A/N: the final battle is coming to an end.. will Naraku be slain at last? and will Getsu and Korihime finally get their revenge they've sought after for so many years? this is the last chap so hopefully you lot will enjoy it. thanks for reading and reviewing so far! ^^
disclaimer: i don't own InuYasha; my OCs belong to me.
Chapter 44: Ur Voice (Save Me Just In Time)
"Meido Zangetsuha!"
"Bakusaiga!"
"Dying Wolf's Blood!"
A mixture of Meido blades, green-and-yellow energy, and bright green energy screamed at the hanyou, creating holes in the walls so that daylight streamed through them, leaving the bust of the half-breed hovering in mid-air.
He cut himself off from his body! She mused, scowling slightly at the bust of the hanyou that snickered softly. "Is he trying to avoid getting hit by Bakusaiga?" She wondered aloud.
"If he is, it's a futile attempt." Her brother-in-law thundered coldly, perking her ears.
"What a simple bunch you are; this little gathering of friends has brought light to the Shikon Jewel. Is that what you were hoping to accomplish: do you think you've won?" Naraku drawled. "I can tell you that you haven't won; the Jewel is mine and now we are one!" His form shifted until his skin looked like red bark and blue streaks marred his cheekbones, his hair turned white and eyes blazing red.
"Great, he's more uglier than normal," Korihime deadpanned.
Four miasma voids formed and then flew forward at the group.
"Meido Zangetsuha!"
"Kuro-Fubuki Taiho!"
A mixture of Meido blades and black ice shards destroyed the oncoming miasma globs.
"Damn no matter how many times you hit him, he's still regenerating," Korihime growled.
More miasma spewed out from the floor and rose up at the daiyokai couple and the two children plus imp.
"You're worthless… Bakusaiga!" A large torrent of green and yellow energy destroyed the voids, before his mate streaked past him to destroy the rest of them with Mangetsuga's torrents of blue-green energy. It seems that the miasma coming from his severed body is stronger, he thought, glancing back at the trio riding the dragon. "Jaken, leave Naraku's body at once." He ordered.
"But Lord Sesshomaru…" Rin began alertly.
"It's okay, Rin, we'll be fine; just go! Kohaku, please look after Rin for me." Getsu interjected, smiling warmly at the girl.
Kohaku nodded and Rin smiled back before the imp steered the dragon out towards the daylight.
Miasma voids tried to prevent them from escaping before Sango's Hiraikotsu cut through them and letting the trio escape.
"You're alright over there, Kagome?" Sango called once she, the younger she-wolf and the monk had reentered the battle.
"Yeah I'm fine; but for some reason the miasma around me seems to be purified." Kagome answered, looking down at her bow. Every time I try to shoot, Naraku throws another round of miasma. Is he that fearful of my power? She thought.
Korihime leaped onto the large pink balloon the kitsune had transformed to, landing nimbly next to the girl and surprising both of them.
"Kori-chan!" Shippo declared.
"Korihime, shouldn't you be helping Miroku and Sango?" Kagome asked.
"Nah, those two can handle themselves just fine. Even though InuYasha isn't far off I felt I should help you. Besides, you need an opening right?" Korihime replied, smiling at her.
Her brown eyes widened slightly before she smiled warmly and nodded. "Ironic, you can't read minds can you?" She wondered.
She blinked once before chuckling. "Nah, I may be strong but I'm not good at that kind of gift; neither is Getsu. We're not psychics. I just… I guess it was instinct for me to want to help you out." She shrugged innocently.
Kagome nodded again. "Thank you nonetheless, Korihime."
"It's not a big deal." Korihime mused.
Another bout of miasma voids sailed at the two females.
"Meido Zangetsuha!" Narrow Meido blades sailed at the oncoming volley.
Both daiyokai shared a look before nodding once in unison.
"Bakusaiga!"
"Wolf's Crescent!"
A wave of blue-green and green-and-yellow mixed energy screamed at the volley, destroying it instantly.
"Kagome, if you're going to fire an arrow, I suggest you do it soon." Getsu advised as she retreated to hop a little near the kitsune, priestess and her sister, silver eyes glancing at the girl.
Korihime nodded. "Onee-chan, if you and I can create an opening, we can give Kagome the chance to hit the Shikon no Tama and end this. We'll be able to avenge our clan at last!" She declared, her blue eyes starting to become misty with the thought of at long last getting the vengeance she and her sister had chased after for over a century.
Getsu nodded solemnly, her silver eyes watching InuYasha send another volley of Meido blades at the voids, the breeze caused by her demonic power tousling her hair gently. "Let's do it then. Kagome, just tell us when." She instructed.
Kagome nodded slightly. "Okay!" She followed her line of sight and frowned a little.
"It's no use, Naraku; you've lost! No matter how much you try to deny it, your body's falling apart!" InuYasha barked.
Naraku grimaced. "Enough of my body still remains, at least to wipe out a single village!" He growled.
"A village…?" The stronger of the two hanyou repeated quietly before it clicked and he growled. "Naraku, you bastard!"
"Don't tell me you didn't realize where we were, InuYasha! It's too late now: if you kill me, my miasma-laden corpse will descend on the village and destroy everything!" The more vulgar of the two hanyou cackled.
"What of it? Bakusaiga!" The male daiyokai snarled as he unleashed another torrent of green-and-yellow energy at the bust, ripping it in half down the center and causing the rest of the body to fall apart faster.
Kagome gasped, "the Shikon Jewel is still alive; it's falling by Naraku's will!" She declared, looking at the kitsune. "Shippo, can you carry me outside?" She asked as InuYasha hopped down onto the balloon.
"Y-yeah, I'll try!" He replied, turning to fly out of the body.
"Getsu, let's go!" Sesshomaru beckoned over his shoulder.
Korihime leaped to grab onto her sister's shoulders, holding onto her as she flew out after his head-start and flanked him with the monk and demon slayer following shortly.
::::::xXx::::::
Both sisters' eyes widened in awe at the pierced Shikon Jewel that gave off a few sparks here or there.
The Jewel was purified!
Korihime bristled slightly at the fragment of Naraku's body that still remained entrapped around the Jewel, perking up as her sister placed a hand on her shoulder and quieted her; she obeyed wordlessly, scowling at the lifeless red orbs of the vile hanyou they had loathed for so long of time.
"At that very moment I made a final wish upon the Shikon Jewel." Naraku declared quietly.
"And what did he wish, exactly?" Korihime wondered, keeping her blue eyes on the dying hanyou.
"At what moment?" Kagome dared wonder aloud.
"The moment where Byakuya of the Dreams cut you with his blade." Getsu's eyes sharpened; she looked over at the priestess and then glared at Naraku. Byakuya cut her…? But his blade, it didn't hurt her; I didn't smell blood, and Korihime didn't say anything either… "That wish shall be granted when I die… though it was not mine to begin with. The Shikon Jewel forced me to make its wish. In the end, I was but its instrument." The bright lilac light around him consumed his fragmented self before he was no more.
"Naraku," Kagome murmured in surprise.
Everyone gathered kept their eyes on the place where Naraku's head had been for a long moment later.
"I can't smell his scent anymore…" Korihime whispered in realization, her blue eyes widening.
Getsu took a brief whiff of the air and her own eyes widened in surprise. "He… he's gone!"
Miroku pulled the cloth covering his right hand off, his blue eyes widening at seeing that the wind tunnel had disappeared.
"Has the Wind Tunnel finally disappeared?" Kaede wondered as she came closer to the group.
"Miroku, the curse has been lifted!" Sango beamed.
"Getsu-onee… it's over. He's gone!" Korihime cried, tears filling her eyes as she thought back to her parents' faces on that horrid day; she shut her eyes tightly and wept.
"We did it!" Getsu beamed and threw her arms around her mate's neck with a laugh, making him almost teeter back on his heels.
Sesshomaru looked at her to see tears in her eyes before he smiled and his arms around her waist squeezed gently. "It's over." He amended quietly.
Kagome smiled at the sight of the happy wolf sisters, perking up as she felt like something was pulling her back.
InuYasha blanched as a wide moon-sized Meido void formed behind the girl, pulling her into its depths. "Kagome!"
"InuYasha!" She tried to reach for his hand as he leaped after her before the void closed and left the hanyou to flop on the ground.
"Kagome!" Korihime barked in horror.
Getsu stiffened in his arms and she narrowed her eyes. "That's what his wish was… It was the Jewel's wish to send Kagome into the underworld." She breathed softly.
"Meido Zangetsuha!" A wide crescent void opened up as the hanyou held onto Tetsusaiga.
"You're not serious…" Getsu began.
InuYasha leaped into his own void.
"INUYASHA!" Korihime shouted, making to follow him before the void closed up before Sesshomaru grabbed her obi sash and held her back. "Sesshomaru, let me go! Please, I have to help him!" She cried as she struggled in his iron-like grip.
"You're not going into the underworld after him! Let him chase after that girl, don't follow him, Korihime." Sesshomaru snapped sharply, surprising the younger she-wolf.
"Sesshomaru," she began softly, feeling him release her obi when she stopped struggling before she sank to her knees and stared at the spot where the void had been only moments ago before closing. InuYasha… don't die out there. Don't you dare die in the underworld! She inwardly prayed, closing her eyes tight and gritting her teeth.
[3 Years Later]
He made a face.
She paused in tying the sash at her waist. "What's with the face?" She wondered.
"I still don't see why you're taking him," he mused.
She sighed. "We've been over this, remember? Just because Kiba is a purebred wolf-dog yokai doesn't mean we have to close him off from the human world. He's still a cub, there's a lot of room for him to learn to coexist with them." She reminded patiently.
He scowled in reluctant defeat at her words, cutting his gaze to the side. "He isn't just your child, he's mine as well…" His rebuttal was silenced with a firm kiss; his arms found her hips and he growled under his breath.
She chuckled softly when she pulled away, her arms around his neck squeezing gently. "I know he is. But it's my father he's named after." She teased in a warm tone, kissing the tip of his nose.
He wrinkled his nose and made her giggle before he sighed and squeezed her hips. "Your overconfidence is starting to get annoying again," he pouted.
She giggled again.
"Mama, Papa!" Both daiyokai looked to see the raven-haired toddler trotting into the foyer from down the long corridor donning a blue kosode tied by a green sash at his waist, his big sapphire eyes happy and carefree.
His mother smiled and slipped out of her husband's arms, catching the pup in her arms and chuckling gently, lifting him up as she straightened. "Kiba, there you are." She declared gently.
"Mama, are we gonna go see Auntie Kori today?" The boy asked excitedly.
She nodded and smiled again. "Yep, but you're riding with me today instead of on Ah-Un. How's that sound?" She replied.
"Yay! Papa are you going too?" The pup turned to his father next.
He smiled softly at him and nodded, tousling his hair. "Of course I am." He replied.
The pup beamed happily.
:::::::oOo::::::::
"Kori-chan!"
The younger wolf princess looked up alertly from walking with the priestess. "Is that?" The said girl began at recognizing that voice.
Getsu of the West landed nimbly on one foot infront of the two females; she'd forsaken her travelling garb and changed it out for a simple lilac kosode with red and black cranes embroidered on the left hip and right shoulder and a thick gray sash tied at her waist, her ebony hair pulled back into a loose ponytail tied by a blue hair-tie.
A raven-haired toddler was riding her shoulders, his big sapphire eyes blinking open from his communal nap to survey the priestess standing next to his aunt. "Auntie Kori!" He exclaimed, hopping off his mother's shoulders to leap into the arms of his mother's little sister.
"Kiba!" Korihime beamed, hugging the pup tight to her chest and nuzzling his cheek. "I was wondering when you were gonna come, little one." She declared warmly.
"Auntie Kori, I'm not little! See, I'm getting stronger!" Kiba chirped, pouting at her blue eyes that were a hue lighter than his own.
Korihime giggled and squeezed him gently, smiling. "I know you are, you're gonna be as strong as your papa one day soon." She vowed lightly.
Getsu shook her head softly and smiled at them, looking at the priestess and embracing her. "It's been a while. So, you decided to stick around here instead of staying in your own world, I guess." She declared calmly when they pulled apart, folding her arms in the sleeves of her kosode out of habit.
Kagome nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I decided to stay here with you guys, and InuYasha of course." She explained.
"Onee-chan, Kagome's part of the pack now; her and InuYasha married a few months ago." Korihime piped up from giving her nephew a piggy-back ride, her blue eyes meeting her sister's silver eyes.
Getsu blinked before she smiled again and turned to the priestess newly christened sister-in-law. "Is that right? Well in that case welcome to the family!" She chuckled, pulling her into another hug.
Kagome chuckled and hugged back before both women pulled apart again. "Thanks, Getsu. Hey, where's Sesshomaru? If you're here, wouldn't he be here too?" She wondered, perking her ears.
"Where is the overgrown fluff-ball anywho?" Korihime chimed, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"I thought I smelled wolf!" A voice declared, making all three females look up to see a red blur drop down before them.
InuYasha stood there with a hand on his side, his gold eyes glancing from both wolf sisters to the cub riding the back of the younger of the two sisters before he smirked. "Been a while."
"Yeah really, it has." Getsu mused, punching him affectionately before hugging her brother-in-law.
He pouted, earning a chuckle from the other two females present, before hugging back and pulling away. "So you guys came to leave Rin another gift, huh?" He guessed, meeting her silver eyes.
She nodded, blinking when she felt small hands bunch in the fabric of her kosode hem; his white ears twitched as the raven-haired pup had come forth to stand at his mother's side, his big sapphire eyes looking up at his gold eyes with both curiosity and slight caution.
"Who's the pup?" He wondered; this kid smelled of both wolf and dog yokai blood, a sure sign that he was Sesshomaru and Getsu's child, and he had that same intelligent look in his blue eyes that the hanyou could tell definitely made him out to be Sesshomaru's son.
"I-I'm no pup, I'm the son of a great dog demon! Who're you to say that anyway, you big meanie?" The pup barked, making the hanyou blink and cock his head to the side.
Yep, this kid is definitely Sesshomaru's son, he thought with a sweatdrop. "That's not a great way to talk to your uncle." He mused, stooping to poke the pup's forehead with a finger.
"'Uncle'? Mama, is that true?" Kiba looked up at his mother, tugging on her kosode.
Getsu smiled patiently and nodded. "Yeah, that's correct. InuYasha, this is your nephew, Kiba. Kiba, this is InuYasha, your uncle." She introduced lightly.
"'Kiba', huh? So you named him after your father, then." InuYasha guessed calmly, now noticing the magenta crescent on the fair-skinned forehead of his nephew and the single blue streak on each of his round cheeks. Well, he does look a lot like Sesshomaru, he thought.
"Yeah, though if he were a girl I would've named him 'Saya' instead." She shrugged innocently.
Her sister deadpanned. Of course you would, she thought.
Her ears twitched as she sensed that her mate had finished running his errand and had begun to leave. "We'd better get going; Sesshomaru's prolly done leaving Rin her gift." She announced calmly, stooping to let the pup get onto her back and ride her shoulders, looking about at the trio that was her family and smiling. "See you guys later." She declared, hopping into the air and climbing higher.
"See you later, Onee-chan! Be good, Kiba!" Korihime waved.
"Bye!" Kagome smiled and followed suit.
"Later princess!" InuYasha smirked good-naturedly and watched his sister-in-law wave before she leaped higher into the air just as her husband came into view with Jaken clinging to his stole. "Oh there he is." He muttered, the smirk faltering at the sight of his older brother.
"Nii-san!" Korihime and Kagome called in chorus, waving again.
Getsu blinked at the petname coming from the priestess' mouth.
Kiba tilted his head to one side. "Did that lady just call Papa 'big brother'?" He wondered innocently.
Sesshomaru's lips twisted in a pout-like expression and he sent the priestess a dirty look.
InuYasha deadpanned. Sheesh, they're both insane, he thought.
"Well that's weird, he gave me such a mean look… What's with you?" Kagome wondered confusedly, looking at the hanyou's expression.
"That just sounded really weird okay…?" InuYasha grumbled.
Korihime giggled and smirked after their leave. "I think it's cute." She said lightly.
Getsu was trying not to crack up as she flew at his side into the sunset.
"It's not funny, Getsu!" Sesshomaru barked indignantly, making his wife burst out laughing.
"Papa, what's so funny?" Kiba asked in innocent confusion, looking over at his father.
Sesshomaru sighed and vaguely listened to the imp rambling on about the priestess's insolence. "It's complicated. Jaken, shut your mouth… or I'll kill you." He added lowly, making the imp stiffen in fear.
Kiba sweatdropped.
Getsu smiled and wiped a tear of mirth from her eye, looking at the pouting face of her husband.
Sesshomaru looked at her and smiled softly, looking forward into the dying sunlight.
A/N: well i hope you guys have enjoyed reading this as much as i've enjoyed writing it. it's come a long way and i'm glad it's finally over. just as a head's up i'm working on another IY fic with everyone in high school... sounds interesting doesn't it? there will be humor and romance and who knows what else! lol just figured i'd put the word out.
if you haven't done so already, please review! i love to hear what people think about my work so any kind of feedback is welcomed and loved. thanks!