Fancy Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not my own.

Warning(s): Blood. Gore.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my awesome reviewer: Lena Lupi. The yaoi pair is soon to appear!

III. Final Moments

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The inn portion of the bathhouse was very secluded, since most of the guests were rather rich. My room was away from the other guests, and I hadn't seen or heard from Azami since she'd escorted me to the room. From the looks she did give me, I was sure that she'd had more than enough of me. I'd had more than enough of myself.

I lay awake, the room's flickering candles providing little in the way of light. It was only a few hours before dawn—only a few hours until I continued on my journey. I traced the large scar upon my right palm, feeling the scar tissue on my rough fingertips. Once, I had been cursed. The Kazaana had been mine to bear. It was no more.

Turning onto my side, I let my eyes drift shut, thinking back to the final battle with Naraku...

I had been separated from the rest of my group. Kouga and his two wolf-demon companions were by my side, helping to fight off the swarms of untamed youkai. I could hear them shouting to one another. None of us knew how the others were fairing against Naraku, our main enemy. We couldn't find an opening to go and check.

"There's too many!" I heard Ginta yell.

"We should get out of here, Kouga!" Hakkaku said as he moved back from the two demons attacking him.

"We're not going anywhere until I say so! Don't be cowards!" Kouga shouted, bringing his leg around to kick a large centipede in the gut.

My Kazaana was rarely put to use, as the hell wasps were within the vicinity, but I did my best with my sutra and my shakujou (staff). Some of the demons that we faced were creatures I had never seen before. Long and scaly, some slid across the ground. Some attacked by air.

"Kagome!" All of us knew who had shouted the young miko's name—InuYasha.

"She must be in trouble!" Whether Ginta or Hakkaku had spoken, I wasn't sure.

"Go," I said, placing my staff upon the ground.

"What the hell's with you? You can't defeat these demons by yourself, human," Kouga snarled.

"They need more help," I frowned, loosening my mala beads.

I imagined my friends bloody and badly in need of help, and I thought only of that picture. With the hell wasps, I would be ingesting too much poison. I knew I would die if I fought the demons off by myself. I accepted the fact. It was an honorable way for such a sinful monk to perish. I said my prayers.

More shouting and curses came from our other group of friends. It didn't take long for Ginta and Hakkaku to flee—they never were much help in a dire situation. Kouga, however, came over to my side and grabbed a handful of my clothes, pulling me towards him.

"You'd better be right about this, monk. If you die, Kagome will never forgive me." And with that, Kouga released his tight grip and fled to aid the others.

A smile came to my face as the demons began to close in on me. In his own way, Kouga had wished me luck. Turning my attention to the youkai, I pulled the tekkou back.

"Wind Tunnel!" It didn't take long for the poison to reach my human veins.

My eyes fluttered open, and a grim expression had settled upon my face. Glancing towards the small window, I saw that it was still night outside. I felt sick from the dreams that continued to plague me, but I was too tired to force myself awake. A few moments later, my eyes drifted shut again. I tossed and turned from the pain of hell wasp poison. Everything was so fresh...

My knees gave way, but I kept my cursed hand steady. No youkai were getting past me, not until I stopped breathing. Every part of my body was throbbing with pain, and my limbs were shaking from the spreading poison. My veins were on fire—sweat glistened on my forehead.

I didn't notice when the barrage ended, but I managed to replace my tekkou and seal the Kazaana. I collapsed onto my side, struggling to get enough oxygen to survive. I was gasping for air, and every breath seemed to send a shock up my spine.

Spots danced before my eyes, and the sounds of my surroundings pulsed with every beat of my heart. Silence. Screaming. Silence. Screaming. Even with my human senses, I smelled the blood. I wanted to know that the others were okay. I had no control over my limbs. I couldn't even blink. I felt trapped inside my own body.

Time had passed—hours or minutes, I wasn't sure. The pain in my limbs had increased severely, but it began to fade to a tolerable level. When I was able to blink, I began forcing myself to move other parts of my body. I fought to get to my knees, and I crawled towards the clearing, using my staff as a sort of cane.

"..." I stared out at the destruction, and I found the strength to get to my feet.

I was leaning heavily upon my shakujou (staff), but I was managing. Corpses littered the area, and blood had stained the grass a crimson red. Puddles of it had turned the clearing into a shallow pond. Kouga was in bad shape, but I found him kneeling beside InuYasha and Kagome. I swore I saw him crying.

"Mi...roku?" I fell to my knees beside Sango, taking her into my arms.

Her clothing had been shredded across the front, and her back was wet with blood. I didn't take notice of the portion of her chest showing—I saw only her tear-filled eyes.

"It's bad, isn't it?" She had a smile upon her face, and I wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"It can be healed. You'll be fine," I spoke, assuring both her and myself.

"I didn't want it to end like this. Is...Kohaku?" She clenched her eyes shut from a wave of sudden emotion.

"He is alive." I saw him out of the corner of my eye—he was near Naraku's corpse.

Kouga approached, his fists clenched and his shoulders shaking. He turned his head to the side, hiding his face from view. The sunset was at his back, adding brilliance to an area that held only sadness.

"They're dead," he said in a flat tone.

"InuYasha? Kagome?" I thought of Shippo, and I held on even tighter to my Sango.

"Go," Sango said, urging me to see my other fallen friends.

I left Sango, but I was only gone for a moment. InuYasha and Kagome were so close to one another, and they had perished holding hands. Their vacant stares struck a cord within me, and I had to step back and retch. The smell, the sight, the sounds—it was too much.

When I stumbled back to Sango, I saw Kouga slowly move away from her. His eyes met mine, and we held one another's gaze for a lasting moment. With a small nod, he moved towards Kohaku and his wolf-demon comrades.

Once more, I gathered Sango in my arms. I stoked her exposed arm with my thumb, treasuring the feel of my skin on hers. She was so soft. She was fragile. I never thought I'd be holding her as she died. The scent of her blood brought fresh tears to my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I cried, hugging her to my chest.

Though she could no longer speak, I read her reply through those deep, beautiful eyes. She didn't blame me. She wished me well. When her eyes began to glaze over, I sobbed into her shoulder. I felt her heart stop beating. I felt her die.

After burying the dead, it was hard to walk away from the sight. There were no headstones, but I knew that I needed a little more time for that. Kouga had actually waited for me, even as his companions and Kohaku left.

"This is it," I said to him, forcing what I hoped was a kind expression.

"Live well," Kouga said in his usual, gruff tone.

And like that, we parted ways. He limped back towards the promise of a solid wolf-demon tribe. I hobbled off towards...something else. For the first time, my future was absolutely indefinite.

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Author Rant

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There's nothing to say here. This chapter was mainly to inform readers about the past. This story is how I believe InuYasha should have happened. Oh, and I've decided to let the readers stew a little more before I officially announce the yaoi pair.

Possible Question(s): N/A

Reviews are loverly!

Ja ne.