Chapter 36 - Decision
"I love you too."
Kagome's eyes widened at the whispered words that echoed throughout her white prison. She stared blankly at Kikyo and Kayo who returned her stare.
The voice had not belonged to Inu Yasha.
Kagome stood abruptly, memories flooding through her mind.
The first day that she'd entered Sengoku Jidai and stumbling upon the hanyou pinned to the old God Tree.
Her first meeting with Sesshomaru when he'd tried to take her life.
The tender moments that she'd witnessed over and over between Kikyo and Inu Yasha.
Waking up in Sesshomaru's castle.
Inu Yasha pulling her in for a hug begging her to stay with him.
Staring out at all of Japan laid before her eyes while up in a tree with Sesshomaru.
Fighting with Inu Yasha.
Kissing Sesshomaru and promising never to leave him… telling him she loved him.
'It is said that he would not have died had the priestess not abandoned him in the final battle.'
The words of the article she'd found on the Internet resonated through her mind and Kagome closed her eyes.
Her decision was made.
"Take that!" Miroku cried as he swung his staff at a lowly demon.
Lady Aki quickly swept her sword around her. The demons that she'd felled were replaced with more. There seemed to be an endless supply of them, "Damn it."
Miroku glanced at the demoness, "It seems that they will continue to come until Naraku is defeated."
"I sensed his presence pass over us a while ago. He is probably engaged in battle with Sesshomaru and his miko."
"His miko?" Miroku froze, an uneasy feeling growing in his stomach.
"Hai, I believe her name is Kagome," Aki carefully measured his reaction. "Is there something I should know?"
Miroku paused before responding, "Hai… Inu Yasha is in love with Kagome."
Lady Aki frowned, "It appeared to me that she loves Sesshomaru."
"I believe that this will be a problem," Miroku said, thinking aloud.
"A problem for another day."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of thundering hooves. Miroku and Aki fixed their eyes expectantly to their right. A man riding a snow white stallion charged into an empty space and stopped when he saw the castle looming over him, countless men followed his lead.
"Haru!" Miroku called, waving his free arm.
The horseman caught his movement and signalled his men to begin fighting Naraku's forces. He then rode quickly to Miroku's side.
"Miroku-sama! The second wave has arrived! It is approaching from all sides! We're surrounded!" he cried.
Miroku gaped at him.
"How can that be? I did not sense such movement. Surely such a large movement of demons wouldn't go undetected," Lady Aki scoffed, narrowing her eyes.
Haru seemed to notice the woman for the first time. He bowed his head in respect and struck down a few demons. "My lady, they were lead by a young girl carrying a mirror. I have seen her before within Naraku's ranks."
Miroku gaped at Haru, "You can't mean Kanna?"
Aki eyed the monk suspiciously.
"She is one of Naraku's offspring. She is able to hide her demonic aura. She must have hidden the aura of all those demons!"
Aki nodded wordlessly and continued fighting. Unless the other lords hurried, they would lose ground and the castle would be in danger.
A brilliant flash of white permeated the air of the clearing. Both hanyous stopped in their tracks and shielded their eyes. Sesshomaru blearily watched the miko in his arms. Her eyes opened slowly; they were glowing bright white.
Eyes narrowing, Naraku took this chance to lunge for Sesshomaru. 'I'll kill him once and for all.' He was stopped ten feet away from the couple and thrown back by a barrier that the miko had undoubtedly erected. Scowling, he raced forward again, only to be thrown back once again. A growl escaped his throat. Gathering his energies, Naraku prepared to lunge again, 'This time, I'll get through it.'
Grazing her slim fingers against the smooth skin of Sesshomaru's cheek, she rose. Once she was on her feet, she could see Naraku struggling against her barrier. Her expression didn't change as she created a bow and arrow purely out of sacred energy. Aiming carefully, she shot. Naraku narrowly dodged the sacred arrow that she fired. Leaping back, he studied the girl. She was not herself, she seemed to be possessed by otherworldly powers; powers that not even Kikyo possessed.
Again and again she fired, each time Naraku twisted and dodged the arrows. Attacking her was useless. His body would be purified within five metres of her. His eyes searched for a way out; anything. This battle would have to wait until another day. His mind quickly pieced together a plan and he executed it flawlessly, reaching his escape without once turning his back on her.
However once he turned to run away, he was stopped by another barrier. 'What is this? A barrier to keep me in?!' He turned back to her incredulously and his dark eyes widened when he came face to face with a glowing white arrow headed straight for his heart.
The hanyou's chest exploded upon contact, creating a large hole in his torso. Naraku stood frozen in front of the girl. He couldn't move. It was as if her spiritual powers had bound him to the spot. He stared at the girl as she stepped closer to him. She stopped a few feet away from him and he watched helplessly as she took aim. He tried to transform his arm into a tentacle, he tried to regenerate his chest, to dodge; anything to escape this situation. It was useless, he was paralyzed and there was no way to escape the girl's arrow.
Kagome released her arrow and it flew straight through the man's head, purifying it instantly.
Finally, he was gone.
Blinking, the whiteness faded from her vision and she stared at Naraku's remains, "Is he… dead?" As if in response, his body disintegrated and she was left staring at nothing. The Shikon no Tama clattered to the floor and lay innocently, as white and pure as she had ever seen it. Kagome swiftly picked it up and tucked it safely inside her clothing; it was almost complete. Turning, she studied the clearing. Sesshomaru was lying down in the middle of the clearing and Inu Yasha was eying her suspiciously from the branches above. 'He's transformed into a full youkai,' she realized, catching sight of his blood-red eyes. 'Better deal with that first…' He had watched the whole scene guardedly. Now, seeing that she was watching him, he growled ferociously and threw himself at her.
Kagome didn't move, but instead smiled faintly. The transformed hanyou stopped before her. He stood regarding her warily, wondering why she wasn't scared.
Feeling his eyes closely scrutinizing her, Kagome carefully picked her way to Tetsusaiga. Lifting the discarded sword, she walked back toward Inu Yasha, careful not to make any sudden movements. Kagome came to a stop in front of him and held out the fang. She could see that just being near the sword calmed down his youkai blood. When Inu Yasha readily took Tetsusaiga from her, Kagome hurried to Sesshomaru's side. Inu Yasha would be fine now.
Kagome seated herself cautiously by the inuyoukai and stared down at him uneasily. Taking a deep breath, she rested her fingers against his temples, 'Sesshomaru… please be okay!' Closing her eyes, she injected a small amount of purification energy into his body and guided it through his bloodstream, willing it not to harm him but instead to dissipate the potent poison.
Minutes later, Kagome sensed that all the poison was gone and that he was no longer in danger. Withdrawing her energy, she stared at Sesshomaru, and swept his bangs off his forehead tenderly. He appeared to be sleeping, "Sesshomaru…"
Golden eyes peered at her inquisitively and relief poured through her. A shy smile spread over her features, "Ah, you're awake."
"Kagome!"
Sesshomaru's eyes flickered over her shoulder and before she knew it, he was dragging her to her feet. He kept one hand on her arm protectively.
Kagome turned to the source of the call, "Inu Yasha…" Uncertainty flooded her mind at the sight of his familiar amber eyes.
Said hanyou appeared by her side in an instant and glared at his older brother, "Get away from her!" He didn't miss his hand on Kagome's arm.
The miko noticed Sesshomaru's expression becoming colder and quickly stepped in. Naraku may have been defeated, but her plate wasn't empty just yet, "I'm so glad that both of you are alright."
Two pairs of golden eyes peered at her, noticing her strained voice.
"Kagome! Let's go! I'm here to save you," Inu Yasha said, fighting to keep his voice calm.
Before she could stop herself, tears began leaking out of her eyes, 'What will I do?' Flinging her arms around the brothers, she pulled them toward her and mumbled, "I'm so glad…" Tears dripped down her chin and onto the ground.
Releasing them, Kagome felt her legs turning to jelly. She could feel the brothers staring at her. Forcing a smile, she looked up, "Naraku's dead." While Inu Yasha turned to scan the clearing in amazement, the older inuyoukai kept his eyes trained on Kagome. Kagome stared right back at him. 'I heard you, Sesshomaru… Like I promised, I won't leave your side,' she silently pledged.
Avoiding a confused Inu Yasha's gaze, the miko turned abruptly and began walking back toward the battlefield, "Come on, we still have an army to beat."
'I won't be able to put this off much longer.'
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Kagura's eyes widened and her arm froze mid-attack. Her hand flew to her chest and rested there.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
There it was again. 'Can it be? Has Naraku been slain?' Guiding her feather over the battle field, she neared the forest where she knew Naraku had gone. She could no longer feel his presence and as further proof, Sesshomaru, Inu Yasha and Kagome were exiting the forest and returning to the battlefield. She reached back and touched the skin of her back, feeling for the spider-shaped scar. It was gone.
'I'm free!' A smile lit Kagura's face and she turned to fly away when Sesshomaru's sharp eyes zeroed in on her. Slightly taken aback, she fluttered down to the ground and bowed her head to the three of them, "I am forever grateful to you three. Thanks to you I am finally free."
"Why don't you show us how grateful you are and take all your demons and scram?" Inu Yasha demanded.
"I only have control over the demons that I brought with me… I will take them," Kagura readily replied. "However, I have no control over Kanna and the demons she brought. I'm afraid there is no way to stop her from fighting."
"Couldn't you just direct your demons to change sides and help us fight off Kanna's demons?" Kagome inquired.
Kagura nodded carefully, "I suppose so."
"Exactly how many demons does Kanna have?" Kagome questioned, dreading the answer.
"Almost double the amount I had."
"So it's settled then, in return for your freedom, you will help us defeat your pathetic sister," Sesshomaru stated with an air of finality. He turned and continued walking toward the battlefield.
Kagura bowed her head obediently, 'A small price to pay.'
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
"Ughh… my head…" Sango opened her eyes and blearily inspected her surroundings.
From what she gathered, she was lying in a quiet forest. Leaves in high up branches danced against the blue sky. Small pockets of sunshine avoided the leaves and slanted down to the ground. It was past noon.
She shot up in shock and immediately regretted it. She clutched her stomach and grit her teeth in pain. Sango spotted Kirara a short distance away; she had transformed back into her smaller form and was watching her intently. "Kirara!" Sango cried.
"Mew," the fire-neko replied. She got up and padded toward her owner.
Sango suddenly remembered what had happened. Images of the unconscious mikos and fighting Naraku assaulted her, causing Sango to forget her pain momentarily and stand up abruptly. Gripping her stomach in an attempt to reduce the pain, Sango staggered forward.
"Mew," Kirara transformed and stood next to the human, waiting patiently for her to mount.
"Ah, thank you Kirara," Sango climbed onto the neko's back and together they carefully picked their way back to the clearing. 'It's too quiet…'
Upon entering the clearing, Sango found it to be rather empty. Besides the destruction undoubtedly created from a battle, there was no one in the clearing. Sango struggled to understand what this meant, but nothing was making sense. Where had they all gone? "Kirara… let's get out of this forest. Miroku's probably worried."
On their way out, Sango retrieved her large boomerang with difficulty and she found herself struggling to stay awake. Up ahead, she could see the trees thinning and she knew that they were approaching the edge of the forest. Dark spots began dancing in her vision and she hovered in and out of consciousness.
She remembered Kirara coming back with a concerned Inu Yasha at her heels… she was being carried by someone sprinting through a maze of hallways… she was staring up at a white ceiling…
A few words had wafted through to her as well but at the moment, they were meaningless to her, "…a few fractured ribs… shouldn't move…be fine."
A feeling of safety blanketed itself around her and she let herself succumb to the darkness.
Streaks of pink, orange and red coloured the sky. Kagome paused a moment to look at it. The sun was going down. 'I've been fighting all day…' She was surprised when a shadow appeared in front of her. Immediately on guard, she scowled and almost laughed when she saw that it was Sesshomaru.
"You've had enough. Go inside," he said.
"Eh? No! I'm not leaving you—"
Sesshomaru whipped around and grabbed her chin, "Your reflexes are slowing. I will not have you getting hurt."
Light danced in his forever-calm golden eyes and Kagome slowly shook her head, "I'm fine."
Sesshomaru released her wordlessly and turned to fight off more demons. From the corner of his eye, he noticed her slowly straighten up and get into a defensive stance.
Kagome struggled to draw up her powers, he was right; she was completely and utterly exhausted. Before she knew it, Inu Yasha appeared by her side. 'Where did…'
"Kagome! Come, I'll take you inside."
"No, Inu Yasha—" she protested, but before she could stop him, he'd swept her up in his arms. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sesshomaru tense. Without a second thought she reached for his hand and gave it a quick little squeeze before allowing Inu Yasha to carry her away.
It was time.
Once inside the castle and away from danger, Kagome gestured that she wanted to be put down and Inu Yasha complied unquestioningly. The two began walking silently through the castle.
Taking a deep breath, Kagome broke the silence, "Inu Yasha—"
"I'm sorry Kagome, please… come back with me."
"It's not that simple anymore Inu Yasha," she said gently, already fighting back tears.
He must have sensed something in her voice for suddenly he stopped and spun on her, grabbing her wrists, "Why Kagome? Why?"
Kagome bit her lip, "You've hurt me so many times Inu Yasha… and I know that it's my fault for staying with you… I thought I could take it. I thought that maybe I could wait it out; maybe I would eventually be able to accept your undying love for Kikyo…"
Inu Yasha grimaced slightly at the mention of her name but remained silent.
"But I couldn't. I'm sorry Inu Yasha, I really did try," she fell silent and dropped her gaze to her feet.
"Kagome… give me one more chance… please… it won't happen again."
Kagome looked up sadly, "That's only because Kikyo is gone now." When he didn't respond, she continued, "Every time you look at me Inu Yasha… I feel like it's not me that you see… I feel like you're looking past me… at Kikyo. I feel like you'll never love me for me."
"It's not like that at all Kagome…"
Kagome lifted her fingers to his cheek, "I can't live like that Inu Yasha… I did love you… but I've moved on."
"But Kagome, I lo—"
"Don't say it Inu Yasha. Please don't make this harder than it already is," Kagome interrupted tearfully. "It's too late." The expression on the hanyou's face was enough to break her heart and Kagome was reduced to sobs. She was no longer able to hold everything inside, "I loved you Inu Yasha and you used me. No matter what I did… no matter how patient I was with you… you chose Kikyo every single time and I couldn't take it anymore. I'm sorry to have hurt you Inu Yasha. I never wanted it to turn out like this!" She knew she was blubbering but she couldn't help it. It just hurt so much.
Kagome didn't know what Inu Yasha was thinking, but she fell silent when she felt his arms wrap around her tightly.
Thoughts and memories swirled around inside his head as if the embrace had coaxed them forth. He remembered all the times when she'd made it clear that she loved him. He remembered how every time Kikyo had come around; he'd turned his back on Kagome. A single memory stood out to him the most, it was the one when he'd finally made a decision; a decision that Kikyo would always come first to him. It was then that he realized that it was he himself who'd pushed her away. He knew that he'd lost her and he had no one but himself to blame. Finally he choked out, "I'm sorry Kagome."
Kagome leaned against his familiar chest and wept against him. Being held by him brought back memories of happier times but Kagome knew that this would be the last time.
Inu Yasha held her until sobs no longer wracked her body. Seeing her cry was heartbreaking enough but knowing that he was the one who'd caused it made it so much worse. Giving her one final squeeze, he let go of her and murmured, "I'm sorry."
Kagome felt lips pressed lightly against her forehead and when she looked up, he was gone.
Casting a final glance down the hallway at the shrinking figure of Kagome, Inu Yasha vowed never to hurt her again.
"Make a right at the end of this hall and then it's the second door on your left."
She burst through the door huffily, 'This better be the right one this time.' It was a large room with a huge window set into the far wall. The drapes had been pulled apart to allow the rising sun to effectively light up the room. Elegant couches were arranged around an ornate wooden table that faced an elaborate fireplace. She supposed that it was large enough to make the room stuffy on even the coldest winter nights. She blinked when seven pairs of eyes turned to her questioningly.
"Sango-chan!" Kagome was the first to get up and run to the taijiya. Kagome embraced her tightly and mumbled, "I missed you so much."
Sango winced and hugged her back, "I missed you too Kagome-chan."
"Eh?" Kagome quickly released her when she noticed the bandages around her middle.
"It's nothing."
After everyone had greeted Sango, she sat down quietly beside Miroku and cast a confused look at him when Kagome sat beside Sesshomaru and not Inu Yasha.
Kagome had her knees drawn up to her with her arms wrapped around her legs. She sat comfortably beside Sesshomaru and peeked out at everyone else from above her knees.
Jin, Hao and Yue were all seated together while Inu Yasha sat on the other side of Miroku, avoiding looking at his brother.
"Now then, where were we? Ahh yes, Kagome-sama, do tell us what happened," Hao prodded gently.
"Well," she began nervously, "I remember being in the clearing with Sesshomaru, but then I remember having a terrible headache. It was different from the rest. This time I guess it knocked me out completely. I woke up in a strange place. It was white everywhere and I was alone. Then, suddenly Kayo appeared. We walked around for a bit trying to look for an exit but there was nothing, and then… Kikyo appeared. She took me aside and told me that I had to make a choice."
Miroku glanced at Inu Yasha from the corner of his eye. His face was blank and he didn't seem to notice the mention of Kikyo's name, "I see. What was the choice that Kikyo-sama gave you?"
"She told me that either I could stay here in the past and Kayo would become a part of me or I could return to my time and no one here would know what happened to me. Either way, the well would have been sealed," Kagome answered slowly.
"I suppose you mean the well that allowed you to pass between this time period and your own?" Hao mused.
"Hai."
"Huh? So Kayo-chan is no longer…?" Sango was unable to keep the question from escaping her. Immediately afterwards, she regretted it.
Kagome looked down, "Iie. She's gone."
"Kagome-sama, do not take this the wrong way, but what made you choose to stay here… with us?" Miroku asked.
Kagome looked up and forced a smile, "I couldn't leave you all now could I?" she responded lightly.
"But Kagome-sama… do you know what that place was?"
"Iie… but I wanted Kayo-san to live as well," Kagome said sadly. "This was not fair to her. Kikyo wouldn't tell me why we couldn't both live."
Hao looked up at this, "If you two had never met then it would've been a different story but the fact that Kayo stumbled upon Inu Yasha changed the course of time. Everything that happened after that conspired to make you two mikos meet which in turn, made it impossible for you two to coexist. You see, you two shared the same soul; it was just from two different eras. Now this would not have been a problem if you had never met, but a soul cannot gaze upon itself without consequence. The soul wants to combine and become whole once again, that is what caused the headaches. The closer Kayo came to the castle, the more intense both of your headaches became. Being as close as you two were in the clearing made it impossible for both to walk away unchanged."
"I suppose your possession of miko powers helped you in that sense," Miroku remarked wisely.
"Hai, had it been an ordinary human, you surely wouldn't have woken from the intensity of the headaches," Hao agreed.
"Kagome-chan does possess extraordinary powers," Jin added, "Certainly stronger than anyone else I've come across."
Yue spun a kunai on her finger absently, "I'm sure you all sensed it. Shortly before Sesshomaru-sama returned to the battlefield, there was a sharp influx of pure energy. I had wondered what it was."
Miroku nodded, "I recognized it as Kagome's energy, but it was stronger than before, a lot stronger."
"Thank you," Jin beamed proudly, "I trained her."
Hao was watching Kagome intently, "It seems that now that your soul is together in one piece it is stronger than ever."
"Mm," Kagome hummed noncommittally, staring blankly at the wooden table before her.
"Granted, that comes with some… privileges and responsibilities," Hao continued carefully.
All eyes in the room turned to the revered demon.
"I am not able to say much," Hao informed them all, "but for one, it is now your responsibility to complete the Shikon no Tama. There are but a few remaining shards and you must gather them all. You may do so at your leisure but be warned, it is also your duty to guard the Shikon no Tama as long as it is in existence and you will be held accountable for any incidents involving the shards."
Kagome nodded solemnly, absently fingering the nearly complete jewel that hung around her pale neck, "I can do that."
"Is there nothing else you can tell us?" Sesshomaru enquired in a smooth voice.
Hao's eyes glided over to rest on the demon lord, "A privilege of such power is that Kagome-sama's life will be extended indefinitely." Turning to look at the aforementioned miko he went on, "You will remain youthful Kagome-sama."
Sesshomaru vaguely noticed that Hao's words lacked detail. He was not sharing all he knew. "What aren't you telling us monk?"
Hao eyed him, "I see you have become Kagome's new protector," he stated simply, neatly side-stepping the question.
Inu Yasha looked up sharply at this and snapped, "You didn't answer the question."
Hao sighed and addressed Kagome, "I'm afraid that I cannot. The rest is up to you to discover, but rest assured, you will become a greatly revered miko regardless of the choices you make."
The group lapsed into silence. Hao's slightly ominous choice of words hung in the air.
Miroku sensed the growing unease and smiled sheepishly at everyone seated around the room, declaring that they ought to be going. They'd been fighting for days on end, switching on and off. When they'd get tired, they would enter the castle to rest and then continue fighting as soon as they could. Every time he'd come inside, he'd remained at Sango's side, keeping her company and filling her in on the events outside. Help had arrived promptly and boxed in the demons, shortening the battle by several days. Finally the previous morning, they'd managed to fight off the oncoming demons and the night before, there had been a great celebratory feast marking the defeat of Naraku. This morning at dawn, the lords and ladies of the other lands had departed with their soldiers to return to their respective homes.
Within the hour, Miroku, Sango and Inu Yasha had left the castle and were returning to the village by Inu Yasha's Forest. Jin, Hao and Yue had left a short while ago and the other three had spent a good half an hour saying their goodbyes.
Kagome stood by Sesshomaru's side, waving her hand high above her head, "Be sure to visit sometime!"
Miroku smiled back at the miko thoughtfully.
'I guess that's what Kikyo-sama meant by more than just a shard detector.'
A/N) I suppose I should've written The End but published authors don't and I figured everything's wrapped up, I made a title reference and that should be enough :P
Well anyways, thank you to all my readers, I know I took forever with this story (many years more than I should've) but I feel a lot better knowing that it's done now. Thank you for your patience and for sticking with me through it all. I couldn't have done it without you, it really means a lot to me.
Stick around a little bit longer for a short epilogue, and please tell me what you think.
This is actually my first completed fic on FF. How did I do?
I hope to hear from ALL of you,
Love,
Lil Angel :)