The Fading Night | By : DanceswithElvis Category: InuYasha > General Views: 608 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story. |
I do not own Inuyasha.
I just watch it. What follows is an end
of series ‘what if.’
The Fading Night
Kikyo worked her way through the battlefield
undetected. She was determined to get to
her reincarnation, even if it meant going through hell to do so. Kagome, as the girl was called, was kneeling
blindly in a pool of her own blood and Kikyo could feel the girl’s power fading
fast. Inuyasha was in a demon rage
standing between the injured Kagome and Naraku, the Tetsusaiga long since
shattered and forgotten on the battlefield. Pausing, Kikyo shifted her attention to
Naraku…he had the completed Jewel of the Four Souls, yet had not wished. She had little time to waste before either
the weakened girl died or Naraku wished.
Her revenge would not be foiled by two stupid half demons in a pissing
contest over that damn Jewel or that pathetic girl.
Picking through what had once been a walled castle, Kikyo
finally arrived at Kagome’s side. The
younger girl was covered in her own blood as she knelt gasping for breath and
trying desperately to wipe the blood from her eyes. Kikyo snorted derisively at her reincarnation
before sending two of her Soul Catchers to pull the girl into a standing
position.
Kagome immediately began weakly struggling and clawing at
the oarfish like entities as they pulled her to her feet. Blinking the blood from her eyes, she saw the
blurry visage of her rival and true fear clutched at her heart. Her body numb from shock, Kagome struggled
harder, causing her vision to darken as her struggles forced her wounds to
bleed more.
Stepping forward, Kikyo ignored the squish of the blood
soaked ground beneath her feet and slapped the dying girl, pulling her from the
brink of unconsciousness.
“Oh no…you’re not going to die. At least not like this.”
Snapping her eyes open, Kagome croaked out in a harsh
whisper, “What do you want?”
Closing the distance between them to mere inches, Kikyo
smiled wickedly and whispered in Kagome’s ear, “Revenge.” With that, Kikyo pressed her lips to
Kagome’s, causing the girl to gasp.
Taking the opportunity, the undead priestess exhaled, forcing the stolen
part of Kagome’s soul back into the younger priestess’s body.
***
In the primitive part of her mind, Kagome knew she was
dying. Death was scary, but not as scary
as failing to protect the ones she loved and if she died, she would fail. The appearance of Kikyo had shattered any
remaining hope that she had. ‘So this is
death,’ she thought as her vision dimmed, only to be brought back by the sting
of Kikyo’s slap.
Her mind moved sluggishly, but she finally formed the words
to ask Kikyo what she wanted. The answer
she received rang like the voice of a dying sun through her brain. ‘All is
lost…’ she thought, only to be shaken out of her despair by the press of cool
lips to her own feverish and cracked lips.
Gasping in shock, Kagome felt the amorphous intrusion of something
familiar being forced past her lips and into her throat. Slowly it started spreading out through her
body, spreading warmth and filling in a void she had not known was there. Opening her eyes, she watched as Kikyo
literally disintegrated in a mist of ash and earth. And in a sudden flash of pink light, the
world exploded.
***
It seemed like she was floating in infinity, surrounded by a
comforting pink light that was taking away the pain her system shock was
masking. A flutter near her ear caused
Kagome to turn in the weightless void, looking for its cause. Then a ghost of a
whisper floated through the air around her, “Kagome. Kagome, wake up!” It grew louder and louder until she closed
her eyes and screamed, “Shut up!” Suddenly
the world shifted, and she jerked up right, opening her eyes to the worried
faces of Miroku and Sango.
Lurching to her feet, she asked in a panicked voice, “Is it
over?”
Looking confused, Sango answered, “No…we just saw Kikyo
holding you prisoner, then a flash of light…you’ve only been out a few
seconds.”
“Then there is still time.” stated Kagome as she picked up
Kikyo’s discarded bow and quiver and pushed past the startled monk and
slayer. Notching an arrow, she moved
quickly toward where Inuyasha and Naraku were locked in combat, ignoring the
concerned calls of her friends.
Her body seemed filled with energy; she could feel the
ancient magic blooming in her soul. For the first time in what seemed like
ages, Kagome was whole. As she rushed forward, she could feel her friends
following her on the edge of her awareness, which seemed to stretch and strain
outward from her.
Reaching the debris-strewn field the battle had moved to,
Kagome’s heart ached. Inuyasha, in trying
to save her, had let loose the control of his demon, and was now nothing more
than a wild dog relentlessly attacking a stronger opponent. She watched the battle briefly as his attacks
were blocked repeatedly. Inuyasha was
visibly tiring and if she could see that, then she knew Naraku could too.
Pressing his advantage against the tiring half-breed, Naraku
unleashed a vicious attack that sent Inuyasha crashing into the ground. Sensing Naraku’s triumph, Kagome raced toward
the combatants, raising and drawing back Kikyo’s bow until
it was almost doubled. Without stopping
to aim, Kagome let the arrow fly. It
left her bow in a blinding flash of power, creating a thunderclap as it flew
toward its target.
Naraku only had a half second to glance up at the oncoming
missile before he was consumed in an explosion of light, the following
shockwave knocking the survivors over like toys.
Everything was still, Kagome was unsure if the silence was
from being deafened by the blast or if it was indeed, silent. Her musing was cut short when a horse cry
shattered the calm.
“You, bitch. You fucking bitch…”
It was Naraku. He was
alive. Kagome struggled to her feet and
faced what was left of the half demon.
What she saw made her stomach revolt.
Glowing red eyes stared hatefully at her from a skull
covered in charred flesh. Bone glistened
through patches of blackened baboon pelt, as the nightmarish form of Naraku
limped toward the young priestess.
Involuntarily, Kagome took a step back as the breeze carried
the stench from Naraku’s charred form to her nose. As she stepped back, Kagome felt something
under her shoe, something that reeked of evil familiarity. Keeping close eye on Naraku’s
advancing form, she took another step back and carefully glanced down. Lying literally under foot was the completed
Jewel of the Four Souls.
Glancing up, she screamed.
In the seconds she took to look down, Naraku had closed the distance
between them and was now upon her.
Grabbing her by the throat the enraged Naraku lifted her from her feet,
intent on squeezing the life from her flailing body. Kagome grabbed on to the grizzled hand and
tried to concentrate her power, the blood flow to her brain was stopped by his
grip and she was loosing consciousness fast.
Suddenly a roar echoed over the battlefield, as Inuyasha
rose from where he had lain injured and about to be killed
moments before.
“Mine.” His voice was
feral and barely a whisper, but it rang like a bell in the stillness.
Naraku spun to face the transformed half-breed, throwing
Kagome to her knees. Grabbing her throat and gasping, Kagome looked
up in time to see her beloved Inuyasha ram his fists through Naraku’s chest,
then watched horrified as he proceed to rend the screaming half demon to
pieces. Grabbing the Jewel, Kagome
rolled away from the carnage clutching the glowing black orb closely.
Blocking out the sounds of flesh being torn and the gurgle
of blood, Kagome concentrated on the Jewel, releasing her purifying power and
transforming it once more. Tipping over
from exhaustion, she didn’t notice Sango and Miroku
running to her side and calling her name.
Seconds later she found herself sitting up with help from Sango, relief
flooding through her finding that her friends had lived through the shockwave
from her arrow.
“Lady Kagome, what happened?” Miroku asked,
worry etched on his face. After he had
seen the flash from Kagome’s arrow, his last vision was of being
swept backwards with Sango, then painful blackness. The monk had awakened under a partially
collapsed retaining wall; sure that his shoulder was broke, along with several
ribs by the pain coursing through his body.
Crawling from the ruble, he had spied Sango not far from him covered in
debris. Together, wide eyed at the scope
of Kagome’s power and the bloody mush that Inuyasha was making with what
remained of Naraku, they had limped to the collapsed girl.
Miroku had to ask his question twice more before an exhausted
Kagome gave them a very condensed version of what had transpired, ending her
short explanation by showing them the Jewel of the Four Souls. Looking at the light pink Jewel that glowed
softly in her hand, Kagome started to cry.
Sango held the trembling girl while Miroku kept watch on Inuyasha.
In his demon rage, Inuyasha was not satisfied with merely ripping
Naraku to shreds; he wanted the hated half-breed’s very existence wiped from
the face of the Earth. The creature he
was spreading in small pieces all over the battlefield had tried to take
something of his and in his rage Inuyasha knew no other thought besides blood
and revenge.
Satisfied with the kill, he turned back to his pack,
growling at the familiar woman holding his property. Abruptly he leaped backwards avoiding a bolt
of energy from the sky. His crimson eyes
narrowed, as a new smell came to him. Intruder. Enemy.
“Sesshomaru,” breathed Miroku, a sinking feeling telling him
that the storm was not over.
***
Sesshomaru gave the destruction around him a cursory glace
before his golden eyes focused on the crimson eyes of his brother. Smirking at the challenge he saw there, he
danced gracefully out of the way of Inuyasha’s claws.
Hearing the sounds of renewed battle, Kagome jerked from
Sango’s arms and stumbled to her feet.
Her eyes widened with fear when she beheld the new combatant.
A scream was torn from her throat
as she launched herself at Sesshomaru’s back, “No!” Sesshomaru merely shrugged his shoulders and
threw her harshly to the ground before growling, “You overstep your bounds,
wench. There is no saving him now. His human soul is gone and all that remains
is the beast.”
With that, he began circling his brother, one graceful hand
on the evil sword Tokijin ready to strike.
This was not how he wished to kill his weak little brother, but now
there was no other way. He could not
have his family’s pride marred by a half-breed gone mad.
Kagome watched from where she had landed, her eyes watering
and her mind panicking. If she didn’t do something soon, she would loose Inuyasha. ‘No, there has to be something…but what?’ her
thoughts screaming through her mind. She
was so caught up in her panic that it took a not so gentle shake from Sango to
bring her attention to the slayer.
“Use the jewel, Kagome.
It’s his only chance.”
“But…what of Kohaku? What of Kaede? What
of everyone who’s died because of this damn jewel?” questioned Kagome, knowing
that Sango was right, but unable to bring herself to such a selfish act.
Kagome watched tearfully as Sango looked away, but flinched
when the slayer turned her intense gaze back to her. “Use it for the living. Do you think Kohaku could live with his
memories? That Kaede would rather you
bring her back to life than use this cursed jewel to save a life? Use if for the living!”
Kagome looked from Sango’s intense tear filled eyes, to
Miroku’s soft smile of encouragement.
“Make your wish, Lady Kagome, we will try to persuade Lord Sesshomaru to
not kill Inuyasha.” She could save Inuyasha, but she would have to hurry.
Closing her eyes, she tapped into the pure energy of the Jewel, unsure of what she’d find when she touched its
ancient magic. As the power drew her in,
the world around her faded and soon she was alone.
Kagome was startled from her trance by a soft, yet strong
voice.
“You have soothed the souls, young priestess. What is your wish?”
“Who said that?”
“I did.”
Blinking Kagome found herself back in Midoriko’s cave at the
foot of the stone-encased priestess.
“Make your wish, Kagome.
End the curse of the Four Souls... set us free. Do not let sorrow taint your heart.” Once again an eerie
silence settled around Kagome as she stared down at the brightly glowing jewel
in her hand.
The silence around her was suddenly
shattered by the distant noise of battle and the familiar cries of her
friends.
Knowing that time was short, Kagome summoned her courage and
whispered her wish to the Jewel. Caught up in a vortex of power, Kagome
screamed soundlessly with Midoriko’s voice echoing in her head. In the blink of
an eye she was suddenly back on the battlefield, Midoriko’s last words still
burning in her mind.
Once more in the physical realm, Kagome opened her eyes to a
nightmare, Sesshomaru stood over a beaten and bloodied Inuyasha ready to
deliver the mortal blow. Her heart
stopped as she watched the Tokijin descend toward Inuyasha’s bowed head, only
to stop a hairs breadth from the half demon’s throat.
Sniffing the air carefully, Sesshomaru confirmed his
suspicions. Something about his half
brother had changed. He could no longer
smell the cooper-scented bloodlust that had clung to the whelp like a pungent
cloak. Sheathing his sword, Sesshomaru
backhanded Inuyasha, knocking the younger man into unconsciousness and snarled, “Heal. Grow
strong. I would rather kill my brother,
not a rabid animal.” Glancing back to
the stunned group watching him, he merely shook his head, turned away and
walked into the forest.
Too shocked to speak, Kagome scrambled on her hands and
knees to Inuyasha’s side, relief flooding through her seeing his chest rising
and falling with the rhythm of his breathing.
Sango dropped to the ground beside her, followed by Miroku. They were too tired to do anything but make
camp in the lee of one of the few still standing walls.
A few hours later after Sango and Kagome had dragged the
unconscious half-breed to the partial cover of the wall, and had splinted and
wrapped Miroku’s wounds, Kagome finally told of what happened in Midoriko’s
cave. The slayer and monk listened
carefully, sensing that she was not telling the whole story. After much prodding, she finally broke down
and told of Midoriko’s last warning.
Emotionally and physically drained Kagome had left the fire and took up
vigil next to where Inuyasha lay, leaving Miroku and Sango to their own
thoughts.
***
“You will return to
your own time and place with the morning light.
This is the will and balance of Nature, child. You do not belong here. For this, I am sorry.”
The words of Midoriko echoed through her mind as she watched
the stars turn toward dawn. The horizon
was already starting to lighten from the deep black of night to lighter shades
of blue. Kagome had sat the whole night
through, holding the hand of the man she loved, hoping he would wake soon, so
she could say goodbye.
Looking to the horizon again, she noted that dawn was approaching
fast and she could feel the dread of leaving set in. A sudden shift in Inuyasha’s breathing drew
her attention away from the lightning sky to where he lay. His crimson gaze captured her eyes before he
jerked upright and away from her, breathing hard and scooting back against the
wall. Looking around him, he slowly
calmed, the hunted look leaving his face. Seeing this, Kagome dared to move
within arms reach. There was little time
left and she could not bear the thought of not being able to touch him one last
time.
Watching from a discrete distance, Sango and Miroku stood, holding
each other. Neither could keep the tears
from coursing down their faces as they watched the lovers slowly illuminated by
the morning light. Fate and Nature were
forces never to be denied.
Feeling the warmth of the sun on her back, Kagome could
already see the dawns light reflecting in her beloved’s
eyes. Cooing softly to the still feral
dog demon, she soothed, watching as his wild crimson eyes bled to the intense gold
that she loved so much.
“Inuyasha…shhh…it’s
okay.”
Tears falling from her eyes, she reached out to brush her
fingers over his striped cheek, watching the sun’s glow bathe her hand in a
soft yellow light. Already she was
fading, her fingers passing through Inuyasha’s form as if she were a ghost. Tentatively
Inuyasha reached for her, whispering hoarsely, “Kagome?”
Kagome looked at him and smiled through her tears as the
last of his demon transformation faded from his face; the sunlight giving his
confused countenance an ethereal glow. Kagome’s breath caught in her throat at the
sight. ‘Beautiful. This is how I will
always remember him…so beautiful,’ she thought sadly to herself.
Seeing his confusion, Kagome could only shake her head sadly
and whisper as the sun rose fully into the sky, “Inuyasha, I’m sorry… always love
you.”
“Kagome?
And like the fading stars, she was gone, leaving a young
half demon roaring his grief to the gods.
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