A/N: Finally, here comes the second half of Naraku's defeat. I hope its okay. You can blame the delay on who ever was stupid enough to make us play in a Christmas basketball tournament…idiot. Anyway, back to the story.
Chapter 22
To Naraku, it had probably seemed like she had vanished, but she hadn't. She had pushed her demonic speed to the maximum and then more. She didn't have time- Dainigumo was in mid-thrust of his sword and aiming at her mate's heart. Demons could survive holes through their stomachs, severe burns, loss of limbs, and some could even survive decapitation if their heads were put back onto their necks before their bodies' died. Yet their heart was their weak spot, their Achilles' heel. If stabbed through the heart, they had no chance of survival, just like Inuyasha had died. Most demons could maneuver their bodies so that the weapon, even if it stabbed them, would miss their heart, and then they would be able to recover. Inuyasha had been in too big of a hurry and too out of time to try to avoid the sword through his heart. Kagome had watched, forced by Naraku to not interfere, as Inuyasha had charged in at the last second, unable to swing his sword without hurting Sesshomaru in the process, and did the only thing he could do- use his body as a shield for her mate. Kagome wouldn't have to be as sacrificial. She got just within range of her Miko powers and paused only a second to put up a barrier to protect her mate.
Not expecting it, Dainigumo collided with the holy shield and was thrown back, though he was able to stay on his feet. Even as he was still sliding backwards, Kagome made her move and ran up behind him. She could see the tainted jewel shard in his back, and even before Dainigumo had identified the new opponent, her clawed fingers plucked the shard from his body. However, only half of Dainigumo depended on the jewel shard, and she knew Onigumo still survived. Her other hand came forward, still grasping the arrow she had stabbed Naraku with just seconds before, and plunged it into what was left of Dainigumo's body, pouring her Miko powers into the arrow. Dainigumo never had the chance to see who was assaulting him before he was gone from this world and turned into only ash quickly being taken away by the wind.
Kagome heaved a sigh of relief when the evil creature disintegrated right in front of her. She dropped the arrow she had been holding on too and noticed the jewel shard she had taken from Dainigumo's back had already been purified of its darkness at her touch. She clasped it in her hand and gave a little prayer to any kami listening for giving her one last chance to keep Naraku from getting the full sacred jewel. This was her last chance to keep the jewel from Naraku's grasp.
Kagome didn't have the pleasure of thanking the kami for any longer so she rushed forward and plucked the purification seal off Sesshomaru forehead. She could see that he was struggling not to transform into his beast state and it seemed as though he was losing the battle, even though the purification seal was removed. His eyes were still red, the stripes on his checks were widening, his snout still growing longer, and both his teeth and nails were growing larger and sharper. Kagome, only having seen this happen with Inuyasha before, only knew of two things that could stop it- a subjugation necklace or a kiss. Frightening though Sesshomaru's transformation was, he was her mate and she would not let his beast take over. She approached him fearlessly, and wrapped her arms around him.
"Sesshomaru," she called out to him, trying to bring him back. He didn't harm her, he couldn't, not with his limbs restrained still by the seal on the ground, yet his beast growled dangerously, warning her not to approach. She didn't heed this and stood on her tip toes to reach his lips. And just as it had so many years ago with Inuyasha, Sesshomaru was able to remember himself and calm his inner beast, responding to her kiss as his attributes returned to their humanoid self.
He was still unable to move his body and wrap his arms around her like he wanted- to hold her and comfort her against the tears he saw in her eyes. He could see the body of his brother a short distance away and suddenly remembered him throwing himself in the path of the sword meant for the taiyoukai. The hanyou had thrown his life away for him- new respect for his half-brother grew within him. His mate was still clinging to the front of his clothing, apparently completely unaware that they were still on a battlefield, though it did not matter because the wolves were keeping the cloud of demons back from them.
"Kagome," he whispered, "I told you not to come to battle." It was more of a soft statement then a reprimand- there was no anger behind it.
"I couldn't...I couldn't just wait for the news of your death to reach me, not when I could prevent it," she cried.
"I am glad." His eyes widened in shock, but she could not see it with her face buried in his chest. He said, "I love you. Always remember that. Remember also not to allow your inner beast to take over- don't transform, it could hurt the baby."
Kagome pulled back from Sesshomaru enough to look him in the eyes. Something was not right. Those sounded like words of farewell. Was Sesshomaru injured, she wondered. Just then, a tentacle burst through the front of Sesshomaru's chest from the back. Suddenly, Kagome understood her mistake. She had left Sesshomaru's limbs sealed from movement because it had made his beast easier to approach and control. However, she had forgotten that there were more enemies on the battlefield than just Dainigumo and Naraku had snuck behind Sesshomaru and stabbed him through the back and heart during her distraction of trying to soothe his beast. Tears fell from her eyes freely as the tentacle was removed with a sickening squelch. Kagome moved back to Sesshomaru with every intention of healing his injuries. Even with her hand on his wound and Miko energy working to repair his injury, Sesshomaru said calmly, "It is too late."
The spell holding him in place was broken when his life force ended and he began to fall to the ground. Kagome caught his body and fell with him, unable to believe that the Kami, whom she had just thanked, had decided to curse her with his death. She silently cursed Sesshomaru for not telling her sooner that Naraku was pushing a tentacle through his heart. He had to have felt it. Had he believed her not strong enough to heal him when she had the time? Was he stubborn to ask for help, even when death was eminent? Or had he wanted to use the possibly last words of his life to comfort and protect her? Kagome hoped it was the last option as she held the body of her dead mate in her arms. As if she needed further proof that he was gone from her, the junction where her neck met her shoulder, where her mating mark was, started to burn as the precious mark erased itself from her skin. If she could see her forehead, she would have seen the crescent moon also fade from there. His death ended their bond.
O0o.o0O
Naraku watched sinisterly. He could finish her now, but she looked so broken, so destroyed, and so beautiful in his eyes. Her heartbreak aroused him, seeing her so helpless. He would finish her off, but not now. First, he would completely break her spirit, then he would take that broken mind of hers and mold it the way he wanted it. She would be easy to control, and he would be her master. He fingered an object in his pocket. He hadn't planned on using it, but had obtained it just in case it would be useful. Now, he could see it all in his mind of how the one little object in his pocket would finally tame the once-tameless miko. She had captured his attention, and for her, that wasn't anything good.
But he was getting ahead of himself. She still had a shimmer of hope. She thought she could still keep him from getting the entire shikon jewel. That much was evident in the way she crushing the shard in her hand, intent on keeping it safe and pure. There were two shards left, Naraku reminded himself as he slunk off to find the wolf chief. After he had those two, he could make everything his.
He found Kouga decimating the demons he had released. He noticed for the first time the army the wolf had brought with him. 'Pathetic,' he thought as he watched more of the wolf army fall. They could not stand against the numbers. Only a score of the demons were left. 'They are fools. They should have not shown up and forfeited their lives. What foolish waste on their part. They mean nothing to me,' thought Naraku. He appeared behind Kouga, pinning his legs and arms in his tentacles.
"I've come for the shards. Hand them over and I may let you live, wolf," offered Naraku, his smirk ending all such notions that he may be telling the truth.
"Yeah right, scum. I won't hand my jewel shards over to a weakling like you," yelled Kouga, kicking himself out of Naraku's grasp.
"Then I will take them from your dead body, wolf." Tentacles sprung at Kouga like bullets, all deadly sharp and aiming to kill. Kouga had the speed to avoid some of them, and the ones he couldn't he jumped away from. During one of these jumps, Naraku disappeared from in front of wolf youkai. Kouga swiveled his head around trying to find where the evil creature had gone but he was no where in sight. A chill went up Kouga's spine. 'I don't like this,' he thought. He tried to sniff Naraku out, but the fiend's stench permeated the castle making it impossible to pin-point. Suddenly, a weight was dropped on the wolf chieftain from the air. Kouga was pushed to the ground with enough forced to shatter several of his bones. He landed in a crater with Naraku above him, his brown tentacles relieving the wolf of his jewel shards. They absorbed into his body and merged with the nearly complete jewel. Kouga growled and tried to get up, only to get stabbed through with another brown tentacle. Kouga blinked in surprised and coughed up blood. More blood covered his clothes and escaped from the hole in his chest. He found himself losing consciousness, from which he would never return.
O0o.o0O
The demon slayer and her fire cat had to fight for every inch that they gained trying to reach the start of the demons. They flew out of the rushing cloud of demons and took to high above them in the skies trying to find where all the demons could be coming from. Sango followed their movements and found a promising spot. "Kirara, take me down there. I think we'll find the box there," said Sango, pointing to the place she was referring to. Kirara gave a roar to show that she had heard and took off through the demons again.
They came upon a heavy wooden box, the lid cast carelessly to the side. Demons were pouring from the open top. Sango went to jump off Kirara, but she never reached the ground. Her arm was caught by a tubular demon with a toothy circular mouth. Sango screamed out in pain and surprised as the teeth imbedded into the flesh of her arm. Always the quick thinker in such situations, Sango pulled her sword from her sheath and stabbed it through the youkai's head. The youkai gave a screech and fell to the ground, dragging Sango along with it. The youkai's flinched when it hit the ground and tried to pull away from the woman. Its teeth ripped down Sango's arm as it tried to flee, leaving deep gashes. The teeth passed over Sango's wrist, slicing through the thin skin and into the veins. Blood spurted like a geyser from the wound and Sango's grew dizzy and light headed. She had enough sense to pull a strip of cloth from one of her pockets and tie it around her wrist to ease the blood flow. Subconsciously, she already knew she was a goner, but she used that that thought to fuel her. Sango unsteadily picked herself up, sparing a glance a kirara who was still fighting off demons least they too got to the demon slayer. Sango lifted the heavy lid of the box and forced it over top of the wooden container, pushing down till it fit snugly. The demons stopped issuing forth and Sango allowed herself a small smile. She tried not to look at the deep cuts down her arm or the cloth now dyed red from her blood. Everything just seemed so fuzzy. 'It's just from the blood loss," she told herself as she looked at the puddle of blood she was sitting in, more rushing down her arms to join it still. She morbidly wondered how many veins and arteries the demon had sliced with her teeth. She felt too tired to even answer her own question as she allowed herself to rest, her back resting against the heavy wooden box she had just closed and Kirara fighting to keep the remaining demons at bay.
O0o.o0O
Kagome wanted to cry, more than she had ever wanted to in her entire life. She wanted to be able to release some of the sadness welling up in her, tightening around her own heart and making it hard to breath. Yet, for once, her own tears failed her and she could not cry. She could not mourn her friends' deaths and she could not mourn her mate's death. . Her mind wouldn't believe it, or maybe, it just wouldn't accept it. Sadness turned to anger as she tried to release her sorrow. Anger at herself for not being able to cry, anger at her mate for daring to die and leave her there all alone with his child in her womb, anger at the kami for not allowing her the simplest pleasure of having her mate alive, and anger at the person who caused all of this. No, not person. Naraku did not deserve the privilege of being called a person. He was a foul and miserable creature who took perverse pleasure in destroying the lives of good people.
"Naraku," Kagome's clear cold voice rang out above the clangs of battle, surprising the evil creature she was calling to. "You will pay for what you have done."
"Is that so little miko?" taunted the vile fiend, "All your friends are dead or dying, your mate as well, and you are nothing on your own. Demon or not, you cannot hope to defeat me. Why not join me? Together, we could rule all the lands. Nothing would be out of our grasp. All you need is to give your loyalty to me and maybe…I could even replace that foolish mate of yours."
His words were nothing to her. Dead or not, she would never betray her friends and she would never listen to the vile creature that had ruined so many lives.
Her voice was laced with the emotions she was changing into her strength. "Enough. You waste your breathe on me and I have wasted too many years of my life on you. This ends right here, right now. Prepare to die!"
Miko powers swelled around her, whipping up her demonic golden hair and making her look like a vengeful angel.
Naraku looked on the display with disinterest. Inwardly, he was amazed at her power, but he would never let it show. He may not have had all the right cards, but he would sure act like he did. He wanted to mold this little miko to his purposes.
He waited until her powers leveled out to a certain degree of calmness before laughing in her face. "Do you think your display would frighten me, little miko? I assure you I am perfectly capable of destroying you in an instant in at least ten different ways. But I think you'll be more fun if I keep you alive for a while."
"I would never pleasure you, Naraku," Kagome defended herself, powers jolting again.
Naraku smirked lustfully, "Ah, such a fiery spirit. It mars your perfect face and body. But I have ways to tame that spirit. Take this for instance," Naraku pulled out the object from his pocket he had been contemplating using earlier. It was a black metal bracelet. Kagome saw that it had a powerful and dark aura surrounding it. The hairs stood on end on the back of her neck.
"I take it from your blank stare that you have never heard of the Bracelet of Servitude. Let me inform you of its…unique properties. As its name implies, it forces the wearer into a state of servitude. My wish shall become your command that you cannot hope to fight against."
Kagome openly laughed at Naraku's ploy, "You're foolish if you think you can get that thing on me, Naraku. I will never serve you, but I will kill you." With that she prepared to charge her claws up and ready to slice through Naraku. She suddenly skidded to a stop when she felt the black bracelet in Naraku's hand thrumming to life with ominous energy.
'"Be careful, miko," mocked-warned Naraku, "This thing has a mind of its own. One never knows exactly what to expect from this bracelet." As if the verify the claim, the bracelet jumped from Naraku's hand and flew through the air. Kagome hastily threw up a barrier to protect herself from it. The bracelet dinked against the side of the barrier once before it started to push through it.
"Impossible," breathed Kagome, silver eyes wide in shock.
The bracelet made it through the barrier and Kagome tried to fend it away with her hands. It simply rolled over her skin, feeling oddly warm rather than cold like most metal would be, and attached itself to her wrist.
Naraku's eyes lit up in success, glad to have victory over the meddling miko. To ascertain if the bracelet had taken complete control, Naraku gave her an order. "Miko, give me the last jewel shard."
Kagome hesitantly walked over to Naraku, her barrier down and her Miko powers at rest. She tried to fight the control, but she was losing. Her shaking hand stretched out and she laid the last jewel shard in Naraku's hand. He laughed in victory as the shard became part of his own and formed the complete shikon jewel as black and tainted as ever.
He looked at the miko that had tried to keep the jewel from him for so many years and the torture he would impart on her for doing so. He got a sudden idea, one that would only suit his perverse whims. "Miko," he commanded, "Kiss me."
Kagome's body jerked forward, out of her control. She drew closer to Naraku and her lips neared his. She paused in a final bout of internal struggle.
Inside Kagome's mind, she was fighting against the bracelets control, though her fighting grew weaker. She couldn't remember why she wanted to fight the control at all. Everything was getting cloudy. A loud voice commanded her to kiss him. She didn't really want to, but her body went ahead and tried to do it anyway. She just couldn't remember. Wasn't there someone she was saving that for? Wasn't there someone she should be avenging? Even as she thought these thoughts they became muddled. She searched around in the recesses of her lightlessness of her mind, trying to remember what she was supposed to be remembering. Suddenly, a light grew in her mind, granting her sight. She could feel a presence and it felt so familiar. She searched for it, exploring her own mind to find the creator of the light. She found the presence of another. Her unborn child she remembered. The memories came rushing back to her. Sesshomaru and her friends dead. Naraku laughing. The bracelet. Naraku ordering her to kiss him. Oh, his nerve! She thought angrily. There was no way she was going to disgrace Sesshomaru's memory that way! The light that her unborn child created flashed again, forcing her to close her mental eyes against the light. When she opened them again, she was seeing the outside world and her body was drawing closer to Naraku. However now, she was in control of her actions, bracelet or none.
Naraku was waiting for the pretty miko to kiss him when he felt a new aura flare up from within her. He reached out a hand to her stomach to further investigate the new energy when Kagome's clawed hand caught his arm and her nails dug into his flesh.
It was now Naraku's turn to breathe, "Impossible," as he felt the miko's powers flaring once more.
While one of Kagome's hands gripped Naraku's arm, the other flew up and dug into the flesh in his chest, pulling out the completed shikon jewel which instantly purified at her touch. Kagome felt the dam holding back her powers break as a pink light surrounded her. The miko energy poured out of Kagome, breaking the bracelet of Servitude in half and letting it fall to the ground and then into the only available outlet- into Naraku, destroying him with a final scream of pain from him. The powers did not stop there as the entire battlefield filled with the pink light. The power surrounded those left, discerning if they were friend or foe. Those who were foes followed Naraku's fate as the power attacked and purified them. Those that were friends soon found their wounds healing and energy returning to them. The power extended out, even purifying the miasma absorbed into the ground that was causing the plants to die as greenness began creeping back into the castle grounds. Her powers extended as far as they could, healing all that was hurt, before the pink light crashed back into the girl that had released it. Kagome fell unconscious to the ground as the shikon jewel gracefully levitated into the air before hovering above the spot it had been taken out of. It merged with Kagome's skin and returned to the place where it had come into the world.
Minutes later, Kagome was being shaken awake by Sango, who had been healed by the pink light. The demon slayer had tears in her eyes as Kagome sat up and the two surveyed what, or rather who, was left on the battlefield. Only the bodies of their comrades laid scattered about where they had died, nothing was left of the enemy. A miko could heal the sick or wounded, but they had no power over the dead. Sango silently left Kagome to go over to Miroku's body as she mourned for him once more. Kirara was in her smaller state and had tears flowing down her eyes from where she sat on Sango's shoulders. About a dozen wolves still stood, some kneeled in remembrance of their dead friends laying upon the grassy courtyard of the desolate castle.
Kagome herself made her way over to Sesshomaru's body. She grasped his dead hand while wondering how he could even look beautiful laying there dead with his silver hair tanglelessly splayed over the ground. Tears came to her easily as she finally found herself able to cry. "Why did you leave me Sesshomaru?" She looked around at the bodies littering the ground. Many were her friends. "Why did so many have to die and why must I be helpless to fix it."
Suddenly, something that Totusai told her once came to mind. Tetsusaiga, capable of killing a 100 demons in one swing and Tensaiga, capable of bringing back100 lives in one swing.
She had never seen Sesshomaru use such an attack and doubted if he knew how, but as her hand touch the hilt of the sword, the knowledge was thrown into her mind by some magical property of the sword. She stood up, pulling the sword with her as she went, and narrowed her eyes at the battlefield. She could see the embalmers of the afterlife tending to the dead, crowding the ground. She swung the blade at the bodies clearly saying, "Wind of Revival," and released a white blast that tore through the embalmers. The dead opened their eyes to find themselves among the living once more. Wolf comrades embraced their friends in happiness.
Kagome continued releasing blasts until all the embalmers were gone except for the ones at her feet on Sesshomaru. Those, she disposed of herself with a quick swing of the sword. As golden eyes opened once again, Kagome dropped the sword and fell into the taiyoukai's arms. He kissed her forehead as her mating mark returned and the crescent moon once again appeared on her forehead. Tears were still running down her cheeks in a greater flow than before.
"Why are you still crying mate? Everything is all right now. You saved us all," Sesshomaru asked his mate, rubbing her back to try to sooth her.
Kagome shook her head, "These aren't tears of sadness, Sesshomaru. They're tears of happiness. I thought I had to go on living without you, Sesshomaru. Never die on me again!"
Sesshomaru allowed a small smile to grace his features, " I don't plan on it." Kagome chuckled against her tears.
Sesshomaru suddenly noticed the blood on Kagome's shoulder.
"You're injured, mate," he whispered worriedly and he checked her for wounds. Surprisingly, he found none.
Kagome looked down at her shoulder, "It's fine, Sesshomaru. It's already healed."
"And the child?" said Sesshomaru, moving his hand to lay on her belly to feel its presence, which seemed to have grown dramatically.
"Growing stronger," answered Kagome.
"Indeed," answered Sesshomaru, becoming aware that he didn't need to feel her belly anymore to sense the child's presence.
O0o.o0O
Miroku awoke to find a mass of black hair in his face and a distressed Sango crying into the front of his robes.
"Ah, so this is heaven. I wonder if every guy gets a beautiful girl crying in his arms when they die," commented Miroku airily as his 'cursed' hand went forward to stroke Sango's buttocks.
A fist went crashing into his head, though not as hard as usual and he heard Sango yell, "Hentai! You're not dead, though if you keep stroking my ass you will be."
"Sango! My fair maiden! Does this mean Naraku is destroyed?" asked the monk, keeping his hands to himself at the threat.
"Yes,"sobbed Sango, "Yes, it's finally over."
Miroku quickly undid the seal around his cursed had and discovered the wind tunnel was gone. He was struck dumb for a few minutes as he tried to comprehend how life was going to be different. He shrugged his shoulders against it and replied to Sango's earlier statement, "Over? Not for you and me Sango. I have plenty of children I want you to bear for me Sango."
"Oh, Miroku, it would be an honor," said Sango, crying into his robes once more.
O0o.o0O
Having no one to greet them when they returned to life, Kouga and Inuyasha sought out each other prepared to hound the other on something they could've done better to defeat Naraku. However, when they met the sight of Kagome crying into Sesshomaru's chest. They both fell into silence as they watched her.
Inuyasha commented out loud, "She's something else, isn't she?"
"Yes," replied the wolf.
"She could have been mine," muttered Inuyasha.
Kouga laughed. "She would've picked me over you any day, mutt."
"Why you mangy wolf, I saved her life more times than you. She liked me more."
"But she would've been safer with me, mutt face, had she let me take her as my woman."
"Would not," came Inuyasha's mature retort.
""Would too!" defended Kouga.
"I think she likes me more than both of you combined," came Sesshomaru's cool voice, revealing that the couple could hear every word of the wolf and inu hanyou's argument.
"Why you pompous ass…did you just make a joke?" asked a stunned Inuyasha while Kouga gaped. Inuyasha continued, "If she could make Sesshomaru have a sense of humor, than that girl is neither a human, miko, nor demon. She must be a goddess."
"Yeah," came Kouga's reply.
"HEY!" came Kagome's agitated voice, "Stop talking about me like I'm not here!"
"She still is scary when she's angry, though," said Inuyasha, dropping his voice lower so that she might not here. It didn't work and soon a "SIT BOY!" rang out across castle courtyard, pummeling Inuyasha into the ground.
"Yeah," Kouga agreed with Inuyasha who was at the bottom of a hanyou-shaped crater.
Oo0o.end chapter.o0O
A/N: I think I need to work on a better writing schedule because it is currently 3:00 am where I'm at and I'm working on a chapter. Oh well, when an idea hits you, it hits you. Speaking of ideas hitting you, no ideas have hit me for the ending of this story yet, so an update may be a ways away. Hope you had a merry Christmas and I hope you have a happy and safe new year as well. Take care and thanks for taking the time to read what I have written.
Tiki Rane Gobell