Part 27: Culmination
A/N: Happy holidays and happy New Year in anticipation. This is the chapter you've all so patiently waited for!
Once again, thank you dear reviewers! Your words of encouragement make me push forward:
Little25victor
AmorPorSiempre
Ladyfujin (x2)
GeraniumRyka154
Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish for it, I unfortunately own nothing except my plot, and a few OC's here and there.
His teeth clenched tight, Sesshoumaru slowly sank to his knees. I screamed in horror and denial but no one hear me, least of all Sesshoumaru and Naraku, who were secluded and separated from all of us by a damn barrier.
I knew what was coming next. The hanyou was going to reenact the murder of Touga. The bright smile on his lips let me know how much he relished the thought of killing Sesshoumaru with his own sword as he had with Touga. I struggled to keep my eyes on the glowing screen. I could not stand to watch the man I loved being stabbed.
Naraku rounded his prey. Sesshoumaru was kneeling on the dusty ground, his back straight, his eyes staring forward, waiting for whatever Naraku was planning.
I closed my eyes when Naraku stopped behind Sesshoumaru. I was pinned, there was nothing I could do, and I knew the protective shield was keeping Inuyasha and the rest of the Tashio clan away. No one was going to swoop in and rescue Sesshoumaru at the last moment.
Naraku raised the blade, his eyes staring straight at me through the cameras and the screens, then he brought the weapon down, targeting the soft skin of Sesshoumaru's back.
I slumped forward in defeat. I did not care that Jakotsu's blade had cut the soft skin of my throat causing a trickle of blood to run down my neck, or that Yura had almost choked me to death only a few moments ago. The two goons could just kill me now. It would not matter. Nothing else mattered. Naraku had just stabbed Sesshoumaru in the heart.
Why did he have to worry about me? Any other time I would have been happy for Sesshoumaru to put on such a display of love, but not at the risk to his own life. I clenched my eyes shut, tears now falling freely down my face. So soon after losing mom for good, I could not bear the thought of losing Sesshoumaru too. The twisted monster known as Naraku had dared use Sesshoumaru's own weapon against him. This very morning my lover had taken the blade out from the special safe tucked away in the hidden compartment behind his wardrobe in our room. He had told me it was the twin of Inuyasha's Tessaiga and that he only used it on special occasions. Forged from his father's fang, the beautiful sword was his one true heritage from Touga Tashio. To have it used to hurt him, was unbearable for me to watch; I therefore closed my eyes.
"What the actual fuck!"
Jakotsu's exclamation made me open my eyes, and was I glad I did. Sesshoumaru had pushed himself back to his feet, the sword still imbedded in his flesh. I was surprised to see that he had not shed one drop of blood. In fact he was completely unharmed. I then noticed a faint green glow surrounding him, and it was emanating from… his finger? Then I remembered, I had given him the protective ring carved from his father's fang. It must have protected him! I sighed in deep relief.
Naraku was as shocked as his mercenary. The monster who raised me stumbled to one knee and crawled away. Now Sesshoumaru was the one towering over him.
My love slowly removed the blade embedded in his back and placed it back at his hip, as cool as ever. He then leaned down and picked up his second sword, twirling it around in his palm before pointing the tip towards Naraku.
"Naraku, enough with your games. This ends now."
Unfortunately the hanyou was not one to be beaten easily. He quickly dragged himself away from the reach of Sesshoumaru's weapon. The coward then used his tentacles to build a protective shield around him.
While they were all stunned, now was the time to act. I was done being used as a pawn!
"Jakotsu!" I cleared my throat, still feeling the effects of Yura's earlier attack. "Why do you keep working for a coward like Naraku? Don't you realize following him will lead to your death? Have you not lost enough because of him already?"
The mercenary's blade fell slightly, but he brought it back up against my throat. Looks like I had hit a nerve. Good. He seemed to start feeling the effects of my earlier attack. Blood was still pouring down his back and torso. Playing mind games in his weakened state could help me escape.
"Honey we are mercenaries, dying young comes with the job." Even if he had said it matter-of-factly, I could tell by the coldness in eyes that he was still hurt by the deaths of his brothers.
"I was there when your friend Bankotsu passed. Naraku knew where he was locked up, and your brother was certain the hanyou had told you, and you had refused to come save him. If you must know he died with your name on his lips." I chanced a quick look away from Jakotsu's face to glance at the TV. Sesshoumaru was trying to break down Naraku's disgusting tentacle protection cocoon. Good, he was buying me some time.
"Naraku didn't tell me shit!" Jakotsu snapped angrily.
"Too bad Bankotsu didn't know that." I replied with a shrug. "The way things must have looked to him, you were too scared and hid away while your friend and leader was taken captive."
Jakotsu's eyes flashed in rage. He pointed the knife so close to my throat that it tore me open, causing a major bleed. "One more word from your damn mouth, and I will slit your throat for good. Naraku's instructions be damned."
"Don't lay a hand on her, or there will be consequences!" Yura warned him. She was Naraku's willing lover and servant; she would remain a good little solider until the end. There was no use toying with her; no way would she betray Naraku.
"I don't give a fuck about what that asshole of Naraku wants." The mercenary snarled. In that moment I was sure that if he could, he would have bitten off Yura's head.
"Killing me won't bring your brothers back. It won't assuage your guilt for leaving them behind to die…" I was pushing my luck by provoking the unhinged human, but I had to try something to move things along.
"You have no idea what you're talking about. They knew I would have come for them…"
"But you did not." I cut him off. "And they died because of it."
"Shut up, both of you! Who the hell cares about a bunch of dead humans?!" Yura spit angrily, I smirked. Game over.
In a movement so quick I barely realized what was happening, Jakotsu took the knife away from my neck and threw it at Yura, burying the blade deep in between her eyes. She collapsed, blood gushing from the wound on her forehead. By the time she hit the ground, she was already dead.
"No one talks about my brothers that way." Jakotsu spit out. "That's why I fucking hate women."
Just as I had expected the two goons had turned on each other. My only regret was that I had not been the one to end Yura. The sudden death of the hair demon loosened the restraints that had me held down. Before I could make use of my newly found freedom to attack Jakotsu, a loud bang resonated throughout the room, shaking the very walls. We both wobbled, but I used my winds to anchor myself, and remained on my feet. On the other hand, the mercenary fell to the ground, next to the corpse of the demoness he had murdered.
I flexed my aching fingers, summoning my fan back to me. In case Naraku had another surprise coming for me, I needed to be ready.
"Keh! Finally made it through!"
I almost wept in relief. My family was here, I did not have to fight alone anymore. As I expected, Inuyasha came barging through the door.
"Kagura, you alright? I smelled your blood." The hanyou approached me, cautious of the blood-covered mercenary who had gotten to his feet and was now facing him.
"I'm fine." I wiped the blood along my throat. "Just a scratch."
"Sorry for being late. Some witch hired by Naraku prevented us from getting to you. We dispatched her, but had some trouble breaking her barrier. Good thing she managed to make us a passage." My brother in-law explained.
I looked behind Inuyasha, expecting to see Kagome, but to my surprise, no miko in sight. I then looked towards the cracked door, and I was shocked to see the last person I would have ever expected: Sakura Tashio.
"Are we to stand around and explain things to the wind witch, or are we to go help my son? The devious spider cheated thus forfeiting the duel." Sesshoumaru's mother had barely finished her statement that she stepped back out, obviously uncaring about what was to become of me next.
"She's right. We need to go to Sesshoumaru… or are the others on their way to him?" I needed to go help him out. Who knew what other awful plans Naraku had lined up?
Inuyasha clenched his jaw. Something was up.
"Naraku sent a horde of youkai to the shrine. Grandpa held them up while Sango, Miroku and Kagome rushed home to keep them safe. Thankfully the bastard's men are more quantity than quality. Our people are strong they can take them on..."
What Inuyasha want saying was that while Naraku's troops might not be strong, they were numerous. As much as I trusted Kagome, Miroku and Sango they were still humans and fatigued much sooner than us youkai. How long would they be able to hold off Naraku's attack? My heartbeat picked up. I had been so focused on rescuing mom and Sesshoumaru's duel that it had never occurred to me that the spider monster might have some evil plans regarding the kids.
"You've got to go help them!" I cried out. Images of our children hurt by Naraku's army swam in my head.
"Keh! I want to, but I promised that I'd only go after making sure you and Sesshoumaru were okay." If Inuyasha clenched his jaw even more, it might snap. Clearly the anguish on his face made me realize how much he was struggling between shared loyalties.
"Will you keep airing your family drama, or is one of you going to fight me?" Jakotsu unfolded his sword, and I noticed that the injuries I had inflicted on him earlier had taken their toll on him as he struggled to properly lift his weapon. "Maybe you'll do the honors my cute hanyou. This time around, I will be sure to cut your ears and keep them as a memento as I did your friend's eye."
"Kagura, go." The quiet rage boiling in Inuyasha's voice caused shivers to run down my spine. "I will make the bastard pay for hurting Miroku and killing your mother."
"The old youkai deserved it. I loved hearing her screams of pain." Jakotsu licked a speck of Yura's blood from his cheek.
Hearing him speak so casually about murdering my mother enraged me, before I knew it, I was charging him, unleashing wind blades. He had seen me coming, and easily deflected my attack.
Inuyasha rushed towards me and grabbed my arm.
"Sesshoumaru won't be able to focus on his fight unless he knows you're okay. Go to him, I promise to avenge your mother."
I looked up at the television screen, and saw that the feed had been cut from our side. I wondered if it was due to Yura's death, or if Naraku had sent away his bees. The last of the feed Sesshoumaru must have seen had shown me being kept prisoner by Yura's hair with Jakotsu threatening to slit my throat. How could Sesshoumaru defeat Naraku while fearing for my safety? Inuyasha was right, mother was already gone, and I needed to put Sesshoumaru first. I had to make sure he was okay, and let him know I had freed myself. Only then would he feel himself free to kill Naraku.
"Kill him. Don't show him any mercy." I hated the fact that I would not see my mother's murderer be killed, but Inuyasha was right, right now Sesshoumaru came first. "Once you make him pay, go help the others keep our kids safe."
"With pleasure!" The hanyou pointed his sword at the mercenary.
"Do you really think I will let you off so easily?" Jakotsu uncoiled his sword and launched an attack my way. Before I could react, Inuyasha had stepped in between us, using his sword to block the incoming blow.
"I'm your opponent now." To emphasize his point, he launched a claw attack, which Jakotsu easily side-stepped.
I steeled my heart and ran for the door. Inuyasha could handle himself, I needed to go to Sesshoumaru.
I ran faster than I ever had. Through the basement, up the stairs and down corridors. I even called the wind forth to help me run faster. Soon enough I finally found myself at the fighting pit. I could hear the roar of the crowd in the stands on the floor above, and I wondered what prompted their cheers of joy. Had Sesshoumaru managed to destroy Naraku's protective cocoon, or had the hanyou injured my lover? Damn it, not knowing was worse than everything. To my frustration, I found myself in front of the impenetrable barrier that had been placed to guarantee the sanctity of the duel between the two Lords. In my opinion due to his cheating Naraku had forfeited the duel therefore the barrier should have been taken down. Unfortunately it seems that the other two Lords did not agree. Kouga probably did, but considering how calculating Menoumaru was, I would not put it past him to refuse to lift the barrier until either Sesshoumaru or Naraku was dead. The damn moth probably had already decided how the forfeited lands of the defeated lord would be carved. A problem to deal with later. For now, I needed to get in that arena and fast.
I raised my fan, and launched wind blades. Sadly they were quickly absorbed by the glowing surface of the barrier.
"Fuck this!" This time around I launched swirling wind tornadoes.
Unfortunately, despite my repeated attacks, the protective shield around the fighting space was still in place. How was I to get to Sesshoumaru?
"Pathetic, it seems I will once again need to intervene." Sakura glided next to me. "For the record, I am doing this for my son, not for your benefit."
The older woman unfastened her fancy necklace.
"A gift from my late husband. Sesshoumaru is not the only with an affinity for youkai artifacts. She palmed the large dark stone I had always seen hanging around her neck and placed it against the barrier. Instantly a vortex formed, creating an opening in the barrier. I was shocked to see Sakura held such power.
I tentatively stepped towards the opened gateway. "You're not coming?" I asked noticing that she had not moved a muscle.
"My son has no need of me to defeat that despicable hanyou." If I had had time to reflect on this moment, I might have been tempted to smile a Sakura. This was probably as glowing an endorsement I was ever to get from my mother in-law to be.
"Thank you." I called over my shoulder as I stepped through the barrier. As soon as I did, the gateway closed-up. Sesshoumaru, Naraku and I were once again trapped inside the barrier until one of the two Lords lay dead. I was so nervous as I did not know what would await me ahead. I had rushed over not having a plan, but there was no time to second-guess myself. Sesshoumaru needed me.
Being inside the barrier was weird. It felt like stepping into another dimension. Gone were the excited screams coming from the blood-thirsty audience. I was now enveloped in a quiet space, without seeing anything from the outside.
"Kagura."
A voice called behind me, and I instantly turned.
"Sesshoumaru." I scanned my eyes all over his form, checking him for injury. His clothes were shredded in some places and the pristine white had been dyed brown by some dried blood, but all in all he seemed majorly unharmed. I sighed in relief.
He also ran his eyes all over me, and I nodded, letting him know I was okay. He may have not spoken a word, but the relief he felt was clear in Sesshoumaru's eyes. His gaze lingered on my throat which I was sure was sporting an array of colorful bruises courtesy of Yura and the cut caused by Jakotsu.
"Dear traitorous daughter, pleasure to see you join us." Naraku stepped out of his protective cocoon.
"Yura is dead." I spit out spitefully. I doubted Naraku would bat an eye upon hearing about the death of his lover, but a small part of me hoped it would hurt him. "Your last remaining mercenary killed her."
The hanyou shrugged. "She was getting too attached anyways."
Despicable. Every time Naraku managed to surprise me by sinking to new lows… I slowly walked up to Sesshoumaru and stood at his back, right in his shadow. If it were up to me, I would have run towards him. Even if my eyes told him he was okay, I would love to check for myself by running my hands over every inch of his body. That would have to wait until we were safely home.
"Naraku. It's over now. No more games. No more threats. Face me and die." My lover pointed his sword directly at our enemy.
"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you." Naraku chuckled. "Right this moment, I could have your precious kids killed and their corpses brought here for me feast on their blood."
Sesshoumaru might have tried not to react at this threat, but I could see Naraku had rattled him. He may have remained as stoic as ever, but his grip on his sword tightened. A sure sign of his frustration. Naraku had already used me as a pawn in his attempt to win this duel, no way would I let him do so again.
"No they are safe. Our family protected them from your cowardly attack." I boldly lied, but I had every confidence Sango, Miroku and Kagome would hold off the attack until the arrival of Inuyasha. Naraku would not manipulate us anymore.
"Naraku." I spit out angrily. "You've hurt enough people. You killed Touga. You destroyed mother's life in your search of power. Enough is enough."
I roared in anger, unleashing a large tornado that I happily hurled at him. Unfortunately he had seen my attack coming, and had brought forth a mass of swirling tentacles to protect himself. He must have exerted too much energy earlier in his fight against Sesshoumaru because his tentacles dried up and broke down leaving him defenseless. One of the blades in my tornado even managed to slash his right arm causing blood to drip down the appendage. Good I had at least managed to hurt the bastard.
A cry of anger and frustration tore out of Naraku's throat. His blackmailing plans had failed, his own body was breaking down and betraying him. He was done.
"You think this is the end?" The dark hanyou roared. "I will defeat you. I will get your precious Higurashi girl, drain her blood and unlock the power of the Shikon Jewel. Just wait..."
"This Sesshoumaru grows tired of your nonsense." My lover interrupted him. I could not blame him. I too had had enough of Naraku.
In a move so fast I had barely seen him move, Sesshoumaru flew towards Naraku, his sword clasped in his hand. The two foes clashed violently causing a swirl of youki to emanate from the collision, blocking my view. Once the literal smoke cleared, I gasped at the grisly sight.
Naraku had torn at Sesshoumaru's left arm, almost tearing apart the limb, leaving it a pulpy bloody mess. When it came to my lover, he had gone for a killing blow and had stabbed Naraku through the heart.
The Lord of the West winced as he removed his blade from the hanyou's ribcage. Naraku fell lifeless to the ground. I stared at his corpse for one long minute, not believing it was truly over. I had wished for that moment to happen since I was a child. I thought about all the pain and suffering Naraku had put me and all my loved ones through. Most of all my mother. My deepest regret was that she was not here to share this moment with me.
"He's dead. We are finally free." Tears of joy, relief and sorrow fell down my cheeks.
Sesshoumaru walked to me and gently brushed my stray tears away with the pad of his thumb. He did not speak, but I could feel his concern.
"I'm okay. Just overwhelmed. I can't believe he's really gone." I mustered a wet smile for Sesshoumaru's benefit. "We need to bandage your arm." From up close I could see the deep gashes caused by Naraku's ultimate attack. The wound needed to be disinfected and bandaged and quickly.
"Do not worry yourself about me." He shrugged. Just as I was about to scold him, a loud cracking sound resonated around us. The barrier had disintegrated, allowing us to hear the cheering crowd in the stands chanting Sesshoumaru's name. I had forgotten we had an audience.
"Congratulations Sesshoumaru." I smiled up at him. "You did it. You avenged your father and defeated the Southern Lord."
"No. We defeated Naraku together." He took a hold of my hand and laced our fingers together. How did the man manage to make me fall in love with him more and more every day?
I nodded. There would be time enough to celebrate and figure out our future. His phone rang interrupting our moment.
"Inuyasha." He greeted the other person on the line. My heartbeat picked up. I could only hope the hanyou was calling with good news. As if sensing my anxiety, my lover put his phone on speaker.
"Well done brother but if it had been me, I would have dispatched Naraku a lot sooner." Inuyasha grumbled. "Damn it, wish I had been there to kick his butt. Keh! I barely got any action tonight. By the time I got to the shrine Kagome had purified to ashes all of those damn lower demons Naraku had sent."
The children were safe. I was sure they were, but hearing it made me feel better nonetheless.
"Was killing a mercenary not enough for you?" I asked Inuyasha. A part of me would always regret not being the one to avenge mother by killing Jakotsu with my own two hands, but I knew she would understand why I needed to get to Sesshoumaru. She would have encouraged me to go to him. I knew that until he had seen me alive and well he never would have killed Naraku.
"Feh! You'd already done most of the work. He was barely standing and alive by the time I got to him. Anyways we are on our way home now. Just wanted to let you know everyone is doing alright."
Sesshoumaru cut off the call. He had heard all he wanted to find out.
"Let's go home."
Home to the Western Lands. That sounded nice. "Yes, let's go. I want to check on our daughter." What I did not tell him was that I intended to care for his wound the second we made it home.
Sesshoumaru surprised me by bestowing on me one of the brightest smiles. I guessed he liked the idea of us parenting Rin together. So did I. Never could I have imagined one of Naraku's schemes would lead me to find my place in the world and the family I always yearned for.
Sesshoumaru and I had informally pledged to spend our lives together and build a common future, but only time would tell what was in store for us next, and what other obstacles we would have to overcome. Regardless, this was sure to be the beginning of a beautiful union between us.
A/N: Despite the delays, you stuck with me until the end of the story. For that I am so very grateful. Next up, the epilogue, which will be posted within the week. Once again happy holidays to you and yours!