The Storm
By: AniuLonewolf
Chapter 12 – End of Naraku
Sesshomaru jumped into the air towards Naraku in a second attempt at attacking the evil demon. His full demon blood was able to control the power of the jewel shard that Kagome gave him. He glanced back to see that his younger brother was having difficulty wielding the Tetsusaiga after Kagome gave him the second of the jewel shards.
Using the Bakusaiga's attack, Sesshomaru wounded Naraku in the shoulder but the evil demon used the Shikon Jewel to heal the wound instantly. Naraku smirked as he used his tentacle arm to thwart of the dog demon, making Sesshomaru jump away and landing by his younger brother again.
The struggling half demon moved his head so that his bangs were covering his eyes. His blood red eyes glowed beneath his bangs as he fought against the pain in his body. With a struggling growl, he gripped the hilt of Tetsusaiga harder and quickly glanced back at the young girl behind him. "Kagome, we have to hurry." He said; his voice gruffer than usual.
Kagome couldn't help the shiver that crawled up her spine. She had only seen Inuyasha's demonic side a handful of times but each one of those times the half demon had forgotten who she was. It was like he had forgotten all of his friends as the demon blood in his veins took over. But this time was different; his eyes though now blood red, his pupils stayed the golden colour instead of teal-green like the other times he had changed. And he still remembered who she was.
But his growl brought Kagome back from her thoughts and at the battle at hand. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she stepped forward to stand beside her mate. Taking the last shard in their possession, she wedged it into the arrowhead before stringing it on her bow.
"We only have one shot at this so make it count." Kagome said to the two dog demon brothers. "I only have one shard left to use in my arrow. We have to attack at the same time." Shippo jumped up on the young girl's shoulder, his little body shaking from adrenaline.
Sango, Miroku and Kilala landed behind Kagome, ready to aid in the final strike against Naraku. Sango pulled her boomerang down, allowing Miroku to place his sacred sutras on it. Shippo jumped from Kagome's shoulder onto Sango's and together they flew back into the air with Kilala.
"Ready?" Inuyasha snarled, still fighting his demonic blood. Getting a slight nod from Sesshomaru, they both jumped into the air with their swords ready for attack.
Just before Inuyasha and Sesshomaru raised their sword in attack, Sango threw her Hiraikotsu that was covered in Miroku's sacred sutras. Shippo then threw his fox fire at Sango's weapon, the bluish-green fire mixing with the red flames of the Hiraikotsu's demonic energy. The flaming boomerang flew through the air, catching Naraku in the shoulder. Because of Miroku's sacred sutras, his monk powers burnt his demonic flesh, spreading through his body and Shippo's fox fire following after the sutra powers.
Koga, who up until now had been unconscious on Kilala's back with the others had awoken while the group was gearing up for their attacks. After talking with Sango and Miroku about their plans, the young wolf demon called his weapon claws back onto his hand and with the last bit of his energy, swung his hang down and sent the Goraishi's attach towards Naraku. Using up all of his strength in the last attack, the wolf demon passed out again.
Kilala flew out of the way just in time for Kagome to release her sacred arrow towards Naraku. The arrow emitted a pink aura from Kagome's priestess powers but also had purple streaks through the blast due to the sacred jewel shard. Kagome had grown stronger throughout her travels with Inuyasha and the others; in the beginning of their adventure she couldn't even shoot an arrow and now she was almost a master at archery and ever growing priestess powers. She aimed the sacred arrow right for Naraku's heart.
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru watched as Kagome's arrow whizzed by them and readied their swords. Sesshomaru swung his sword, a blast of greenish yellow energy coming from his blade and targeting where Kagome's arrow had hit.
"Backlash Wave!" Inuyasha growled as he brought his sword down, his swords power ensnaring Naraku's demonic aura and throwing it back at him. And with the added sacred jewel shard, the Backlash Wave pulled together all of the demonic auras of Sesshomaru, Koga, Kilala and Shippo and also utilized their powers. A series of demonic tornadoes appeared; each made of another demon's aura and attacked Naraku, ripping apart his flesh.
Naraku roared in pain as the tornadoes continued to rip and tear his body apart but he smirked as he used the Shikon Jewel to heal the wounds. But just as the jewel started to fix his body, Kagome's soaring arrow struck him in the chest, her priestess powers burning away at his flesh.
The shard in Kagome's arrow amplified her priestess powers and rendered the jewel powerless to Naraku. With the power of the jewel useless to Naraku, the Backlash Wave's tornadoes continued to tear apart Naraku's body.
This was it; this last arrow would finish off Naraku for good. Kagome strung her last arrow onto her bow and pulled it back. "Hit the mark." She quietly said to herself as she let the arrow fly. The arrow whizzed through the air, glowing a bright pink. It flew by the dog demon brothers and Kilala in the air and hit Naraku in the chest, causing a bright explosion where it hit his demonic body.
The explosion was so powerful that it rocked Sesshomaru and Inuyasha back in mid-air, making them jump away from the flying debris. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha jumped back to where Kagome was standing, Inuyasha wrapping his arms around his mate to block her from the explosion. Kilala who was carrying Sango, Miroku and the re-awoken Koga flew back to the others as they watched Naraku's body burn from the inside out.
Naraku grasped his chest as the pink fire burned through his flesh. He gave out a cry in pain as the power of the Shikon Jewel left his body; making him shrink back down from his giant form. As he shrank down to his normal size, the pink fire engulfed his entire body and with one last howl of pain, he fell to the ground with a lifeless thud.
Lightning flash in the clouds above as the thunder shook the ground. The group watched as their greatest foe slowly died, burning from the blast of their attacks. Sango and Miroku got off of Kilala's back to stand beside Inuyasha and Kagome, Shippo on Kilala's shoulder to watch over the wounded Koga.
They watched as Naraku was reduced to nothing but a pile of ash and dust. As the evil demon fell to his death, the air was suddenly clarified from the deadly miasma in the atmosphere. The air was instantly easier to breathe as the purple mists of miasma blew away into nothing with the wind.
No one moved for a moment, everyone just stood there breathing hard from the strength they had used in that last attack. Their eyes didn't move from where Naraku fell, it was too surreal to think that it was finally over. Sango fell to her knees, tears breaking out over her cheeks as she thought of her fallen younger brother.
The silence was broken when Inuyasha suddenly sank Tetsusaiga's blade into the ground in front of him. He had been jolted by another powerful shock of the Shikon Jewel shard and his strength had been used up in that last attack that he wouldn't have been able to control his demon blood. As he let go of his sword, his eyes turned back to their normal colour and the purple streaks on his cheeks disappeared.
Without a word Inuyasha's older brother turned to the group, his appearance showing no fatigue. Holding his sword up, he removed the jewel shard and placed it in Kagome's hand. Without saying anything, Sesshomaru turned to make his leave from the battle ground.
"Thank you, Sesshomaru." Kagome said as she watched her new brother-in-law leave them. "We appreciate your help in defeating Naraku."
"I didn't come here to help." The dog demon turned his head to look at the priestess from over his shoulder. "I had my own score to settle with Naraku." And with that, he left the scene.
Kagome didn't call out to the older dog demon but offered a small smile as he left. When Sesshomaru was gone, she turned back to her friends with a tired smile. "It's over." She whispered, her voice almost broke at the end as she felt tears well up at the corners of her eyes.
There was a silence that fell over the group after Kagome's words as everyone just looked at each other. It was over; the land was finally rid of Naraku. But everyone snapped into reality and turned to Miroku as he let out a gasp.
They turned to see that the monk's right hand was glowing a soft purple colour. The light grew in brightness until it was too bright that everyone had to shield their eyes from the brightness. When the light grew dimmer they looked back at Miroku who had removed the cloth from his palm. There was nothing left but a scar where the Wind Tunnel used to be for so many years. The curse that had taken his grandfather and father's lives, the curse that was threatening Miroku's own life was finally gone. Miroku was saved!
Sango kneeled down beside Miroku, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. The monk looked over at the demon slayer and the two shared a small smile. Both turned back to look at Kagome who had walked over to the Tetsusaiga and removed the jewel shard from its blade and then watched as the priestess and the half demon walked over to where Naraku had fallen.
Kagome picked up her broken arrow off the ground and retrieved the jewel shard that she used. Inuyasha looked around the battle area and at the site of ashes and debris, spotted a small spider - the only thing remaining of the foul demon that was once Naraku. Inuyasha let out a snarl, feeling the dark aura around the little spider and unsheathed Tetsusaiga again and plunged the blade into the spider's body.
The spider gave out a shriek as it was impaled by the Tetsusaiga's blade but the half demon didn't stay and watch him die as he turned to his mate and watched her pick up the glowing Shikon Jewel. Inuyasha walked over to Kagome but gasped when she suddenly dropped the jewel back down on the ground.
"The jewel is so tainted." Kagome whispered, looking at her hands where the jewel had burnt her. Trying again, Kagome bent down and picked up the jewel, placing the three remaining shards in her palm. She didn't really know what she was going to do with the shard pieces but she closed her eyes and concentrated on the energy that the shards were giving off.
Everyone watched as Kagome started to glow pink. Suddenly, a white light erupted from her hands and the group shielded their eyes from the blinding light of the Shikon Jewel. But as soon as the light came from her hands, it went away and when the group looked to Kagome, she opened her hands to reveal the all-put-back-together Jewel of the Four Souls. It sparkled with a pink light; Kagome's priestess powers purifying the jewel from Naraku's malevolent power.
"So…" Shippo whispered from Miroku's shoulder as Kagome and Inuyasha walked back to the group. "We won? It's over?" The little kit looked over at the jewel that was in Kagome's hands.
"Yes Shippo." Inuyasha said softly, standing beside Kagome. "We won. Naraku is burning in Hell as we speak." He allowed a small smile as he looked down at his mate, his arm snaking around her waist to pull her closer to him. Kagome looked up at him, her eyebrow raised at his choice of words but he was right nonetheless.
The wounded wolf demon give a small moan in pain from where he was laying on Kilala's back. Lifting his head slightly, he caught the sight of the Inuyasha giving Kagome a quick kiss on the lips. Koga could feel his heart shudder in his chest as he watched Kagome smile up at the dog demon. He had developed feelings for the priestess during his travels to avenge his fallen pack mates that died at Naraku's hands. He had several fights with the dog mutt for the way he treated Kagome but he could clearly see that Kagome was happy with the dog demon. Letting out a sigh which was hitched when he felt the pain in his ribs, he turned away, burying his face in Kilala's fur.
Sango watched from a little ways away as Kagome and Inuyasha shared a kiss. She saw from the corner of her eye as Koga saw the same scene and watched him turn away from the view. Her attention turned back to Miroku as she saw him look down at his hand again. "Your family's curse is finally gone, Miroku." She looked up at the monk with a small smile but suddenly turned away when a tear ran down her cheek.
She still couldn't get a hold of her tears and she didn't know this time if they were tears of joy or sadness – or a mixture of both. She was so happy that Miroku was saved from his curse but she couldn't get the flashbacks out of her mind – flashbacks of years ago when everything was peaceful and she was back with her village; back with her father and brother.
Miroku saw the pain in Sango's eyes and he took his right hand still covered in the purple cloth glove and lifted her chin. "Sango," he started and took a deep breath, locking her eyes with her. "I have something important to say to you." He took a deep breath again, searching her tear-filled eyes. "I love you."
The flashbacks in her mind's eye stopped and she let out a small gasp. She could have sworn that her heart stopped beating for a moment as her mind stopped dead in its tracks, her eyes widening as she looked up at the monk. She couldn't move, her body frozen for those words she had dreamed to hear for so long.
But Miroku took her silence as rejection and pulled his hands away, trying to backtrack his words. "I'm sorry Sango, I shouldn't have said that especially since you're still upset about losing your brother. "Forgive m-" His words were cut short when Sango's body crashed into his, capturing his lips in a kiss.
The demon exterminator wrapped her arms around Miroku's neck, pulling his lips closer to her. The pain from her wounds faded into the background of her mind as her lips moved with his as he kissed her back. Kohaku's image still burned in her min but she couldn't help but feel like she was floating on clouds. Miroku loved the taste of her kiss and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss and for once his hands behaved and stayed around her waist.
Sango didn't want to pull away, she wanted to keep their lips locked together forever – but her lungs needed air and she pulled away from his lips but kept hers close to his as she caught her breath. "I love you too Miroku." She mumbled into his chest.
Miroku's heart was thundering in his chest as he held her tight to him. He cleared his throat, gaining the demon slayer's attention as she looked back up at him. "Sango," He watched as she lifted her eyes to look up at him, he could see tears threatening to fall down her cheeks again. "I know this is kind of sudden but..." He took another deep breath. "Will you marry me?"
Sango's tears won and they streamed down her pink cheeks that were already tear stained. Her heart swelled as she heard the words echo in her ears. "Yes, yes Miroku I will." She said, hiccupping because she was holding back a sob that was stuck in her throat. She smiled up at him and he brought his lips down and caught hers again in another passionate kiss.
Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo stood a little further away from the new couple. Shippo was perched on Inuyasha's shoulder as the dog demon has his arms wrapped around Kagome, hugging her from behind. "Kind of like us huh?" Kagome smiled, leaning her head back on Inuyasha's shoulder.
"Yeah." Inuyasha said as he stood there with his mate. His wounds stung, the bleeding stopped long ago and his golden eyes continued to look around the battleground. He knew it was over, but part of him felt like it wasn't over, the adrenaline from the battle still coursing through his veins. His eyes turned to Kilala where she stood with Koga still on her back. He knew the wolf demon was awake but his head was turned away from them, perhaps resting from his wounds.
There was a soft silence in the area as everyone caught their breath from the battle but the silence was suddenly broken when the earth started to shake violently. Everyone braced themselves and saw that the castle started to fall apart, the wood panels and roof shingles breaking into dust and blowing away into the suddenly strong wind. When the earth finally stopped shaking, there was nothing left; the castle had completely disintegrated along with Naraku's powers.
"We should head back to my village and take care of everyone's wounds." Sango spoke up from Miroku's arms as he had protected her from the earthquake.
The rest of the group agreed and helped Sango onto Kilala's back with Koga as she was still weak from Kanna's attack and wouldn't be able to walk far. The wolf demon didn't object to following the group to the demon slayer village as he wouldn't have been able to make it very far with his wounds. When asked where his wolf pack was, he said he had left them behind to come fight and told the group that his pack would be able to follow his scent to catch up with him later on.
As they left the area where Naraku's castle once stood, Inuyasha caught the sight of white in the corner of his vision. Turning to see what it was, he felt his heart ache as he thought to himself. 'I have to find her.'
But his thoughts were broken when he heard Kagome call to him, the group already several paces ahead of the dog demon. Without saying anything, Inuyasha buried his thoughts to the back of his mind and went to catch up with his mate and friends. No one else had noticed the soul collector watching them.
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
The Storm by AniuLonewolf