Chapter Nine:Atonement
InuYasha's Point-Of-View
...Glurp...
...Plop...
...Phiiiiish...sh...shhhh...
Ah, sweet melodies from the otherwise silent mass of Naraku's tentacles. Yeah, right. If "sweet" qualified as the disgusting things slowly and painfully squeezing the very life out of a particular puppy-eared hanyou, then sweet just got a Hell of a lot more sour. Needless to say, InuYasha wasn't liking his current predicament. Not one little bit.
"Get your slimy body OFF of me! Wind Scar!" he bellowed, trying to slice through the many tentacles, but with little success. His mobility was greatly compromised and the attack wasn't carried out properly. What damage Tetsusaiga HAD managed to inflict with the weakened blow was quickly undone as more tentacles moved in and took the destroyed ones place. He scowled bitterly. "Damn!" He viciously bit and tore at Naraku, managing to fight some of the tentacles back. "Kikyo! Where are you?! KIKYO!" he shouted, forcibly turning his body as he called for her and clawing violently so as not to allow the tentacles to close in on him.
The silence was deafening, yet again.
"Kikyo! Don't you DARE give up on me! Do you hear me?! Kikyo! Say something already!" He was so tightly wrapped in Naraku's pulsating tentacles that it sounded as though his voice was emitting from within his own head. It was muffled, like speaking through a thick door. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" He brought his clawed hand through the closest wall of tentacles and forced his way though the oozing, gaping hole, the tiny area he once stood in closing behind him as he entered a space of equal size. "Kikyo! I'm coming for you, so you'd just better wait! Are you hearing me, woman?!" He was calling out like a madman, panicking on the inside even as his voice dripped with a kind of defiance that could eat through metal.
Stubborn was to InuYasha what indifference was to Sesshomaru. No matter what happened, you had to keep that up; otherwise, you didn't have any control over anything. If he became weak, allowing his fear for Kikyo's life to overcome his impertinent attitude, he would lose. He would lose control over his level head and be maddened by the sudden weight of his situation...
He had to keep it together if he was going to get to her in time! "Kikyo!" He gritted his teeth as his claws flew through more of Naraku's putrid flesh. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer! Iron Reaver Soul Stealer! Kikyo, I'm coming! Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" Claw, step through. Claw, step through. Claw, step through. This was his plan. It wasn't much, but he hoped to eventually run into Kikyo. Actually, he did a whole lot more than hope.
He begged and prayed.
And so it continued. InuYasha would tear a hole through Naraku, step into the new opening while the previous would close in, and contantly call out for Kikyo. InuYasha's determined expression threatened to fall away as he thought, 'Kikyo, stay with me this time! We were almost there. We were almost exactly how we were back then...' InuYasha's expression softened for a moment, still determinedly digging through Naraku's innards as he searched for Kikyo. "Don't do this, Kikyo! Not after all we've been through! Not after the death and rebirth and all of that damned TIME-TRAVEL! You'd better wait for me, YOU STUPID HUMAN!" he bellowed into the nothingness, his fists clenched in rage as a heartwarming memory of Kikyo swept through him. It had been just before Naraku had shown up and taken her, causing everything to fall back into Hell again. She'd smiled. Kikyo had smiled just like she always had fifty years ago. And InuYasha had smiled back. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer! Iron Reaver Soul Stealer! IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"
Sango's Point-Of-View
Rin was kneeling over Kohaku with Shippo, curious as she stared down at the boy's quiet face. Sango was holding on to the the vile of antidote, glaring at it as though Sesshomaru had placed some sort of curse on her with it. Which he most certainly had, if you looked at it from her position. Sesshomaru had given her the choice of whether or not to trust him. It was left to her and her alone to decide whether or not she used the supposed antidote.
What's that have to do with Sesshomaru "cursing" her? Lots.
If she decided that the taiyoukai was telling the truth about the vile of liquid being an antidote and used it, then what if it turned out to be poison after all? Despite the, admittedly, practical points that he'd pointed out, there was always that margin of possibility. And then if he HADN'T lied about his Poison Whip's attack on her brother being harmless, then she'd be poisoning her brother and killing him. Or, even if Sesshomaru HAD lethally poisoned him, using the possibly poisonous "antidote" could actually accelerate her brother's death.
Okay. Fine. So maybe she decides that the vile IS poison, and decides not to use it. Turns out, Sesshomaru hadn't been lying after all and had given her the actual antidote...but, though she held the very thing that could save him in her hand, she chose not to use it. Kohaku's dead and, again, it's all her fault.
In either case, Sesshomaru would be as smug as Hell because he'd been so damned shady about the whole ordeal and had proven how pathetic the human race is. Sango couldn't help but distrust the Lord of the Western Lands. All that she'd known him to be was the enemy. And now she was supposed to trust him all of a sudden and treat him as a "teammate?" This wasn't exactly something that was going to happen overnight for her. ESPECIALLY not for her. She was a demon slayer and Sesshomaru was a demon. Hm, how about...NO!
No.
No!
NO!
She couldn't trust someone who'd been their enemy for so long with her little brother's life! No, there had to be some other way...
Then, something occurred to her.
She looked down at the vile, a small smile overtaking her features. She knew what she had to do! But it would be dangerous, possibly even deadly. She uncorked the slim vile and looked down at her little brother, well aware of Shippo and Rin's watchful gazes. She turned back to the vile and brought it to her lips, taking a few sips of the bland liquid. Shippo and Rin gasped before Sango corked the vile again, looking back at them with a faint smile.
All there was left to do now was wait.
"Sango! What have you done?! What if it was poison?!" Miroku's voice sounded far away when he called to her, but it was steadily growing more distinct as he ran up to stand behind her. She didn't move a muscle. He came to a complete halt right behind her, seemingly too shocked to do anything more than just stand there for the moment. She didn't look back at him, feeling a paralyzing chill rippling over her body at the realization that she'd just carried out a potentially-fatal deed. She might die in as little as a few moments or in as long as a few hours--assuming that the vile contained poison, that is. And, considering Sesshomaru, she prepared herself for death. Miroku eventually came back to his senses and, feeling two strong hands firmly grasp her shoulders, Sango was turned around to face the monk. The tips of their noses were two centimeters away from touching, but neither of them seemed to be thinking of that. The tormented demon slayer met his indigo-blue eyes with as much bravery as she ever possessed.
"Better me than him..." She smiled, tears welling up in her big brown eyes. Miroku looked down at her with concern and something of anger, but Sango paid him no mind. How could he be angry about this? Didn't he understand...? She went on to justify her decision further. "How could I live with poisoning my little brother? How could I if I'd known that I'd done it with my own two hands?" She felt the tears slip down her cheeks and Miroku started in surprise. His eyes softened with concern as he pulled her to his chest, sighing deeply. Sango fully relaxed in his arms, knowing that he wouldn't try anything perverse in such a serious situation.
"Sango," he murmured into her ear, "you're too independent for your own good. I only wished to fulfill a single vow to you, but you never fail to rush ahead, do you?" Sango shook her head slightly against his chest and smiled. She hoped that this wouldn't be the end of her because...because, after this, she had something important to tell him. When a person is faced with only a few hours to live, they think of many things. But Sango only thought of two. One was her brother, and the other...
She smiled.
"I won't...anymore," she replied quietly as Miroku squeezed her shoulders a bit tighter. Shippo and Rin just stared on at them in shocked amazement.
Sesshomaru's Point-Of-View
Sango, you're too independent for your own good. I only wished to fulfill a single vow to you, but you never fail to rush ahead, do you? A brief pause between the two humans. Within the last hour, Sesshomaru had come to openly despise the oddly matched pair. After all, one had tried to banish him to the endless depths of his left hand while the other one had just taken the actual antidote to his Poison Whip in order to test it for lethal substances. What a pathetic couple of humans he had managed to nab as teammates. One attempts to kill him and the other is overly suspicious of him. What terribly wonderful allies. He'd be lucky if they didn't attack him before Naraku. I won't...anymore.
Sesshomaru growled deep in his throat, still standing as a proud dog-demon, and glared at Naraku in the distance. He'd quit walking some time ago, realizing that there was very little that he could do in this form as far as rescue missions were concerned. No matter what angle he looked at it from, the attacks he issued as an enormous inu-youkai would put InuYasha and Kikyo in the same amount of danger as his enemy. He planned on returning to normal in a few more moments--which was why he was staring off into space like a fool. What was he supposed to do when Kagome began shrieking at the top of her lungs? After all, his clothes had been ripped to tatters when he'd transformed. Meaning that when he returned to normal, he would be stark naked. (Author's Note: ... Blush/Smirk) Modesty wasn't normally his strongest virtue, even less so when he had an important goal to reach, but Kagome had an unbearably shrill voice when she set her mind to it and his ears were all too sensitive to withstand such an agonizing pitch. He supposed he could warn her beforehand...that might do.
"Kagome," Sesshomaru began, still glowering menacingly at Naraku.
"Mm?" she prompted absently from his shoulder blades. She seemed much too relaxed, in his opinion. Was she trying to take a nap? This was certainly a drastic change, compared to the fact that only a week ago he would not have allowed her to touch him in any way, shape, or form. And he was sure that a few looks aimed his way would have been off-limits for the human, as well. But look at THIS bizarre scene! A human napping on his back! 'For the third time...' he added wearily. "You stopped walking. Why? Did you figure out that there's no way that you can attack in this form?" That caught Sesshomaru off-guard. She was more intelligent than he had previously given her credit for. Still, she was acting so calm and collected; that wasn't usually Kagome. What was the matter with her NOW? Actually, as he thought about it, since when did the Lord of the Western Lands know what was usual for Kagome and what wasn't? This had been the most indescribable week of his life. He fought the urge to inquire if anything was the matter as he said, in as frigid a tone as possible,
"Yes, and that is why I am returning to my semi-human form..." he trailed off, hoping she'd take the hint. She didn't.
"O...kay. Do you want me to climb down your leg then, or do you expect me to jump?" Sesshomaru released a sigh of absolute dread at the prospect of having to actually explain it to her. "Um...what?" Kagome asked, unnervingly clueless. How naive could this girl be?
"For your personal comfort, I recommend adverting your eyes." Kagome was silent for a few moments, leaving Sesshomaru to wait blindly in the awkward predicament. Soon, however, she gave out a long, exaggerated "ohhhh" followed by a series of more uncomfortable "oh"s as she came to a full understanding of what he'd meant. Then she gave a small jump as she said,
"Oh! (Hopefully the last "oh" he'd hear from her for awhile...) Wait a minute! I have an idea!" Kagome exclaimed, the wide smile unable to be missed as it overtook her voice. Sesshomaru could barely make out his brother's voice in the distance, obviously bellowing "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer" from within Naraku's blanket of tentacles. 'Good. My little brother is still alive.' Kagome heard nothing, as she was only human, and went on to explain her earlier idea. "Turn back to normal over there in the bushes and I'll give you something to wear! I'm so glad I have my backpack!" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow before glancing over to said bushes. He shrugged, making Kagome bounce into the air with a small squeal, and layed down on the ground.
"Slide down," he commanded tonelessly. Kagome seemed too surprised to comply with the demand for a few moments, but soon he felt her twist back and forth upon his back (she must have been shaking herself back to sense...) and obey. Sesshomaru stepped over a small patch of trees, leaving the human to rummage through her large, yellow luggage-carrier, and released all tension from his muscles. He forced himself to forget his younger brother's extreme danger and abandon his earlier rage. After all, Rin was safe and Kagome wasn't in any immediate danger, either. Soon, everything would be solved. He'd destroy Naraku the moment he shrunk back to his usual self and then his brother would be safe as well. He felt slightly satisfied with this and, intending to return to his normal state, closed his eyes. As soon as they were closed, he saw Rin and Kagome laughing back at the castle as they sat on Kagome's bed with the little straw doll. His only two wards, of whom he'd grown so fond...
When he opened his eyes, he was back to normal again. And naked. (Blushie...)
When he realized he was smiling, he mentally raked it from his face with unnecessary vigor and scowled in outstanding fury. What was happening to him? Why was he smiling? Why was he happy? Why was he feeling any of this at the mere THOUGHT of those two human wenches? He let out a huge roar of rage and felt himself begin to change again. He promptly calmed himself down again. He didn't need to do that all over again.
He knew what was wrong with him now. He didn't like it, but he knew.
There wasn't ANYTHING wrong with him. Nothing at all.
At least not while those two were safe.
He sighed, not wanting to understand or believe that it was the truth. But he did. He wasn't a fool who disregarded whatever information he didn't take favor to. He knew that the reason he was happy was because Kagome and Rin were safe and were with him. He was glad that they were by his side. He was weak, because he couldn't allow anything to happen to them. Weak, because if it came to that, he would surrender any battle to keep them from harm.
Weak...
Love makes a person weak in all sorts of ways, though. So he isn't completely wrong, is he, Chisa? If he falls in love someday, then he WILL be weak...
"Sesshomaru! Sesshomaru, are you o--?" Sesshomaru turned as he heard Kagome's voice coming from behind him, but instantly realized that it was a mistake. Kagome pushed back a few tree branches, clutching a long piece of blue material in her fist, before she seen him. Scarlet didn't even describe the shade of her face. "Oh! Um, I...I didn't mean to...to--EEEEEEEEK!" Sesshomaru had already hidden himself behind a tree before she could see too much, thanks to his demonic reflexes, but it still hadn't spared him Kagome's endless shriek. His knees wavered threateningly, almost sending Sesshomaru to the ground, as he painfully dug his claws into his temples. She was so LOUD! He darted over to her, moving as swiftly as he could for decency's sake, and yanked the clothing away from her. Thankfully, her eyes had been shut tightly as she squealed, ensuring that she did not see any more than she may have already had. She quit shrieking as he disappeared behind a cluster of bushes, impatiently pulling the blue-satin bottoms up to waist. They were nearly two feet shorter than his legs, as he noted with mild distaste. He came out from behind the bushes and pulled on the top. Which instantly ripped down the seams. "Hey! That was my favorite pair of pajamas!" Kagome's voice scolded from a yard away. She wasn't blushing anymore and her voice had, thankfully, returned to its usual pitch. Though it was still rather louder than he preferred...
"We have a battle to fight, Kagome, and two friends in need of rescue. Being such, mourning the loss of a meaningless article of clothing some other time would be most helpful." Kagome just stared at him, face blank, before breaking out in a huge grin. Sesshomaru felt a twinge of annoyance, as was custom when spending any length of time with a conscious Kagome. "What is the matter with you now, human? Have you misinterpreted my meaning again...?" he asked, though not able to recall any circumstance that he'd ever believed her of doing such. Kagome shut her eyes, her smile softening, before reopening them and meeting Sesshomaru's steady gaze. Sesshomaru watched her with a trace of bewilderment slipping into his indifferent expression. What he wouldn't give to know how that girl's mind worked.
"You just called InuYasha and Kikyo your friends..." Kagome said softly, her smile never fading. Sesshomaru almost glowered, but the feeling passed quickly. He walked past her, dropping the ruined top into her hands as he went.
"So I did."
Shippo's Point-Of-View
"EEEEEEEK!" Shippo jumped a mile into the air as he heard Kagome's signature scream emit from the forest. A moment ago, he'd watched as Sesshomaru, who had become a giant dog-demon, shrink beneath the tree tops to return to his semi-human form. And then Kagome had followed after him with something blue clutched in her hand, leaving her backpack behind. Shippo spun around and began to run towards the forest.
"Shippo-chan! No! You have to stay here where it's safe!" Rin's voice came from behind him as she pulled him back by the shirt collar, halting him mid-step. Shippo angrily turned to her, making her cringe away with a grimace. She released his shirt as her hands clasped together at her chest. Shippo blinked at her, surprised.
"I don't hit girls, you know. You don't have to be afraid." Rin seemed uncertain for a moment before relaxing. She smiled at him happily.
"Okay!" She seemed thoughtful for a moment, but didn't say anything, so Shippo turned around and started towards the forest again. "No! Wait! Sesshomaru-sama told me to stay with you! You can't just run off and leave me here!" Shippo continued walking, trying his best to ignore her. He was already trying to find a way out of it HIMSELF without HER trying to dissuade him as well! He wasn't like Myouga; he didn't like to bail on his friends when they needed him most. He was scared, but he had to help Kagome!
"I gotta help my friends, Rin! Stay here with Sango and Miroku!" Shippo then took off at a run, leaving her to stand dumbly in the wake. Or that had been the plan until he was practically pounced on from behind. Rin had dove at him, knocking him to the ground.
"No! Let me come with you! If you don't, then I'll...then I'll..." Shippo was about to turn into his giant balloon form when Rin did something really unusual: she threatened him. She gasped and exclaimed, "Then I'll tell Sesshomaru-sama that you abandoned me here when I was getting attacked by demons!" Shippo's eyes went as wide as dinnerplates as he turned around (with much difficulty, as she was still atop him.)
"You wouldn't! He'd rip me apart!" Rin bit her lip, seeming to be reconsidering, before looking down at him with the same look she gave the toad.
"I would! Kagome's my friend, too! Besides! What if she was screaming because her and Lord Sesshomaru were being attacked?" Shippo took a minute to hold his determined expression, wondering what would be more manly of him to do. Leaving her behind with Sango and Miroku, thereby guaranteeing her safety, or allowing her to come with him and face certain danger. He smirked. Allowing her to face certain danger in which HE could protect her from like the tough guy that he was?
"Okay, then! As of right now, you are MY ward. I'll protect you from demons until Sesshomaru comes back for you. Got it?" Rin's smile reached from ear-to-ear as she pulled him up into her arms, landing a small kiss on his cheek. He felt his face turn a bright red.
"Thank you so much, Shippo-chan! I promise not to bug you like I do Jaken!" She huggled him, squeezing him rather tightly, and nuzzled her face into his shirt. She smiled wider than anyone he'd ever met. 'Hm, so she DOES understand that she annoys that toad...'
"Hey! Cut it out! You don't do this when SESSHOMARU protects you, do you?!" Rin stopped and looked down at Shippo, confused.
"He's too tall," she answered, as if that explained everything. Shippo got an idea then.
"So am I." He immediately transformed into Sesshomaru, complete with tail, before Rin could ask what he'd meant. She gaped up at him, confused, yet delighted.
"Wow! That's amazing, Shippo-chan!" She glanced down at his tail as it twitched. Then she giggled. "And the tail is really cute!" Shippo almost contradicted her, saying that it WASN'T cute and that he was learning how to get rid of it, when he was distracted by her laughter. It was fun watching her smile like that. Her laughter seemed to take up all of her face, spreading everywhere. All he could see was two thin slivers of brown where her eyes were supposed to be and a big, toothy grin. How could ANYONE smile so widely? And how did she keep it up for so long? He was thinking that her cheeks would have to get tired eventually... She was always so cheerful! It unnerved him somewhat.
"Okay, then! We're going!" He stared down at her for a moment before turning around and walking towards the forest. Rin came up to follow alongside him and grabbed on to his hand. His only hand? "Where'd Sesshomaru's other arm go?" Shippo asked before he could stop himself. He'd probably just pointed out that his oh-so-wonderful transformation skills had left "Sesshomaru" deformed.
"InuYasha cut it off," Rin answered non-chalantly. Shippo sputtered.
"WHAT?" A large cloud crept over them before Rin could answer, causing the two of them to look up at a huge wave of flying demons.
"Shippo-chan! What am I supposed to do?!" Rin's voice came from somewhere to his left. Shippo was too busy concentrating on the upcoming fight against the numerous demons above him. He was skeptical that he'd be able to kill even one of them. "Shippo-chan! Please?! What do you...want me to do?" Shippo looked down at her, his face full of concern. Or, rather, Sesshomaru's face was full of concern.
He grabbed her up and began to run like a coward.
It cost him every bit of pride to run like that, but he knew that he had no chance. He would have fought anyway, but if something were to happen to him, he'd be leaving Rin to fend for herself. 'Can't let my ward die...' His ego puffed up a little at that realization. Yep, he was doing this to keep Rin safe. Maybe he wasn't as big of a wimp as Myouga, then...?
Something bit into his back and he fell to the ground, eyes wide, with Rin pinned beneath him.
"Shippo-chan! Shippo-chan! What's the matter?!" Rin shouted, her voice shaking. She was scared...
"Relax! I'm a demon! I'll protect you, remember?" Shippo turned around slightly to get better access to his mid-back and performed Fox Fire. The demon, small and just slightly less powerful than the kitsune, perished easily. "Now, c'mon! We've gotta get back to the others and help fight! Ack!" Another bite. This was getting to become routine. "Fox Fi--Argh!" Another bite...and then another...and another! Rin was going mad with fear at this point. Shippo looked down at her, beginning to panic, and smiled a little. He felt a drop of blood form at the corner of his mouth, but disregarded it. "You'll be okay. I'll protect you." Shippo, tasting the metal flavor of blood, knew that his brain was calmly disagreeing with that statement. But he was going to hold up to his word, one way or another. He wrapped himself all the way around Rin, like some sort of snake coiling around a tree, and closed his eyes to better focus on transforming. It was difficult, since he was losing so much blood and demons were still biting into him at regular intervals. That, and Rin was beginning to wriggle, confused as to why Shippo was clutching onto her like a scared little child. He had to protect her. She was his ward, right? Then he had to keep her safe. He...had to...
He heard a loud pop and, when he opened his eyes again, he was looking in at Rin. He was a giant balloon, but he had put Rin inside to keep her safe. He felt at least twenty more demons bite into him simultaneously. He winced, but Rin was safe. Confused, as it appeared, but safe. He closed his eyes and sighed before more demons bit into him.
"Now I...I really am...a tough guy..." he grumbled sarcastically through the stabbing pain. Rin looked up at him with tears in her eyes at his words. He guessed that she WASN'T always so cheerful, after all...
Miroku's Point-Of-View
"Wind Tunnel!" Miroku had seen Shippo and Rin getting attacked by demons some ways away and had started to go after them when he and Sango were confronted with a little army of themselves. He hoped that the little guy could handle his own battle...for all their sakes. After all, not only would it kill him to see a little girl die so young, but Sesshomaru would MURDER anyone still alive when he found out. Anyway, back to his own battle--oh, it was over. He really didn't hate his Wind Tunnel all that much right now. He pulled the rosary beads over his hand and glanced down at Sango and Kohaku.
Sango had poured the remains of the vile's antidote down Kohaku's throat once they'd realized Sesshomaru's little gift wasn't poison. And now they were waiting. He quickly looked back to Shippo and Rin, but the little girl was nowhere in sight and all he could see was Shippo's pink balloon. And he was swarmed by about fifty different demons, all of which were determinedly gnawing at him!
In that moment, he'd begun to run to the kitsune's rescue, frantically searching for Rin as he went. But, before he could go less than a yard, two unexpected events simultaneously occurred. Sesshomaru and Kagome came clear out of nowhere and began to, side-by-side, attack the demons that had swarmed Shippo. And, at the same time, Kohaku began to stir.
"Kohaku!" Sango exclaimed, looking down at her brother with gleeful surprise. Seeing as to how both Kagome and Sesshomaru were helping Shippo, Miroku guiltlessly turned his attention to Sango and Kohaku. He knelt down next to the two of them and helped Sango support her brother's head. The boy slowly opened his eyes, looking back and forth between the monk and the demon slayer. Miroku sighed in relief when he seen that Kohaku's eyes were clear and sparkling. He wasn't under Naraku's control. At least, for now he wasn't.
"Big sister...?" Kohaku murmured, looking up at Sango dazedly. Sango smiled happily, her eyes brimming with tears, and brought her brother into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Sango kept repeating. Miroku watched her with a sinking heart. He wanted to tell her to stop blaming herself, to stop apologizing for things that were out of her control, but he didn't. This was her moment. She was rejoicing in having her brother back and he couldn't bring himself to interrupt the reunion. So he just watched. "I'm so, so sorry..." Kohaku suddenly began to lift his arm up to reach behind him, the life in his eyes beginning to flicker to shadow. Miroku immediately started forward to stop him, his eyes growing wide, when Kohaku spoke.
"Run...sister," he ground out, his fingers wrapping around the handle of his weapon. Sango gasped and leaned back away from him, never taking her hands off of his shoulders. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him, but she still wouldn't let him go. "Run now!" shouted Kohaku, yanking the weapon from his back. Sango jumped, glancing nervously at her brother's newly-drawn weapon. But then she closed her eyes again and calmly brought him closer, holding him in a tighter hug than before. Miroku quickly got to his feet, ready to drag her away, when--
"No," she said softly, a tear forming at the corner of her eye as she grimaced. "I'd rather die with you! I...I can't stand not being able to help you anymore!" Miroku froze, his heart a block of ice. He'd always known so, but hearing her say the words with such passion was just too much. She DID blame herself...
Kohaku brought the weapon up over his head, his sister still clinging to him, and Miroku began to reach a hand out to pull Sango away from him. It was all in slow motion. Kohaku's weapon came down, down, down and Miroku's hand reached out, out, out...and as they neared the deciding moment, everything came back at full speed. Miroku yanked Sango into his arms and...and Kohaku's blade dug into his own back.
"KOHAKU! NO!" Kohaku's eyes regained their glitter and life as he raised his head and smiled at his sister.
"Sister," he began, his voice coarse, "it's okay. You saved me." Kohaku then gave his weapon a sharp jerk and something fell to the grassy earth with a drop of blood. It was a jewel shard; the shard that kept Kohaku alive. He fell to his knees and Sango ran to his side. "I've killed so many people and I let Naraku take over my body. All because I couldn't bear the memory of killing our family. I even tried...to kill you..." Kohaku raised his head with apparent effort. "I couldn't stand it anymore, so I asked Naraku to help me forget. And he did, but at the price of many other innocent lives. This...is my atonement...big sister." Kohaku fell limp in Sango's arms, his eyes slowly dulling and his eyelids covering them for the very last time. Sango began to choke on her tears as Miroku hesitantly walked over to her, his movements rigid and ungainly with shock.
"No," Sango whispered. "Kohaku? Kohaku, please wake up. Open...your eyes." She jarred him slightly, holding his limp form carefully in her arms. "Please? Don't...don't die!" she shouted, her eyes growing wide as she spoke the dreaded word. Her tears fell down her face, coming down in strong sheets, as she realized the truth. The horrible truth. "Please...no...!" Miroku fell to his knees behind her and wrapped his arms around both her AND her dead brother. "NOOOOO!" Miroku's heart shattered.