...two fights occurred at once, a raging cacophony stormed through their minds, it crescendoed and they felt as though they were about to burst.
Suddenly it stopped. The voices all quieted, save for one. One familiar voice desperately shouting their names.
"Kohana, Ronuku! Can you hear me?"
They could sense it, a speck of light had appeared in their dark prison and was standing before them. They'd almost forgotten what light was.
They opened their eyes and saw her. Kagome. It had been her voice, she was the one who called to them from across the void.
Where are we? They thought together. They realized that their minds were still connected, neither one had any idea where the border between Kohana and Ronuku's consciousness was anymore. Everything was so hazy.
Had they been dreaming?
"You're awake!" Kagome reached for them, as though she meant to embrace them, but instead her hand completely passed through them. Both looked down, their hands and arms swirled as though they were made of smoke.
Was this a dream?
"What's going on?" They asked Kagome, their voices a monotone unison. The miko stared at them for a moment, a heartbeat of horror flashing across her face before she closed her eyes.
"You...you're still trapped." Her words sounded like an apology.
"Trapped?"
"I thought that waking you up might set you free, but it...the jewel. Your bodies are out there, but you're stuck in here with me. We're inside the jewel."
Our bodies? We're not in our bodies?
That was when they turned to look at each other. Both looked like a pale translucent version of the real thing. Images suddenly flashed through their minds: Ronuku crashing to the ground in a pool of blood, Kohana exhausted and blacking out.
That's right. Their bodies had given up. They'd pushed them past the point of exertion, they no longer felt connected to a physical form.
Are we dead?
They felt dead. They knew that they should be feeling some sort of emotion about this, fear, anger...they couldn't though. They'd spent so long submerging themselves in terror and fury, their capacity to feel anything about this was burned out. The once mighty waves of their emotional calamity had completely evaporated, their hearts were still.
They glanced that the thin thread of light that pulsed weakly between them. They were still connected. Somehow, through all of this, the sibling bond that was forged by Tsuneo and Hisae was still activated, even if it only existed by a single thread. Their powers wouldn't work if they were dead, right?
Our souls then, they surmised, Our souls are stuck here in...the jewel?
That was when they finally looked around. The place where they sat, the ground underneath Kagome, didn't seem to really exist. They were floating in some sort of unknown dimension, it felt as though the rules of their own world, gravity, light, physics...none of that seemed to apply here.
When they looked up, the space that seemed to serve as the sky was split by hundreds of shining fissures. Between each of the fissures images faded in and out, a hundred moving pictures all showing the horrors of a dying forest, miasma choking the air, demons running rampant across the land.
It all looked familiar to them, as if moments ago they'd been seeing this desolate land with their own eyes. Memories began to resurface in their mind: erecting the dome, attacking Miroku, being assaulted by Kaida, Sango and Sesshomaru coming after them…
It…it wasn't a dream. That was all real…
The realities of the horrors they'd caused settled upon them like a sheet of ice. This was their fault, instead of stopping Naraku they'd only furthered his goal. The dome, the hellish nightmare that trapped everyone, their friends' deaths…
They sat quietly for a moment, their souls too exhausted to react to the gravity of their actions. Too exhausted to react to anything. Simply existing felt like a colossal effort, there was barely anything left of themselves.
"Where is everyone else?" They asked after a moment, "What happened to them?"
"I don't know," Kagome answered, "The shadow stopped attacking me after the two of you woke up, I've only been able to see what the jewel is showing above us, I don't know what happened to-"
A thunderous crash interrupted her. Above them the fissures convulsed before suddenly the images shifted; the trees rolled, rocks flew through the air, shadows twisted all around them. It was like looking through an infernal kaleidoscope.
"You dare to mock me!?" a furious voice shouted, "This petulant game of yours won't last forever, I will find you!"
That voice, they recognized, That's Naraku. Kagome's face visibly paled at the shout, but the weapon she held in her hands, a bow made purely from light, flared as she gripped it tighter.
Within their prison several voices growled. As though a veil had been pulled away, a hoard of demons suddenly faded into view. The three of them were completely surrounded, though the beasts did not attack. As still as statues, they all faced upwards as though they were trying to watch what was happening in the images shown between the fissures.
"The jewel was trying to absorb Naraku," Kagome explained quickly, her eyes also focused on the fissures above them, "It's true goal was to absorb everyone, but now that you're not helping it anymore I'm not sure if it can. I think it's focusing everything on Naraku now, especially since he's fighting back."
About a thousand questions came to mind, too many to know which to ask. Instead, Kohana and Ronuku turned their eyes upwards, focusing on the scene that played out above them.
Naraku stood upon a wasteland, his red eyes furiously scanning everything. Around him chunks of flesh convulsed and spewed miasma, a massive length of what appeared to be a giant spider leg twitched hideously. The massive spider, Kohana and Ronuku remembered Naraku's floating citadel, must have collapsed and fallen to the ground.
The jewel was feeding him our power, that's how he created that thing wasn't it? If they've turned on each other, then he probably couldn't keep it afloat anymore…
What was startling was the weapon that Naraku held in his hands. The Tetsusaiga was almost unrecognizable, the blade was coated in miasma and something akin to tar oozed from the metal. The white tuft on the hilt looked as though it had been scorched away, only the size and shape of the weapon remained the same.
What did he do? Inuyasha is the only one who can wield the Tetsusaiga, what happened to…
The sheet of ice gripped their hearts tighter. Their last memory of Inuyasha was leaving him bloody and broken on the battlefield, another casualty wrought by their hands. And now Naraku had his sword.
Their fault. Everything that was happening was their fault.
The image above them spun slightly, and that's when they realized where the jewel was. Beneath a pile of debris, the gem rolled ever so slightly whenever Naraku looked away, almost as though it were trying to hide or run away. Suddenly the fissures made sense, in order to fight back Naraku had been using Tetsusaiga to try and break the jewel.
"I'm not sure how this is going to turn out," Kagome said, "But now that you're here maybe we can think of a way to stop them."
Stop them?
They'd thought that once. That stopping Naraku was possible. That was before they'd helped him kill their friends and destroy their home.
"It's too late," They said quietly.
"What?" Kagome clearly hadn't been expecting that response.
"It's too late," They repeated, "We've already destroyed everything. They won."
"What are you saying? Do you realize what everyone went through just to break you guys free?"
Miroku's dying gasps as he grabbed his bloody throat helplessly came to mind. So did the feeling of holding Kaida's head underwater, or Naoe's shrieks as he was torn apart by demons, or Rin's terrified screams as she was about to be blown apart.
None of that felt like it was worth their freedom.
"They didn't work that hard just for you to give up! Don't you remember hearing Sango? Or Sesshomaru? They came after you and you woke up!"
Sango…Sesshomaru…seeing them had been a relief, but it didn't make sense at the time. It still didn't make sense. Sango had been dead, they remembered killing Sesshomaru with Kohana's own hands, so how had they shown up? It would have been nice if everything stopped there, but it didn't. The dome was still up, their worlds were blurred and soon the jewel would devour Naraku.
Even if Sango and Sesshomaru were alive, how long would it last? They were still out there in that hellish nightmare realm, pretty soon everyone would be dead. Everything was a confusing jumbled mess; the only thing that made sense was that everyone was going to die and it was their fault!
What had breaking them free accomplished? Their souls were trapped here in the jewel, at any moment it would probably start feeding on their power again. Maybe at least they could die as themselves instead of brainwashed ghouls, except even that wasn't possible because neither of them could tell where Ronuku stopped and Kohana began!
All that remained was their weakened husks of souls that were trapped inside the jewel with Kagome.
"Now's not the time to quit," Kagome continued, not caring that she didn't get a response, "We're still here, that means we can do something to stop them! We just have to figure it out, it can't end like this!"
"So, that's where you've been hiding!" Naraku's voice thundered over them. They all looked up just in time to see a wave of toxic fumes headed straight for them. Kagome yelped and held up her bow, quickly surrounding herself, Kohana, Ronuku in a small barrier.
Naraku's miasma, strengthened with the power of the Tetsusaiga struck the jewel like a tidal wave. Sparks flew from the gem as it struggled to hold itself together, a current of demonic energy wreaked havoc within the gem. The demons inside groaned in unison and huddled closer to Kagome's barrier. The fissures shuddered above them and the scene once again spun as the jewel rolled away from its attacker.
"We have to think of something," Kagome insisted, panting as she held her barrier together, "If we let him break the jewel then who knows how long we'll be stuck in here!"
Does she really think that we can find a way out?
They doubted it. From their point of view it didn't look like much could be done, and thinking of a plan was difficult. Thinking of anything was difficult, their souls were so full of grief and exhaustion.
"This wretched fate is your own doing!" Naraku shouted above them, scanning the battleground for the jewel once more, "You should never have defied me!" Angrily he looked around, when his eyes seemed to quickly zero in on them.
"It's only a matter of time before you crumble to pieces and submit to my will!" He raised the sword, readying another strike. Kagome braced herself, preparing her barrier to withstand another attack.
A tree suddenly flew through the air and struck Naraku, knocking him away.
"What the hell did you do?!" A furious voice bellowed, "What the hell did you do to MY TETSUSAIGA?!" A red blur leapt over a shivering hunk of spider carcass and landed between them and Naraku. Kagome gasped, tears instantly forming in the corner of her eyes.
"I-Inuyasha!" She shouted, the relief in her voice almost palpable, "Inuyasha's okay!"
He's alive…
Though Kohana and Ronuku had enough left in them to feel surprised, they also noted that Inuyasha looked anything but okay. His robe of the fire rat was shredded to bits, blood flowing freely from innumerable wounds that covered his body, burn marks covering what little flesh that wasn't bleeding. Some of his wounds were hidden by a thick coat of dirt and grime, his silver hair was stained various shades of crimson and black.
But his golden eyes blazed with fury. The hanyou had come here for a fight, and his sights were set straight on Naraku.
"Inuyasha," Naraku growled, regaining his balance atop another pile of rubble, "How nice of you to join us." His voice was acidic, very much unlike the arrogant tone he'd so often used, and he stared at Inuyasha in surprise and anger.
"Us?" Inuyasha glanced around confused before turning back to Naraku and snarling, "Where is she? What did you do with Kagome?!"
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, "Inuyasha I'm right here!"
Naraku hesitated for a moment before a low chuckle escaped his lips.
"Perhaps you can help me find her," he said, gesturing to the twitching carcass of the spider and the rocks that surrounded them, "I've looked for her over there, under those rocks, beneath that tree…I'm not really sure how many pieces I should be looking for."
"What...what are you saying?!" Inuyasha's voice shook, his face paled as he stared at the fallen carcass.
"Don't tell me you can't remember," Naraku purred, "Or is there so much blood on your hands that you can't even detect hers anymore?"
"What?" Kagome shouted louder, "No! Don't listen to him Inuyasha, I'm here! You didn't hurt me, I'm still here!"
Inuyasha clenched his fists, his jaw tightened as he struggled to fight his expression of agony. He stared down Naraku, his eyes narrowing to furious slits. The darkness in the sky above them pulsed slightly, the miasma around them beginning to swirl.
"No," Inuyasha's snarl burned with hatred, "No that was you…You caused all of this! You hurt my friends, you made them attack everyone else, you're the one who…who…" He closed his eyes, unable to finish his sentence.
"This always happens to you, doesn't it Inuyasha?" Naraku taunted, "You couldn't keep Kikyo alive, and now poor Kagom-"
"Don't you dare say her name!" Inuyasha howled, his eyes snapping open once more, a furious red glow surrounding his pupils, "Quit talking, this ends now Naraku, 'cause you're gonna DIE! BLADES OF BLOOD!" Inuyasha flung the burning red discs at his enemy, Naraku just barely managed to block them with the mutilated Tetsusaiga. Screaming in rage, the hanyou leapt at his opponent.
"Inuyasha, stop!" Kagome screamed, "Stop it, he's lying to you!"
She went unheard, Inuyasha landed in front of Naraku and swept his claws out unleashing the Iron Reaver at close range. Naraku's arm and chest were shredded, but a wave of miasma seeped out of his wounds, poisoning the air around Inuyasha and clouding it with violet fumes. The hanyou leapt back and strained his senses, trying to keep his enemy in sight, when suddenly the Tetsusaiga struck him from behind. He screeched, falling to the ground as a layer of black tar seeped into his wounds.
"No!" Kagome shouted, "Why isn't he listening, why can't he hear me?" She glanced at Kohana and Ronuku, her mind turning as she tried to think of an explanation. "You guys heard me after I shot that arrow, I disrupted the jewel's connection with you…"
"The jewel has grown still," they said, "It's hiding from Naraku."
They couldn't explain how they knew it, but it made sense. When they were connected to the jewel they felt a storm of power constantly surging, a frenzy of hatred and anxiety, so much that it tainted everything around it. They'd projected this dark energy and used it to construct the dome that surrounded everyone, the dome that still mysteriously stood even after they'd been cut off. When she disrupted that flow of energy, Kagome had been able to project her voice through it, but now everything within the jewel was quiet.
If it wanted to remain hidden then it wasn't going to let anything get out.
"We've got to get it moving then!" Kagome looked to them, her eyes pleading, "Please, you've got to help me!"
There's nothing we can do…
Another yelp brought their attention back to the fight. Naraku's wounds were mending themselves as Inuyasha got to his feet again. The hanyou was panting, he wiped the tar from his face and with another howl he lunged again. Naraku ducked away, tentacles erupting from his body and spewing more miasma into the air. Even if Naraku now wielded the Tetsusaiga, he still wasn't a swordsman. It seemed that he still relied on stealth and trickery in combat.
Inuyasha ran through the purple fog, his ears twitching as he tracked Naraku's movement, when suddenly a tentacle darted towards him. He leapt away, only to dodge another tentacle, and then another. More and more came after him, leading him in circles, until Naraku swung the Tetsusaiga again. A wave of sludge poured out and slammed into the exhausted hanyou, knocking him against a fallen tree.
Inuyasha stood again, refusing to be brought down, but where the sludge touched his wounds his flesh began smoke as though it were burning. He spat out a glob of blood and tar and faced down Naraku again. With each moment that passed he seemed to fall further and further into his demonic form, jagged lines were now appearing on his face.
"Fine then, I'll think of something myself!" Kagome dashed away from them, and ran towards the crowd of demons that surrounded them, "Come on! Get moving!" She swung her light bow at them, but the demons stood still, even when she cut through them. Those that were severed vanished, but more slowly filled in and took their place and stood unmoving.
"Argh, come on! Fight me!" The miko was desperate, she focused and suddenly an arrow of light formed in her hands. She readied her weapon and fired into the demons, but they crowded the arrow and absorbed the blow, as though they were muffling her light. More demons faded into view and replaced the dead.
When she readied another arrow a voice suddenly echoed above their heads.
"Silence. Your time will come."
Kohana and Ronuku felt a wave of sudden terror. They recognized that voice, they knew what it meant: Agony. Despair. Darkness. That voice had haunted them, controlled their minds and submerged them into the void for that vast eternity. The voice of that shadow man, the true will of the jewel.
It was in there. Watching them.
"No!" Kagome shouted angrily into the air, "No, I won't be silent, Inuyasha needs to hear me! Inuyasha! Inuyasha I'm here, I'm still alive, please hear me!" She fired another arrow into the demons and her attack was once again suppressed. They began to drift forward, tightening their circle and pushing Kagome back towards Kohana and Ronuku. The miko kept shouting and fighting.
She's not giving up.
Above Inuyasha was snarling again. Every time he was knocked down, he rose again, body more battered than before. He didn't seem to care, Inuyasha was fighting like a man with nothing left to lose. He intended for this to be his final showdown with Naraku, even if it meant that he would die a mad dog by the end of it.
…He's not quitting.
But there's nothing we can do. We've already given everything.
The more Inuyasha fell into his demon self the more reckless he became, he quit dodging attacks and ripped his claws through any tentacle that appeared to attack him. He raced through the fog blind and angry.
"Coward!" He snarled into the air, "Show yourself Naraku!"
Another wave of sludge from the Tetsusaiga flew at him through the fog. He ducked to avoid it, only to be knocked over by a tentacle that had shot out under the attack. When Inuyasha hit the ground, a slew of tentacles shot towards him and pierced his body.
Inuyasha howled, his scream of pain filling the clearing.
The tentacles hoisted him up by the holes they'd ripped through him. Several more shot forward and held his wrists and ankles, another one slithering through the fog and wrapping around his neck. He thrashed against them, claws flexing in a desperate attempt to rip anything they could grab on to, anything that could break him free. The blood was a thick puddle beneath him, growing steadily with each second.
Naraku stepped forward through the fog and laughed.
"To think that after all these years it would end for you like this. Kikyo is dead, your brother is dead, your friends are all dead, Kagome has been torn to pieces, and there's nothing you can do to avenge them," He laughed again, pulsating his tentacles jut to watch Inuyasha writhe in agony, "And now I'm going to kill you with your own sword. Should I grant you a final word?"
Inuyasha snarled, a glob of blood dripping from his mouth.
"Very well, this is your end then. You won't wake up in fifty years this time, I'll make sure there's nothing left for that," Naraku smirked, "Goodbye Inuyasha." He raised the Tetsusaiga and it pulsed.
"No!" Kagome screamed towards the sky, her face crumpling in terror and grief, "No you can't kill him! Inuyasha! INUYASHA!"
Ronuku and Kohana felt the atmosphere within the jewel shift.
"Now." The voice whispered.
The demons came to life and suddenly began to spin in a frenzy. Kagome ignored them and raced forward, tears falling in the wake of each step. She summoned an arrow and raised her bow towards the sky.
"INUYASHA PLEASE HEAR ME!" She screamed and fired her weapon. The light shot forward and raced through the fissures. The jewel began to glow, the iridescent light shining up the clearing as though it were bellowing its presence to the world.
The light caught Naraku's eye just before he swung the sword.
Inuyasha's ears twitched and his eyes lit up.
"There," Naraku hissed, his head turning towards the jewel, "There you are! What is-"
Inuyasha bellowed, turning his wrists on the tentacles. He ripped them apart, tearing himself free before lunging forward and grabbing the Tetsusaiga's hilt.
"She's here!" He shouted, the gold hue returning to his eyes, "Kagome's here somewhere you lying bastard! No matter where she is I'm going to find her, even if I have to tear through you a thousand times over until you tell me where!" With his claws on the hilt, the Tetsusaiga pulsed again, the purple hue suddenly vanishing as the weapon felt the presence of its true master, "Now let go of MY SWORD!"
Faster than could be seen Inuyasha turned the weapon and slashed through Naraku's face. The hanyou jumped away from him, gaining distance before raising the weapon once more.
"WIND SCAR!"
The attack tore across the ground, lighting up the sky and ripping through the broken trees and remains of the behemoth spider. Naraku scrambled to get away but he wasn't quick enough. The wind scar hit him, he didn't have enough time to shriek before he was torn to shreds, pieces of his body flung in every direction through the sky.
Inuyasha moved to step forward but stumbled. He caught himself by digging the Tetsusaiga into the ground, relying on it to hold himself up. He shuddered and panted, glancing at the scarlet puddles covering the clearing. The gaping holes in his body continued to bleed, poison tar dripping from his tattered clothing. He tried stepping again, but fell before his body could move any further.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed his name again, "Inuyasha you can't die! Not now!"
"Ka…gome…" The hanyou's ears twitched again, weakly turning his head to look for her, but he couldn't get up.
"I have to help him," the miko wailed, "We need to get out, so-"
She was cut off as the image above them shifted again, the jewel began to roll across the ground much faster than before. Up ahead a mass of flesh was twitching, a mass of flesh that used to be Naraku. All around the clearing clumps of his flesh were joining together, all headed towards one central mass as he hurried to rebuild himself. The jewel stopped just next to it and waited.
"What's…Oh! Oh no!" Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what was happening. "No, stop! Stop!" She aimed her arrow, but the demons suddenly swarmed her and knocked her over, disrupting the shot.
Kohana and Ronuku stared at the sky and understood.
We've lost.
He's going to absorb Naraku.
The jewel won.
Before they could even say anything, the unyielding glow of the gem suddenly shone brighter, specifically targeting the giant mass of flesh that was now together and hurrying to reshape itself. Just as Naraku's face reappeared, he began to slip away. The void of the gem and the outside world began to blur together, the sky spun, the earth shifted, the fissures above vanished. The demons within the gem abandoned Kagome and swarmed to one central location, wriggling and writhing as the area around them lit up.
From the outside world it appeared as if Naraku had simply vanished and a single unblemished gem was all that was left in his wake.
Inside the gem Naraku's body fell in amongst the demons. They swarmed, pulling his body apart like pieces of flesh colored wax. For every hole that was torn into Naraku, a swarm of demons flew out and buzzed around him. More and more they ripped, demons filling the gem, until Naraku was nothing more than a head, torso, and a mass of tentacles.
"What…How…HOW?!" His voice shook, he stared into the black abyss completely aghast. A voice chuckled overhead.
"Didn't I tell you Naraku? No matter how hard you plotted, how many schemes you wove, you can't escape your destiny." The voice sounded as though it came from every direction, "You've lost, no more outmaneuvering or placing your pawns. It's over. I beat you."
"No…No this can't be…" Naraku turned his head in every direction, searching for the source of the voice in his hate filled gaze. He found nothing. "I had them! I had them all, Inuyasha was in my grasp!"
"Yes, and yet you let yourself become distracted at the last second. Did you ever think I would ever submit to a creature as lowly and foolish as you?"
In a scream of rage Naraku's tentacles shot out, striking at every demon in his path. They vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing seconds later.
"Come now, you know how that's not how it works in here. You've got but one enemy you need to worry about from now on."
A light suddenly shown around Kagome, illuminating her against the darkness. She jumped back, summoning another arrow, but the light followed her, highlighting her body as the main and only target within the entire void.
"Dear sweet Kagome has been waiting patiently for you to arrive. Now that you're here we don't have to wait any longer."
Naraku stared at Kagome, pure venom dripping from his gaze, though he seemed to hesitate. Naraku was always the one who gave orders, he never obeyed them. The shadowy man-figure, the physical representation of the jewel, suddenly appeared behind him and slammed his fist through Naraku's head.
"Naraku. After all is said and done, you're nothing but a mass of weakened demons. And here, in my darkness, I control all things evil, all things frightened and wicked, all things that a demonic aura thrives on. Welcome to my domain."
"It's time for you to bend to my will."
Naraku hissed, a guttural howl coming from his throat, his tentacles writhed in agony as his arms contorted backwards. His eyes rolled back in his head, pupils vanishing until nothing was left but a red glow. The shadow removed his hand and vanished into the darkness. Naraku looked down, bending his head until his target was locked within his sights.
Kagome fired her arrow, the weapon tore through one of Naraku's tentacles just seconds before he lunged at her. She turned and ran, but wasn't fast enough to escape his grasp. Kagome screamed as he lifted her up, swinging her bow at his other tentacles, burning him wherever her weapon purified his flesh. He didn't react to the pain, he simply reached forward and grabbed her throat. Her screams were suddenly silenced as she fought for breath, her small fingers clawing at his arm.
Kohana and Ronuku watched, a feeling of horror creeping over them.
Kagome.
He's going to kill Kagome.
She doesn't deserve this.
"Now now my darling," the jewel's voice wafted over them, "There's no reason to panic, you can't die in here, neither of you. Even though you feel the pain of suffocation, in my realm you two can't end one another."
His words seemed to do anything but comfort Kagome, but through her choking she managed to summon another arrow of light in her hands and rammed it into Naraku's arm. He let go and she fell a few feet, gasping and holding her throat. Hurriedly she tried to crawl away, but another tentacle shot forward and pierced her leg.
They couldn't die in this realm, but Kagome's blood, her screams of pain were very real.
Something stirred within Ronuku and Kohana at seeing their friend's pain. It was the slightest of feelings, a small echo crying out against the endless silence of their hearts, but it was there. They'd known Kagome from the beginning, from a lifetime long ago when they'd all been distant classmates that occasionally passed one another in the hallway. It was because of Kagome that they'd found this world, following her home from school that day had led them to the feudal era.
It was also Kagome who had fought the jewel to free them from its grasp.
After all this, after years of collecting jewel shards, fighting Naraku, and helping as many people as she could, this was to be her fate? Eternal suffering at the hands of their hated foe?
…This isn't right.
Kagome was limping now, struggling to put distance between herself and Naraku, but she managed to turn and fire another arrow at him. It shot forward, piercing one of his many tentacles, and purified the appendage. Naraku hissed in pain, recoiling for but a second, before he charged forward again, a wave of miasma rushing out of him. The air around Kagome crackled, her powers of purification raging against the taint that Naraku spewed.
On and on they raged, each hit igniting more sparks than the last. Purification, Taint, Kagome's arrow, Naraku's miasma, light and dark. Each clash between the two sent a pulse running through the jewel, something slowly began to churn within.
An image began to appear, encompassing them and yet serving as a backdrop to Kagome and Naraku's fight. The two siblings glanced around, recognition slowly dawning on them as they turned their heads and saw what the jewel showed them, what it was setting its focus on.
It was as if they were floating above the entire battle field, sitting at the very apex of the horrid dark dome that they'd created. The thing still stood, encompassing miles of blackened and dead forest. The jewel seemed to pulse again, and suddenly the land below was crawling with insects.
No, not insects…souls, those are souls.
They glanced at the weakened thread of light that served as their bond. The jewel pulsed again, and the thread wavered, a whisper of a thought that was not their own touching their senses. They felt a hunger, a vast hunger that desired more power, more destruction, more conflict…
The will of the jewel. With each pulse the jewel grew stronger, was returning to life, and somehow the thread of electric current between them was able to decipher the jewel's intentions and vision. They couldn't explain how this was able to happen, perhaps their time spent submerged to the jewel's will had attuned their bond to it, made them aware of its thoughts.
They closed their eyes, blocking out every other sense so that the only thing they felt was the hum of the electric current between them and how the pulse of the jewel shook it. They focused everything on that pulse, each one giving them a clearer and precise vision, as though they were looking through the jewel's eyes itself.
Beneath them scores of souls were racing around in turmoil and chaos, most of them were demons still searching for something to kill, unaware that Naraku was no longer among them. Their souls radiated with heat and anger, the intent to kill flowing off of them in waves. Their prey were scattered throughout the surrounding woods. Humans, innocent villagers that were trying in vain to flee, their souls were vibrating in terror and sorrow. Some of these souls were motionless, anchored to bodies that were no longer moving, unable to pass on from this world.
It was amongst one of these groups that they felt they recognized someone. An older spirit, their terror was present, but overshadowed by a sense of calm and a will to fight. The more Ronuku and Kohana focused, the more they felt they knew this soul. Kaede. It was Kaede. She was surrounded by a group of younger souls, Recca and his gang, two terrified but angry demons, Jaken and Shippo, and Ah-Un. Together they all protected two very tiny souls, most likely infants. They were all huddled close, hiding under the remains of a fallen tree, and everything within the elderly priestess' being vibrated with the need to protect these kids.
Not far away they sensed another soul, a small demon whose power seemed to dwarf that of most of the demons nearby. Unlike the rest of the demons, its soul did not cry out for hunger, but instead radiated fear and confusion. This fear, this desperate cling for survival, drove it forward causing it to lash out and tear through any demon that came close to it.
A jolt of recognition trilled through Kohana and Ronuku.
That's…that's Futeki!
They began to sense other souls they recognized. Kaida was weighed down with grief, yet she limped onwards next to a hopeful Rin, the both of them following an angry Sesshomaru whose soul trembled with the barest hint of trepidation. The three of them moved forward in the darkness, searching for any sign of their friends.
On the other edge of the dome, Sango's soul shook with worry though her body was unconscious. Next to her a very anxious Kohaku reached for his sister, trying desperately to wake her, as Kirara stood by. The demon-cat was filled with grief and dread, yet she stood ready to protect the two slayer children. In the clearing, Miroku and Naoe's souls stood silently, chained to the bodies that were trapped in this void.
In the center of the dome Inuyasha's soul shook with fury. His body was broken and too weak to move, but every fiber of him radiated with the need to find Kagome. He feared for her life, and was angry that he was unable to help her, unable to protect her from the evil force that had taken her from him.
All around the dome more souls came into view. Koga, struggling to fight on to avenge Hakkaku and Ginta. Yugao, racing through the darkness to reunite with Kaori and Taji. Keiji, Fuko and Noruto all separate and alone but fighting demons. Taisuke. Chikara. Even the souls of squirrels raced through the trees, Risu, his mate, and their children, giving their all to fight desperately.
With each soul they recognized, Kohana and Ronuku's souls shook. They had thought they were too far gone to feel anything anymore, but for every single spirit down there they felt something. Fear for their lives, surprise that those they had thought dead were still alive, grief and sorrow for the fallen souls trapped in there…and love. Not just for Sesshomaru or Sango, but for all of them. Each soul down there had meant something to them, fought by their side, taught them, made them laugh, made them cry…
Their families were down there, their friends were down there, and after everything that had happened they were still going on. They were still ready to fight, no matter how horrid that hellish void got they still struggled onward, refusing to give up.
The jewel eyed every single soul down there with exactly one thing in mind.
Hunger.
The dark dome was still standing, and slowly it began spinning again. Ronuku and Kohana recognized the darkness of the dome, it resembled the same unyielding darkness that was the void inside the jewel. Suddenly things began to click. When the jewel forced them to create the dome, they created a void that existed somewhere between their world and the world within the jewel. And now the jewel meant to swallow it.
They remembered the words that the jewel had said, the ominous threat it had used their mouths to deliver:
'When the world is swallowed, you will fight until the end of eternity.'
It wasn't just Kagome who was fated to suffer. The jewel intended to force them all to fight and suffer for eternity, all of their loved ones would be nothing more than fodder so that this evil gem could exist forever.
No...No this can't happen…
Kagome screamed again and they opened their eyes once more. She was bleeding from several wounds, Naraku had gained the upper hand and was dragging her towards him, ready to strike her again.
No…WE can't let this happen!
Something surged between them, the white thread between them suddenly flared. Tsuneo and Hisae's ancient power, the bond they'd given everything for: The power to protect those they loved. Suddenly Kohana and Ronuku were filled with strength, their weariness and sorrow forgotten. If they didn't act now, then everything they loved would be lost.
In a colossal effort, pushing against all the weakness and fatigue that clung to their souls, they stood. Their bond grew brighter, encasing them in a white light, electricity and fire flaring all around them as their power grew. This was the true purpose of their bond, the reason they'd gone to such great lengths to awaken it. Not to serve or bow to someone else, but to defend their family.
A swift rage filled their hearts, their eyes were suddenly aglow, glittering like furious stars.
Not a trace of darkness was on them.
"Leave her alone!" They screamed, racing to Kagome's side. Naraku barely had the chance to look up before he was struck with a white hot blast that sent him reeling. Kohana and Ronuku took up a protective stance on either side of the miko, their bond forming a defensive ring around her.
"You guys, what are…" Kagome looked at both of them, her face stunned, "What's happening?"
Before they could answer, Naraku was up again, facing them angrily. Their attack had done little more than shove him, the only wounds he bore were the ones struck by Kagome, but he still looked furious.
"Were you not listening?" The jewel asked, "This is my realm, one will always have dominance over the other, but none of you can die. Kohana, Ronuku, not even your powers can change this."
This didn't stop them from striking again when Naraku rushed them. Once more this knocked him back but did not bring him down.
Damn, he's right, they thought, noting the thick darkness that swirled over their heads. The jewel had been tainted for a long time, no wonder Naraku easily kept the upper hand. Their powers could strengthen others, but it came from their desire to protect their family, they couldn't influence the taint or purification of the jewel.
But Kagome could.
They didn't even need to think about it, without hesitation they helped the miko up and took her hands. Her palms felt like ice in theirs, but they held on, letting the hot white flames of their bond dance across her skin. She flinched, but their flames did not burn her.
"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, only the barest hint of fear creeping in her voice. They stared back at her, their flashing white eyes boring into her soul.
"We're giving it to you," they said.
Suddenly a wall of electricity erupted around them, keeping Naraku at bay. Their light washed over Kagome, bathing every inch of her in a white glow. Her consciousness brushed against theirs, it startled her at first, but a moment later she exhaled and nodded.
Kagome trusted them.
Their minds linked with hers. A sudden flood of emotions washed over them: Love for Inuyasha, fear for their friends, anger at Naraku, fury at the jewel. All the things that raged in Kagome's heart were suddenly open to them, every thought of hers made clear, as was theirs to her.
This…this is your power? Kagome thought in awe.
Yes, they answered, You're the only one who can purify this place and stop them. The jewel used our power like a battery, he used it to hurt…
They didn't have to say. Every image, thought and memory that had been plaguing their hearts was suddenly available for Kagome to see. Her heart turned at their memories, but she felt no anger.
There's…there's nothing we can say…no apology or action that will...
That wasn't you, Kagome answered, None of that was. That was all the jewel, you can't blame yourselves. Her words reflected her heart, not a single ounce of Kagome blamed them for what happened.
Even so, they said, We can't let them win. Whatever it takes, even if it kills us, our power will be used to stop them, to make up for what we did. But you have to wield it, you're the one who can stop this.
Their power flared brighter around them, their energy racing into the miko's soul and setting her afire.
Everything we have is yours Kagome, use it!
Right, Kagome nodded again, Thank you. We're together now, we're going to make this right. Let's beat them!
Kagome turned, her body vibrated with boundless energy coursing through her veins. Being connected with Ronuku and Kohana eased her fears, she wasn't alone in this place. She summoned her bow of light once more, letting Ronuku and Kohana's fury fuel her weapon as she summoned an arrow as well. Everything burned brighter than before, as though she held a miniature sun in her hands that could obliterate anything vile within its path. Outside the force field of electricity Naraku raged, furiously trying to get at them though he could not get through Kohana and Ronuku's bond.
Take him out, they said, You can purify Naraku and stop him.
No, Kagome responded, He'll just keep coming back if we can't die in here. I have a better idea.
She didn't even have to explain it in her mind, the two were immediately in agreement. Together the three of them searched around, looking into the shadows beyond their sight until at last Kagome suddenly caught sight of a glimmer, the slightest movement of shadow.
There! Kagome notched her arrow and aimed it.
Kick his ass! Kohana and Ronuku shouted.
"You wanted a fight," she shouted into the darkness, defiant as ever as the crackling energy around her made her look like a vengeful spirit of justice, two vicious stars burning brightly behind her, "So now I'm gonna give you one! Take this!" She released her arrow, it flew well past Naraku, shooting out into the darkness towards its true target.
"What?! No, you foolish girl, you can't possibl-!"
The arrow struck the shadow-figure, the will of the jewel formed by its taint and pinned it to the sky. The arrow burned bright, sparks of light raining down on the darkness below it, purifying the air around it, burning through the miasma.
"I've had enough of your stupid games!" Kagome kept shouting, "I've been chasing you all across Japan, and everywhere you've gone you've brought nothing but pain and misery, for what?! Just so you can continue to exist?!" She fired another arrow, and it hit its mark. The void around them shook, a sudden thunderous crack echoing over their heads.
"You've hurt my friends time and time again! You manipulated Naraku into doing it, you hurt Kikyo and Inuyasha, you cursed Miroku's family, destroyed Sango's village, tormented her brother, you've murdered countless others and now you've used Ronuku and Kohana as your puppets to hurt us! There's no way I'm going to ever help something like you continue to exist!"
She fired a third arrow, a crack of jagged light suddenly ripped the sky, threatening to split the void within the jewel in two. All of the malefic energy within stormed around them; Naraku thrashed even harder against their barrier, but Kagome felt Kohana and Ronuku holding out against him, refusing to give up.
"You stupid girl," the jewel hissed, "What do you think happens if you purify me? You'll still be trapped in here, you'll never escape!"
"Is that so?" Kagome retorted, "You forget, my family has tended the Higurashi shrine for generations, I know exactly what you are! You look for wishes to grant just so you can twist them and hurt people, but you have to grant them! Well I've got a wish for you!" She summoned a fourth arrow and aimed it straight for the shadow's heart. Kohana and Ronuku pushed behind her, pouring their energy into her arrow of purification, the beam of light flared and burned with the white hot energy of an entire galaxy. The miko focused her weapon and pulled back.
"My wish is that the Shikon no Tama stops existing!" She screamed, every bit of her righteous fury and love for her friends empowering her shout, "Leave this place and never hurt anyone ever again!" She loosed her arrow and it took off, a comet of purification energy racing through the void.
It hit its mark, tearing through the shadow and ripping it apart. The darkness around them brightened, a white glow enveloped everything. Naraku began dissipating, falling away bit by bit as the purified jewel ripped his demonic energy apart. His eyes became themselves again, just in time for him to register that it was Kagome who delivered the killing blow. He didn't even have time to screech in fury before he completely dissipated.
Neither Kagome, nor Ronuku and Kohana had thought about what would happen once the jewel gave in to her wish, not with them still inside it.
Their only goal had been to protect their friends, even at the cost of their own lives.
The white void in which they stood imploded with such a force that Kagome's mind couldn't comprehend it. The noise deafened her, the sudden light blinded her. She felt as though she were flung through time and space, like falling through the well but at the speed of light. Her stomach turned, her limbs flailed, she screamed for help but couldn't hear her own voice.
When she collided with stone-hard ground it knocked the wind out of her. She lay there gasping for breath, feeling around with her arms, struggling to see. Senses came back to her slowly. The sound of the wind reached her first, blowing through what sounded like trees. Images faded in slowly, splotches of darkness, hulking shadowy figures looming beside her. She stilled until her vision cleared, not wanting to be attacked without knowing what was coming after her.
But nothing attacked her. A second passed, then another, until everything finally started to come into focus. The ruined forest. She was out in the woods, down where everyone had been struggling and fighting for so long, where a lot of her friends died…
Holding her head, she sat up, fighting a wave of nausea that threatened to undo her. Her body ached, blood covered her ankle, as did the several other wounds that Naraku had inflicted on her.
Had that all actually happened?
She glanced around, trying to see if there was anyone nearby, when her eyes fell on an object that made her heart freeze: the Shikon no Tama.
After all this, it was still here?!
It looked dead though. No light emitted from it, no dark. Just a tiny glass orb. A sudden gust of wind picked up, and a moment later the jewel began to fall away as though it had been made of ash. The particles blew into the air and vanished, tossed away into eternity.
The Jewel of Four Souls was no more.
It was over.
Above her the light in the sky shifted. The dark dome had vanished, an evening sky greeted her, blood red and orange clouds slowly creeping their way by. The sun was sinking in the horizon, night would soon be upon her and she would be out here alone in the wilderness.
"Ka…gome…" A voice called out to her. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest, she whipped her head around looking for the source of the voice. When she saw who it was, the broken bloodied body lying helplessly on the ground, she wept.
"Inuyasha…" She said, struggling to stand, to try and crawl to her beloved hanyou. Her injuries screamed protest with every step, but she continued on, "Inuyasha I'm right here!" When she reached him she grabbed his hand, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Kagome, you're…alive…" Inuyasha coughed, but the relief showed in his golden eyes, no matter how weak he had become "I'm sorry…couldn't protect you…"
"It's okay," Kagome whispered, kneeling over him and pressing her head against his, "You still came for me. We're both still here, we're alive." Inuyasha coughed again, a trickle of blood spilling down his lips. Weakly he lifted his other arm and pulled her towards him, embracing her while he could.
Alone at the end of the world, bloodied and battered, the two of them prepared to face the coming night.
Kagome was so engrossed that she didn't notice until much later that Kohana and Ronuku had vanished.