Kagome POV:
Sesshomaru staggered upright, hand clasped to his ribs where the knife had slipped between them. His blood ran over his hand and stained his tan sweater a dark puce as he walked toward me. As he did so, Inuyasha twitched, and looked up.
"Blood… Sesshomaru…. Okay?" he mumbled. I got the gist of what he was trying to say and Sesshomaru gave him an answer.
"I'm fine, brat. It would take a hell of a lot more than that to put me down." Sesshomaru growled.
"Good…" panted Inuyasha, "cause if… you died… I wouldn't… have anyone… to piss off."
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and turned toward the door. "We should go after him."
"Hell…. Yeah… Kagome, will you… make sure I…. don't run into a wall?"
"Of course!" I cried. As if I would do anything else. I stumbled under his weight as we pushed open the door. Miroku shifted and took a lot of the load of my shoulders for me.
"Thanks Miroku!"
"No problem." He grunted back as we walked. Sesshomaru gave a low hiss. He had spotted Naraku.
A crowd was spilling out of the doors behind us, and Naraku saw us as well. He simply stood there with the dripping knife in his hand. Inuyasha suddenly pushed Miroku and I off of him and began to stagger in Naraku's general direction.
"N-naraku!" he coughed. He stumbled closer, before Naraku gave a grim smile.
"You're coming toward me, but shouldn't you be helping her?" He said this, and a piercing scream split the air. All eyes turned to see Hakudoshi plunge a long dagger into Kikyo's chest a third time.
Inuyasha POV:
My vision had been regained in my right eye, albeit extremely blurrily. Hakudoshi's hand seemed to move in slow motion as it yanked the dagger back out of Kikyo's flesh, spraying her blood across the ground in a shower of crimson rain.
I instantly changed directions, making a beeline for the pink-haired kid. I was too slow in my weakened state. I made it to Kikyo as she slumped to the ground. I tore the throat out of Hakudoshi and mingled the black blood with the red as I caught Kikyo in my arms.
Her eyelids fluttered weakly as I lifted her head higher. She gave a shuddering gasp as she opened her eyes and looked at me.
"I'm… sorry." She whispered. I couldn't help it as tears poured down my cheeks.
"You don't have any reason to apologize!" I cried, bending my head over her rapidly chilling body.
"No… I tried to come between you and Kagome… when I knew… my time had stopped here. I… have no place anymore."
"I should be the one apologizing!" I said softly. "If only I had trusted you…. None of this-!" Kikyo raised her hand weakly to cover my mouth.
"Shhhh… we'll part on mutually… good terms… Inuyasha. I never… stopped loving… y-you."
And then she died. She simply fell back, and her heart gave out from the strain of the hole in it. Hakudoshi had long since ceased his writhing and now lay twitching a pool of tar-colored blood.
My good eye became covered in a crimson haze. This was different than the fire-blood. This was blood lust.
My pains disappeared as I went into a berserker rage. I loosed an awful howl and laid Kikyo gently on the ground. I sniffed the air. That bastard would pay.
Naraku POV:
While everyone had been distracted by Hakudoshi and Kikyo, I had taken off running. A new life, a new identity, a new body. I would start over on the continent.
A bestial cry rang out behind me, and I was suddenly aware of pounding feet following and overlapping my own. I turned, blade raised to see Inuyasha flying at my throat, intent on ending me.
Not happening.
Not here, not now, not ever.
I slashed with the knife, drawing blood from the half-breed's face. He retaliated with a swing of his claws, and I was reminded that his claws were as volatile as any blade when they pierced my arm.
We fought and fought, but no many how many times I cut him, he wouldn't fall. I was reaching my limit, but no matter what I did, I couldn't put him down. He was as the walking dead.
He came at me again, his power building even as mine flagged. Memories of my human life flashed before my eyes. Memories of jealousy for Kikyo.
I placed a gash in Inuyasha's shoulder with a roar, refusing to give in. The white-haired dog demon disregarded the new injury and fought on.
Blood spurting from a dozen wounds, the red sodden figure drew nearer still. I grew cold as I realized something.
I had gone too far this time. I couldn't win.
Kagome POV:
Inuyasha was insane. Not in demon form even, he was fighting with wounds that should have killed him a hundred times over.
Naraku gave a cry of alarm as Inuyasha pushed him back further. He seemed to finally come to the realization that there was nothing he could do to save himself. I sobbed as I watched Inuyasha's gore leave a trail on the asphalt. At this rate, even if he killed Naraku, he would die.
Naraku turned tail and fled. He simply whipped around and took off. Inuyasha gave swift pursuit, nearly catching up with him. Naraku looked fearfully over his shoulder, crimson eyes wide with terror. This act proved to be his demise.
His foot caught on a crack in the cement, and he fell. Inuyasha arrived seconds later, but Naraku hadn't moved. He simply lay there on the hot road.
"Get up and fight you bastard!" Inuyasha roared. Naraku still didn't move. Inuyasha kicked his prone form, forcing him to turn over. It was then that everything came to light.
Naraku's own blade had gone through his chest at an angle when he tripped, killing him instantly as it pierced all the way through his heart. He had lived as he died, a coward.
Inuyasha gave a brief smile before collapsing beside his foe.
Inuyasha POV:
I opened my eyes, knowing instantly where I was. Damn I hate hospitals…
The antiseptic smell of medicine and bandages mingled with old blood. Examining myself, I saw that I was wrapped nearly head to toe in white linen dressings.
Déjà vu much?
A slight scuff drew my attention to the corner where Sango was leaning.
"Hey." She greeted.
"Hi." I responded in a rough voice. My throat was as dry as Death Valley on a summers' day. The black-haired demon slayer kindly passed me a glass of water.
"Miroku and Shippo are force-feeding Kagome downstairs. She hasn't eaten since you've come here. Not willingly anyways. Oh, and the authorities cleared your name of all charges." She said in an offhand voice.
I ignored the last bit of info. "She hasn't been eating?" I yelped.
"Nope. Oh, but now that Kikyo's gone, you won't have a choice to make, will you?" Sango asked.
"There never was a choice. Kagome loved me for me. Kagome is still alive. Kikyo herself admitted that she had no place in the world of the living. I would have chosen Kagome regardless." I said solemnly. A muffled sob came from near the door, and I saw Kagome staring at me with such love in her eyes that is was difficult to bear. How could someone like me deserve someone like her?
She walked over as if in a dream and crouched next to me.
"Do you mean that?" she asked.
"Of course."
She pressed her lips passionately to mine, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. Someone suddenly cleared their throat, causing us to break apart. Sesshomaru stood a bit awkwardly by the bed, Rin at his side. He too was bandaged, but nowhere near the extent of mine.
"Why did you go after Naraku for me?" I queried. If he had really hated me he would have let me doe of poisoning. What was his motive?
"No one poisons a Takahashi. It was an affront to our noble blood."
"Ah, good, 'cause for a moment it seemed like you actually were worried for me! Can't have you going soft!" I chuckled.
"You were imagining things." He mumbled, not meeting my eyes.
"Heh, if you went soft, I wouldn't have anyone to piss off…"
"Shut up half-breed."
"Anyways…." I said as Miroku and Shippo entered the room, "Naraku is gone now. The only ones he left alive were Kanna and Goshinki."
"Kanna went to a foster home and Goshinki was caught selling demon-strength drugs and is currently in prison." Shippo piped.
"So… no one else to take care of then?" I queried. "I can be normal now?"
"You can't be normal!" Kagome laughed, "If you were normal, you wouldn't be Inuyasha!" Everyone else laughed as well, me included.
At one point I had thought there was nowhere for me to go; that I had no place to belong.
I knew now that I had found my place.
My place was beside Kagome.
A/N: Sorry for the shortness, but remember, the epilogue is still coming! Thanks for the well-wishing about my surgery… It went okay, but it was worse than they originally thought. Two sections of my bottom jaw had to be removed, so as you can imagine, it sucks.
On the upside, I have a diet of yogurt and ice cream now!
Don't forget to vote on the poll of which story I should post next!
Thanks for sticking with me all this time, and for all of your reviews! :P