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A Hero Falls	By : RenegadeRaine Category: InuYasha Crossovers > Het - Male/Female Views: 1332 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own yu yu hakusho ir inuyasha, or any of the characters. I make no money from writing this story, though reviews are loved.

Chapter List
- 1-A Hero Falls
- 1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha, or the lyrics to these great songs. I do
not make any money from writing this.

Author�s Note:

This was written for the Battle of the Bands contest for the Deadliest Sin
Community. I chose two songs, and made a �remix� of them, to make this song fic.
The songs I chose are �It�s The Fear� and �The Promise� both by
the amazingly talented Within Temptation.

Warning:
This piece is dark. It is sad. It contains a main character death. It is also
written in first person, present tense. I normally shy away from this style of
writing, but in this case I feel it more accurately communicates the emotion of
the characters. I apologize if it�s an awkward read, or not your usual
preference.

How to read:
Think of each new verse/chorus section as a new chapter, and therefore the
narrator changes. It should be fairly obvious who is speaking by the title of
the verse/chorus. There are three narrators, Hiei, Kurama, and Kagome.

Title:

A Hero Falls

Word Count: 6,544

Fallen Hero

Verse I:

The Suffering Fire Demon

It waits for the day

I will let it out

Give it a reason

To give it its might

I leave abruptly, but no one will
say a word. I do what I want when I want, and they are used to me growing bored
during these little get-togethers. Except this time I wasn�t bored. I glance
over my shoulder from the shadows of the forest, back to Genkai�s temple where
my team-mates, my only friends, and my sister are gathered, enjoying each
other�s company. I pause only a moment, before rushing deeper into the forest.
I�m leaving for their sakes.

I feel the dragon inside me,
straining at the bonds I keep it in, roaring through my head and threatening to
tear me apart from the inside if I don�t let him out. Everyone calls me the
�dragon master� but in reality, I am simply a vessel for the dragon. If push
comes to shove he could snuff out my life in a heartbeat, not that he wouldn�t
die as well, but the dragon isn�t exactly known for rational behavior. I�m
already pushing my luck with him as it is by trying to keep him contained.

I lean against a tree trunk,
breathing heavily. In truth I�m exhausted. Fighting to contain the darkness
dragon puts a constant strain on my mind and body. I grunt and clutch at my
stomach as a sharp pain rips through it. These are becoming more and more
common, pain that feels as though the dragon is clawing at my insides. I bring a
hand to my mouth as I cough. It is coated in blood as I draw it away.

�Alright.� I mutter
exasperatedly, as if the dragon will both hear and understand my words. Who
knows, maybe he does.

Verse II:

The
Worried Kitsune

I fear who I am becoming

I feel that I'm losing the struggle within

He thinks no one notices, but
he�s wrong. The way he leaves at times when he seems to be enjoying himself.
Well, as much as Hiei really ever enjoys himself, that is. The change in his
walk: his shoulders sag ever so slightly now. The way his pale skin has lost its
healthy glow, or the fact that his red orbs have lost some of their fire. He
always looks so tired, so tense. It�s been this way since he tamed the dragon.

I don�t think the others notice,
but how can I not. How can I, of all people, not recognize my friend�s inner
battle? I too struggle with my own demon side. The monster within that is always
scratching at the surface, begging to be let out. Ever since I unleashed Youko
at the tournament, he and his feelings have been more prominent in my thoughts.
What was once a barely noticeable buzz in the back of my mind, is now a clear
voice ringing in my ears.

Sometimes I let Youko have his
way. I sneak off to the forest and let my spirit fox form take over and I just
run. I run as if my life depends on it. I think by now my happiness, at least,
does depend on it. I�ve never felt more myself than at those times. It�s as if
for a moment I am not Shuichi Minimino, nor am I Youko Kurama, I am
simply�myself.

I get the feeling, though, that
Hiei�s inner battle is more of a war, and that my friend might be losing. There
have been times that I�ve caught glimpses of the pain that flashes through his
eyes, usually right before he runs off on his own. I wish he�d talk to me, but
that�s not his style. Hiei doesn�t share things with others. So instead I watch
from the shadows, and wonder just how much my friend is suffering.

Chorus I:

The
Reason for the Fire Demon�s Suffering

I can no longer restrain it

My strength it is fading

I have to give in

The sound a sword makes when it
slices through flesh causes most people�s skin to crawl, but it makes my blood
surge with excitement. The gurgling sound as a dying man struggles to take his
last agonizing breaths is enough to turn any man�s stomach, but its music to my
ears.

I�ve been killing since I was a
child. It�s a skill I both love and hate. I�ve been in human world too long. I�m
growing soft. As the warm blood spills from my victim and pools at my feet I
feel the slightest twinge of remorse.

Humans are such weak prey. It
seems wrong to kill them. But the dragon demands blood and violence. Only a kill
will quiet him, keep him from ripping me open. I�ve told Koenma that my control
over him is slipping. He knows it poses a serious threat to humans if my
restraint breaks. Instead of sending me back to Makai, however, he�s been giving
me special assignments, things too dark for the others to handle. Missions to
locate and eliminate humans whose souls are nearly black. Sometimes the Jagan
shows me what they will become, and I can�t argue with Koenma�s decisions to rid
Ningenkai of them.

The kills quiet the dragon, but
what he really wants is innocent blood. He wants to burn away the dark parts,
and devour the light. He has been plaguing me with dreams of slaughtering entire
schools of children. I shiver as I recall one recurring face in those dreams,
the purest person I know, Yukina. The dragon yearns for her, and it frightens
me.

Hold down your head now

Just let me pass by

Don't feed my fear

If you don't want it out

There is only one person that the
dragon wants more. It leads me to her often. I have never approached her, I�ve
only watched her from afar, a murderer, stalking my ultimate prey. I often
perch in a giant tree outside her bedroom window. My demonic senses allow me to
see easily into her room. I love when the moonlight glints through her window
and lands on her face. It makes her subtle human beauty seem ethereal.

I�ve been watching her for
months, long enough to know that she is no ordinary human, long enough to know
that she travels often between dimensions through a tear in her family�s well,
long enough to know that she is a powerful priestess with an important mission,
long enough to know with absolute certainty that I will not ever allow myself to
kill her.

I allow the dragon to bring me
here, just as I have now, perched in the tree, watching her sleep, my hands
still soiled with the dried blood of my latest mission. But it infuriates the
dragon that no matter how it coaxes, prods or threatens he will not get me to
move any closer.

Tonight, however, something isn�t
quite right. There is something off in the girl�s energy. A deep sadness engulfs
the entire house. A dark aura hangs around her. This is not the pure and
innocent energy I have grown accustomed to, and it repulses the dragon, who
shrinks back into the recesses of my mind. With the relief that comes from the
dragon letting up on his relentless resistance to my mental bonds, I find myself
slumping weakly against the tree, allowing sleep to claim me.

I awoke one day a few weeks ago
to the dragon about to break loose, and have not slept well since. This is the
first respite I�ve had since then. In the beginning it had simply been a gentle
tugging in my mind, no more bothersome than the pull of a puppy to a giant oak
tree. But over time, the dragon has been leeching my ki, and as he grows
stronger, I grow weaker. I no sooner strengthen my mental barriers than he tears
through them like nothing.

I want nothing more than to be
rid of the dragon. I�ve tried on several occasions to release him, but he has
bonded to the Jagan, and the Jagan is bonded to me. I don�t fear him killing me,
for if I die, so does the dragon, but I do fear losing my mind to his commands.
I refuse to allow myself to become a puppet to a demon�s desires.

Verse III.

The
Tainted Priestess

On behalf of her love

She no longer sleeps

Life no longer had meaning

Nothing to make her stay

She sold her soul away

My eyes are closed, but I�m not
sleeping. I can�t sleep, or dream. Not while there�s so much unfinished
business. I�m going through the motions so I won�t worry my family, but only
because I don�t have the heart to tell them that I won�t be back for possibly a
very long time. I don�t know when it happened, exactly. When the past became my
present, or when strangers became my true family, but one thing is for certain.
I don�t belong here anymore. I belong with him, with Inuyasha. We were meant to
grow old together, but things didn�t work out that way. It�s hard to grow old
with someone who has been dead for almost a week. I�m still young. Am I meant to
live the rest of my life without him? No, that�s too cruel of a fate.

I held you tight to me

But you slipped away

You promised to return to me

And I believed, I believed

I know, somewhere in the back of
my mind, that I�m dreaming, that despite my efforts, sleep has claimed me. It�s
easier to sleep here in the present. I feel distanced from the tragedy that
happened in the past. My dreams, however, won�t let me forget. It was a typical
day, nothing out of the ordinary. I woke up in my hanyou lover�s arms, and after
breakfast bid him and a small group of my friends a safe journey. They were
headed to a nearby village, taking them some medicines. I had to stay behind and
assist Lady Kaede, and so I watched them go, my lover flitting over tree tops
and my friends, a monk and a demon slayer riding on the back of a flying cat
demon.

As a priestess, I always thought
I�d somehow know if those I love were in danger. But I never knew. I never
suspected. The whole afternoon I never even thought it was weird that they were
running late. Miroku was always insisting on accepting hospitality, so I just
assumed that was why they were delayed.

After the night he died

I wept my tears until they dried

But the pain stayed the same

I didn't want him to die all in vain

I made a promise to revenge his soul in time

I'll make them bleed at my feet

The villagers brought their
bodies to me. At first I thought it was some cruel joke. My friends were strong.
Together they were nearly invincible. I was told it was the work of a powerful
sorcerer. He had conjured two demon spirits and used them to kill my friends as
a warning to any who tried to help the villagers. He had kept the villagers sick
and demanded a health tax to lift his curse. These demons he had created for
the sole purpose of killing my friends.

I listened through my tears as
they explained the story. A serpent made of water had trapped Sango and Kirara
within its body until they had drowned. Miroku had used his wind tunnel to stop
a dragon made of immortal flames, and it had consumed him from the inside,
leaving nothing of him but his prayer beads and his staff. The dragon had then
turned on Inuyasha. He had died a terrible death as the beast devoured his soul.

Miyoga had said that their souls
would most likely suffer until the beast was destroyed. I hadn�t needed a
reason, I was going to do it anyway, but that bit of information made up my
mind. The demons must die, and I must be the one to kill them. I would free
their souls, and avenge their deaths.

I was consumed, not by hatred,
not by anger, but by numbness, and the need to end the lives that were created
only to take away that which was precious to me.

Sometimes I wonder

Could I have known their true intentions

As the pain stayed the same

I'm going to haunt them down all the way

I made a promise to revenge his soul in time

One by one they were surprised

Everyone wanted me to grieve.
They told me not to be rash. And so I snuck away in the night. My first stop was
an obvious one. The sorcerer expected me. He had onis guarding him, but my
arrows easily sent them back to the hell they belonged in. When at last I saw
him face to face I found nothing more than a misguided human on a power trip.
This is the type of person I normally have pity on, but not this time. No, this
time I would get the information I needed.

The serpent would be easy enough
to find. She had taken residence atop a nearby mountain, dwelling among the mist
there. The dragon, on the other hand, had disappeared without a trace. I hadn�t
meant to, but in a moment of weakness, an arrow was released, and the man
responsible for their deaths was dead. His blood pooled around my feet, and all
I could manage as a reaction was a small, satisfied, smile.

The water beast was the next
victim on my list. She fell easily to my sacred arrows. Even though the once
pure light was now tainted with tinges of black. My sins were having an effect,
I would have to finish my task before my soul became completely tainted.

When it became clear that my
search for the dragon was going to take some time, I decided to return to this
place. My original home, and my first family. I owe them a fair goodbye. They
deserve that much for all they�ve put up with these last couple of years. I�m
pretty sure I won�t be coming back from this mission for a long time, if at all.
I hope they can forgive me for that. But I have to do this. I must avenge them.

Verse IV:

The
Fire Demon�s Adventure

I fear who I am becoming

I feel that I'm losing all beauty within

My eyes shoot open, and a gasp
leaves my lips. I almost fall from my spot in the large tree. My breathing is
hard, and a shiver runs down my spine. I wipe at the sweat on my brow. Another
nightmare, all my life I�ve had them, nightmares of my childhood, or the
ever-recurring dream where I�m falling to my death. This one was again about
Yukina, about me killing her, except I was enjoying it. Both in and out of the
dream, I was enjoying killing the one being in all the three realms that I�d do
anything for. Another shudder flows through me and I feel mildly nauseous.

For the first time in my life,
I�m afraid. I feel my control slipping more each day. I�ve never been pure on
the inside, but I do have my own set of morals, and I feel myself caring less
and less about them. I feel the dragon tugging at me, trying to get me to return
to Genkai�s, to Yukina.

No, I have to stay as far from
there as possible. Going back to Makai is becoming more and more important, but
I already know what Koenma will say. He needs me here. Missions, duties, debts,
blah, blah, blah.

Suddenly my attention is drawn to
the raven-haired priestess. She�s telling her mother goodbye. She�s going
through the portal again. Her aura is even darker than it was last night. I
feel the dragon recoiling yet again. He�s easier to control around her.

As she disappears into the
well-house I do something more impulsive than usual, I follow her. Her family is
watching after her, but they won�t see me, I�m moving too fast for mortal eyes.
I lurk in the shadows as I watch her. She hesitates, she senses me here, I�m
sure of it, but she gives a small smile and jumps into the well. I jump after
her.

The next thing I know I�m
engulfed by an uncomfortably bright light. My vision blurs, and I have the
sensation of falling.

�Hey, are you dead?� a woman�s
voice asks from the distance. I force my eyes open slowly, only to meet my
priestess� dark brown gaze.

�No.� My voice comes out weaker
than I intended. I push myself up on shaky limbs. The dragon is not happy with
me for bringing him here, so far from Yukina.

�Good. Why did you follow me?�
There�s an irritated edge to her voice as she begins crawling out of the well. I
watch her, slightly dumbfounded. I blush when I get a clear look up her skirt,
luckily she doesn�t notice. I jump out of the well and beat her to the top,
offering a hand to her, which she ignores as she climbs out on her own and
stares at me expectantly. �Well?� She reminds me of Keiko as she crosses her
arms over her chest.

�I was curious, as to where you
always disappear to.� I answer honestly.

�So you are the one that�s
been stalking me. I figured as much.�

�I�m�� I don�t really know what
I�m planning to say, but it doesn�t matter as she interrupts me.

�You can�t have the jewel, you
stand no chance. Give up and go away.� She�s almost bored as she speaks, and
when she�s finished she begins walking away.

�Wait, what? What jewel?� I
follow her, glancing around in awe. This world is strange to me. I smell humans
and I smell demons. There�s no pollution in the air like there is in Ningenkai,
but the sky is not red like in Makai. Everywhere I look there�s trees towering
over us, warm sun filtering through their leaves. For the briefest moment I feel
like I�m home. �Where are we?�

�You mean you�re not after the
jewel?� She turns to me, not masking her surprise, �We�re in the past, the
feudal era to be more precise.�

�Before the barriers were
erected.� I know I sound awed, and I don�t even mind.

�Yes, so if you aren�t after the
jewel, what do you want?�

I shrug. �Just drawn to you I
guess.� Better not to mention the bit about something inside me wanting to kill
her.

She makes a small �humph� of
disbelief and continues walking. I smirk at her back because the sound was sort
of�cute. I wrinkle my nose in distaste at my own thoughts.

As we walk deeper into the
forest, we hear sounds in the distance. Not just any sounds, but people
screaming. She takes off at a run, and I have no problem keeping up with her. As
the wood ends we run out into a clearing. Across it there is a village, parts of
it are flooded, and there are huts collapsed into soggy piles. It isn�t hard to
spot the culprits, two identical human boys that are riding dragon-like demons
with horse�s heads.

�Bring us the one responsible for
our uncle�s death!� one of them yells.

�Or watch your village be
destroyed!� the other adds.

The twins join hands and a large
wave rises over the village.

�No�� Kagome whispers, then
charges forward, �Stop!�

As the wave crashes forward, I
send a wall of black fire to meet it, turning it to steam.

Kagome shoots me a suspicious
look, but with no time to dwell on it, she pulls her arrows, and shoots both
boys without batting an eye. I watch as her aura darkens further, and the dragon
snarls in distaste from the back of my mind.

�Kagome! You�ve killed them!� an
elderly woman exclaims.

Kagome walks forward to retrieve
her arrows from the boy�s bodies. �It couldn�t be helped,� she says coldly, she
then turns to me, �Since you�re here, you might as well make yourself useful. We
need to organize the villagers and see what can be salvaged of this mess, you�re
in charge of that, Kaede and I will start tending to the injured.�

�Aye, and I�ll get the younger
holy women to organize funerals for the two young sorcerers.� Kaede adds.

�Hn.� I grunt, but it isn�t like
I have anything better to do, and it isn�t often I get to boss humans around, so
I do as asked.

The old lady reminds me of
Genkai, the way she looks at me with no fear, despite the fact we both know I
can kill her in an instant, the way she approaches me as if she�s oblivious to
the fact that I purposely sat away from the group around the fire. I feel a
slight annoyance growing inside me as she just stands there, staring for a long
moment.

�What�s the matter, Grandma,
forget what you came to say?�

�No, I was deciding if I should
trust you,� she says it so honestly, so easily, she hides nothing. I admire
that. As she speaks again I assume that she�s decided I am trustworthy. For her
age she isn�t a very good judge of character. �You care about Kagome, don�t ye?�

I snort. �I wouldn�t use such
strong words, priestess.� I realize as I protest that it isn�t totally true. If
I didn�t care, her shifting aura would not bother me so much.

�I worry for her. She has not
mourned the loss of her friends, I fear she is instead taking the path of
vengeance.�

�Hn. And why is that my problem?�

�She needs protection, please, I
think you can help her.�

�Hn.� I grab my sword and walk
away, but I think the old lady knows where I�m going. I have no problems
slipping into her hut. She�s sleeping on a bed roll on the floor, raven hair
fanned out around her head. A picture of beauty, were it not for that damned
ugly aura.

�You have a real problem with
watching me while I sleep,� she speaks without opening her eyes.

�You have a real problem with not
sleeping.� That gets her to open them. Brown eyes flash with defiance as they
look at me.

�I can�t sleep. I have work to
do,� her tone is so resolved, there will be no changing her mind.

�Then why pretend, let�s start
this work of yours.�

�Sorry, pal, this is a solo
mission.� Again the resolve is strong, but not as strong as before.

�You�re the only person I know in
this place. Besides, it�s not as if I�ll hinder you in any way.�

She thinks for a moment as she
looks me over with that penetrating gaze. �Alright, let�s go.� She surprises me
by jumping up and grabbing her quiver and bow. She�d been sleeping in her shoes.
That�s what leads me to believe she was planning on leaving tonight anyway. I
nod and follow her silently.

I�m happy to leave the village.
The children were curious, and hung around me, the dragon wanted them. Even now
he wants me to turn back, but I silence him.

We travel for several weeks. We
run into demons now and then, but nothing eventful. We stop only for as short a
sleep period as her body will allow. I spend most of that time awake, keeping
guard, watching her sleep. Every day her aura becomes more tainted. The dragon
longs to see her purity returned. In truth, so do I.

Chorus II:

The
Priestess� Disease

I'm going to haunt them down all the way

I made a promise to revenge his soul in time

One by one they were surprised

My travel companion doesn�t speak
much. Normally that would bother me, but lately it�s been a relief. He�s always
there if needed, and blends into the background when he�s not. I don�t
understand why he�s staying with me. I don�t really spare it much thought.
These days I don�t think of much besides destroying the dragon. Along my
searching I�ve learned of the various people and sources that aided the sorcerer
in creating the awful creatures, and one by one those people and sources have
paid dearly for their mistakes.

My revenge won�t bring my friends
back, I know that. That�s not why I�m doing this. That�s not why I�ve killed
them. Magic this powerful shouldn�t exist. I am ensuring no one else is hurt by
their foolishness. My true goal still remains to kill the demon dragon and free
my friend�s souls. I�ve caught rumors about it here and there, so I know we�re
on the right path, at least. I won�t rest until it is a pile of ash at my feet.

�Is this what your friends would
want?� I raise an eyebrow. So tonight he�s talkative.

�Gee, I don�t know, wouldn�t you
want your soul to be able to rest in peace?�

He rolls his eyes. �I meant would
they want you to darken your own soul in order to free them?�

�That�s what we do for people we
love, Hiei, we do anything for them. I�m not worried about the blood on my
hands, and I don�t need you to be either.� I mean every word. If I have to kill
a hundred humans to see that they find peace, that�s what I�ll do. That is my
promise to them.

He shrugs and jumps up into a
nearby tree. Good, I like it when he�s anti-social, it makes things easier.
Under different circumstances I might actually be able to be friends with this
surly fire demon. If I weren�t so numb inside, I might actually be able to care
about him. But I don�t feel. Not anymore. My heart broke when my friends died,
and I haven�t found any glue that could hold it together.

Verse V:

The
Broken Fire Demon

I can no longer restrain it

My strength it is fading

I have to give in

We�re near a village, I feel it.
I feel it because the dragon is commanding me to go there. And so I�m walking,
slowly. I don�t have the strength to resist him right now, but I won�t rush to
give him his way either.

My limbs are weak with
exhaustion. If I were attacked by an enemy right now I�d be dead. I lean against
a tree to gain some strength. My eyes are drifting closed. I�m aware, but
there�s nothing I can do about it. As I slip into darkness, however, I feel my
body moving.

Have I been found by someone? I
try to wake but I can�t. Luckily the jagan still recognizes my commands, and
shows me what my closed eyes cannot see. I�m not being carried; I�m walking on
my own. No, not me, not me at all, the dragon is in control now. The dragon has
finally won the war.

I hate being helpless, and I claw
at my consciousness, trying to reclaim my own body, but my efforts are futile. I
watch in horror as my body slips undetected into a hut full of sleeping
children. I fight with renewed strength as I see the glint of my sword in my
hand.

The dragon wants innocent blood.
I can�t let this happen. I won�t be controlled like this. I summon all the
strength I have, even drawing on the jagan, and finally I am able to place the
dragon back in his confines. As I regain consciousness, however, I see my blade,
black with blood. I sense movement at my feet. There a girl lies, writhing in
agony. Her throat has been cut, but not deep enough to kill her instantly. I
don�t hesitate as I end her misery, finishing the job with more precision than
the dragon managed.

I hurry from the hut, flee the
village, put as much distance between myself and the heinous crime as my
weakened body will allow before I collapse on the forest floor, trembling. I
cough as a searing pain rips through my insides. Blood coating the ground is the
last thing I see before my world goes black.

Verse VI:

The
Priestess� Recovery

I held you tight to me

But you slipped away

You promised to return to me

And I believed, I believed

I didn�t think I could feel
anything anymore, but I was wrong. I feel clearly the panic as I wake and
realize Hiei is not with me. I feel a sense of longing to find him. I feel
desperation as the hours pass by and my searching turns up nothing.

I feel relief when, just before
sunset, I see him, slumped against a tree. I feel a cold fear as I notice the
blood around him, and pick up on the fact that his breathing is undetectable.

I don�t know at what point I
started crying, I just know that my voice sounds hysterical, as I sob over his
still body, taking it into my arms. �Don�t die, please don�t die.� That is my
only mantra, but he doesn�t hear me.

When I realize he is still alive,
but barely, I calm a bit. I don�t remember building a fire, or wrapping us in a
blanket, but I must have. I don�t remember letting the exhaustion of the last 24
hours pull me into sleep, but it clearly did. What I do remember, however, is
realizing, in awe, that my heart is whole enough to care for someone once again.

Chorus III:

The
Fire Demon�s Resolve

Long ago it came to me

And ever since that day

Infected with its rage

But it ends today

The first thing I notice is
warmth. A fire is near, a blanket surrounds me, and a soft body is pressed
against me. I open my eyes and smile when I see Kagome�s sleeping face. She must
have found me and cared for me. I always wondered if she had feelings for me,
and now my question is answered. I don�t need grand confessions of love. I�m not
one to make them myself, after all, so why would I require them from others? The
fact that she had paused from the one goal that had consumed her since her
friend�s deaths is all the proof I need. The real Kagome is still in there, and
she cares for me. I find myself smiling at that. It�s clear to me now, as it has
been for some time, that I care for her too.

My smile fades quickly as I
remember last night�s events, and I have to pull away from her embrace as I puke
at the memory of what I�ve done. Yes, living among humans has softened me.

�You�re awake! Are you alright?�
I can�t tell her. She can never know what I�ve done. The dragon knows I�m awake
now as well, and is scrambling for his chance to take control again. The taste
of copper fills my mouth, and the ground below me tints red as another sharp
pain rips through my body.

�I�ll be ok.� My voice is shaking
with the strain of speaking. I notice the sun rising over the distant horizon
as my vision fights for focus.

This is my fault. I knew when I
called the dragon that day that there was a chance I would die. I knew as I
consumed him, that there was a chance I wouldn�t be able to control him. All
these things I�ve accepted. What I will not accept, however, is endangering the
lives of others because of my weakness. No, I can�t allow that. I will beat the
dragon, and I will do it today, before I hurt anyone else.

�Are you sure?� She turns worried
eyes to me. That concern is all for me, when was the last time someone worried
about me? A warmth spreads through me at the thought.

�Yes, but, if you don�t mind,
could we take a day and rest? I know I said I wouldn�t slow you down��

�No, its fine, just rest, I�ll
take some time and ask around for information.�

�I have some for you.� I am
hesitant to tell her this information, but as I think about last night, I am
certain of my plans. I know that I am going to lose the battle with the dragon,
and I needed to be sure he won�t hurt others. �When you find the dragon, the
only way to kill it is to kill the host.�

Her eyes widen in surprise. �How
did you find that out?�

I smile, and that too surprises
her, �Never mind, it�s reliable.�

�Alright then,� she finally says
after a long pause, no doubt thinking it odd that I won�t divulge my source,
�I�ll go grab some firewood, and see if I can get some food.�

(It's the fear)

Fear of the dark is growing inside of me

That one day will come to life

(Have to save)

To save my beloved

There is no escape

Because my fate is horror and doom

I nod, glad for a moment alone.
After watching her disappear into the forest I walk the opposite direction.
Finding a stream, I shed my clothes and slip into it, relaxing into the gentle
current. I take a few deep breaths of this clean air, and I feel oddly at peace.

After I�ve had my fill of the
cool water, I head back to our make-shift camp. I sent the air and find she is
already back. Pulling my cloak over my hair, I keep my distance in the forest.
The dragon resists my call. It knows I�m up to something. I haven�t willingly
unleashed it since I started losing control over it. The jagan, too, is sending
my brain panicked messages as it sees its own future, but my mind is calm. I
want this, I know it�s right.

Reluctant as it might be, the
dragon can�t ignore the promise of freedom. My arm erupts in black flames. The
pain is comforting; it�s what I was expecting. I watch, steeling myself as the
dragon approaches her. She hears him at the last moment, but it�s too late,
she�s been swallowed by black flames. Despite its fear, the jagan obeys me
without hesitation, and takes control of the dragon. I order him to burn away
the darkness in her soul, and to leave her flesh untouched, and he has no choice
but to comply. I smile as I see the pure light surrounding her. This is how she
is meant to be. This is how I want to remember her.

I continue to smile as an arrow
cuts down the center of the dragon, the pure light obliterating it. I�m not
afraid as I see it flying toward me. Nothing I face in death can be as painful,
or as frightening as losing myself to the dragon�s evil.

The arrow strikes my chest,
grazing my heart, a testament to her gift with the bow. Two more follow it, one
in my right shoulder, and one in my gut. This pain is less comforting, it burns.
Her holy powers scorch their way through my soul. I stager backward, and fall to
the ground. Death is coming slower than I had hoped. I keep smiling though, as I
feel the dragon�s rage at the trick before his flame flickers out, his presence
completely disappearing from my mind. The Jagan is the next to abandon me, as my
blood flows out of my body so does my ki, and I no longer have the strength to
maintain my bond with it.

It seems almost the instant I hit
the ground, she is there, hovering over me, wrapping me in her warm arms. Tears
stream from those confused eyes. �No, Hiei, why?�

I can�t feel my limbs, but they
mercifully obey me anyway, I bring a hand to her face and brush at her tears,
though more almost instantly replace them. �That�s what we do for people we
love, Kagome,� My voice is shaky as I quote her words back to her, �we do
anything for them.�

�I don�t understand, if you love
me, then why?� She sobs. This isn�t how I want to see her in my final moments.

�Now we�re all free, thank you,
Kagome.�

Verse VII:

The
Return of the Pure Priestess

After the night he died

I wept my tears until they dried

But the pain stayed the same

I didn't want him to die all in vain

I am horrified as the figure
staggers backward and the hood slips from his head. My white-hot anger
disappears as I watch him fall.

�HIEI!� I run to him. Confusion,
betrayal, and pain warring for dominance in my mind. I cradle him in my arms.
He�s so weak, and his eyes are growing dimmer. How can he be the dragon�s host?
How could he have kept it from me? Why did he attack me? Why did it have to end
like this? His words make me realize. He�s been fighting the beast within him,
he was a prisoner to it, as much as I was a prisoner to my need for revenge.

�I love you too, Hiei,� I
whisper, knowing as his eyes grow lifeless that he may not have heard the
important words. I place a kiss to his lips, and whisper a thank you. His lips
part slightly as if he�s trying to speak, but then his eyes slide shut and his
body relaxes in my arms.

I wasn�t there when my first
lover died, but tonight, my second love drew his last breath in my arms. I
didn�t cry for my first lover, but now, my tears fall. Tears for Inuyasha and
Sango, and Miroku and Kirara, and tears for Hiei. I�m not numb anymore. Hiei
taught me how to feel. He taught me how to feel love, and he taught me how to
feel pain, and that�s ok. He lived his last few weeks with me. As I think over
the short conversations we had, and the handful of things he had said, I knew
that he had planned to die all along, he was just making sure I didn�t let the
vengeance destroy me. Hiei saved my life, and so I will live it, for him.

Verse VIII:

The
Mourning of a Kitsune

Long ago it came to me

And ever since that day

Infected with its rage

But it ends today

I feel, more than hear the
whisper in my mind. It feels like Hiei. Sometimes he would communicate with me
during battle via the jagan, and it was much like this, but this voice is so
faint, so weak, and it says only four words:

Thank you, my friend.

I try to convince myself I�ve
imagined it, but the empty feeling in my chest lets me know, a hero has fallen.
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A Hero Falls