InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Legacy (II) ❯ Chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: I've done a fanart for this chapter. It's in http://elle6778.deviantart.com/ but you might only want to look at it after the story because it contains a spoiler!!

A Simple Legacy II by elle6778 - Chapter 15

“Stop it!” she yelled desperately, taking a step towards them.

Inuyasha turned to her, his amber eyes gleaming with hatred. “I'll kill him for forcing you away from me!”

Sesshoumaru smirked. “You are not capable of it, hanyou.”

Kagome stared at them in disbelief. Clenching her fists together, she yelled again, “What do you think you're doing? This is not the time to settle your stupid sibling rivalry!”

Ignoring her, Inuyasha simply advanced on Sesshoumaru, “No. It's time for the bastard to go to hell!”

Sesshoumaru raised Toukijin as Inuyasha brought down Tetsusaiga. In a blink of an eye, gold and silver blasts met in the middle of the clearing with a deafening crack. Kagome gasped as the two brothers were thrown backwards at the impact.

“That's enough!” she screamed in frustration, her breath coming out in shallow gasps.

“Stay out of it, Kagome! I'll get rid of him soon enough,” Inuyasha yelled at her.

“Such pitiful emotions,” Sesshoumaru sneered as he sprayed forth a stream of green poison at Inuyasha.

Kagome's eyes widened. “NO!”

Inuyasha managed to avoid being hit and immediately retaliated with an attack of his own. They continued to fight, ignoring her yells of protests. There was nothing she could do unless she tried to separate them using her own miko energy. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself enough to call forth her powers. Although Sesshoumaru was resistant to most of her powers, she had to make sure that she would not accidentally harm Inuyasha.

Then it occurred to her that it was strangely silent. Apart from the clash of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's katana, she could not hear the usual sounds associated with the forest. It was beyond strange.

And it was also familiar.

She had felt this before.

Then it hit her.

It was an illusion. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were not fighting for real. It was simply something her mind made up under the spell of an illusion.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “It's an illusion. It's an illusion,” she chanted.

When she opened her eyes, she was dismayed to find that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were still fighting. Just thinking that it was not an illusion did not work. Groaning, she called forth her powers and tried to expand it outwards.

Nothing happened.

Her desperation mounting, she opened her mouth and yelled, “Sesshoumaru! Inuyasha! It's an illusion!”

Nothing came back.

Not far from her, the image of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha continued to fight.

Lips tightening, she realized that she had to somehow get to Sesshoumaru to warn him. The rest of them had gone through this before, and hopefully they remembered what it was like and would be able to throw it off. She was not sure if Sesshoumaru had been subjected to this before.

There was only one thing she could do and she hoped that it would work.

She dropped her emotional barriers.

…***…***…***…

Sesshoumaru's entire body froze as he stared at the miko and the hanyou in disbelief.

He had not expected this from her. From anyone else, yes.

But not her.

Incensed, Sesshoumaru growled under his breath. His trust was not given lightly and when he had given it, he did not expect it to be betrayed. But his eyes did not lie. For the miko was standing against him, her loyalties shifted to the despicable hanyou, Naraku.

Her eyes were unusually cold as she stared smugly at him. “Sesshoumaru, you fell for it,” she said with a mocking laugh.

Naraku joined in. “For all your disdain for humans, you could not even resist the charms of one single human female. Perhaps you're more like your father than you think.”

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. “Do not speak of what you do not understand, hanyou.”

He drew out Toukijin and pointed it to the couple before him, his abhorrence at the situation making his blood rage the way he had never felt before. His eyes locked onto the miko's gleaming brown orbs, so familiar yet so different.

Fingers tightening around the hilt, Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth. One single blast and both Naraku and the miko would meet in the afterlife. The slight reluctance he felt at the thought of killing the miko was foolish. She had betrayed him and thus, deserved nothing but death.

His body tingled suddenly and an urgent feeling washed over him. Puzzled, Sesshoumaru stilled at the familiarity of the feeling. Then it dawned on him that it was the miko's connection to him. He shifted his gaze to find her sneering at him.

“Why, Sesshoumaru? You don't dare to attack me?” the miko taunted. “Or have you grown soft?”

His eyes narrowed in distaste.

Then a frown grew between his brows as the strange feeling persisted. This time, something which felt like a warning nudged at him. It was in complete contrast with the miko's cold words. Something did not feel right.

Perhaps Naraku was forcing the words out of the miko's mouth. Or perhaps an imposter was deceiving him.

“Who are you?” he asked coldly.

Naraku laughed. “It seems that you could not believe that the miko dared to betray you. How naïve.”

Her expression set in an expression Sesshoumaru had ever seen before, the miko drawled, “It's just so sad, isn't it? You feel betrayed, I know. Just submit and this will all be over, Sesshoumaru. Don't fight it.”

Sesshoumaru's lips tightened. He was certain that whatever this was, it was not real. The miko had never spoken to anyone in such a manner and his instincts told him that she would never do so. Furthermore, with the spell placed on her since birth, it was not possible for her to be corrupted in such a repulsive manner.

This must be simply an illusion.

Angry at the deception, his golden eyes glinted.

“This Sesshoumaru would not fall for this trickery,” he snarled as he brought down Toukijin, releasing a bright blast which ripped the illusion apart.

His surrounding suddenly cleared to reveal Inuyasha's Forest.

He glanced around. Not far from him, the miko was lying down, breathing hard as her face twisted in concentration. He could feel the waves of her desperate pleading washing over him. Sesshoumaru immediately streaked towards her and lowered himself. He gathered her in his arm and propped her up, but her head lolled backwards. Raising his hand, he tapped her cheeks firmly.

A moan escaped her lips.

“Miko. Wake up,” he ordered sternly. They were in Naraku's lair and she could not afford to be unconscious. A quick sweep of the clearing told him that Inuyasha, the forest youkai, the houshi, the taijiya and the nekomata were all unconscious, obviously still caught in the grips of the illusion.

“MIKO!” he snapped urgently, shaking her lightly.

A pair of disoriented brown eyes shot open.

Then they cleared in recognition and relief. “Sesshoumaru!” she exclaimed, struggling to get up. “It's an illusion.”

Sesshoumaru stood, pulling the miko to her feet as he did so. “Yes. This Sesshoumaru felt your call.”

The miko closed her eyes and exhaled. “It's a good thing that we got that connection.”

“Indeed.” Only at times like this, Sesshoumaru added silently. The rest of the time, their connection brought nothing but disruption to his peace.

“You and Inuyasha were trying to kill each other,” she muttered, visibly suppressing a shiver. “It was awful.”

Sesshoumaru raised a brow. “That is nothing new, Miko.”

The miko shook her head. “Not like how I saw it. The two of you looked…vicious.” Then she turned to him. “What was yours?”

Stiffening slightly, Sesshoumaru wondered if he should tell her. Then, realizing that it would do no harm, he said, “You, Miko, were standing with Naraku against this Sesshoumaru.”

Her eyes bulged. “And you can't tell from that that it's an illusion?” she asked incredulously.

He was unsure how to respond.

She sighed in exasperation. “Sesshoumaru, you're my friend. I won't do something like that to you.”

His friend?

“Hn.”

The miko's small hand wrapped around his wrist and she said, “Let's go wake the rest up.”

…***…***…***…

Once they had all woken up from the illusion, they wasted no time in tracking down Naraku's stronghold. Moriko continued to take directions from the trees, leading them closer to their target. Unfortunately, after a short while, their path was barred by a tall, invisible barrier which only became apparent when Inuyasha was repelled backwards by it.

“Keh! A stupid barrier again!” he exclaimed in disgust as he picked himself up.

Feet ajar, Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga.

“We…are…GOING…IN!” Inuyasha shouted as he brought the katana down.

The barrier shimmered and a crack appeared.

“Damn!” Inuyasha cursed.

Kagome felt Sesshoumaru's hand clamping around her arm and then found herself pushed behind him. Without a word, Sesshoumaru held Toukijin in front of him and let out a heavy blast. The air around them pulsed as the force tore through the crack, widening it.

“Almost there,” Kagome exclaimed in excitement as she stepped around Sesshoumaru to point the tip of her kodachi at the barrier. A beam of miko energy erupted from the kodachi and hit the crack in the barrier with a loud bang.

Then the crack propagated outwards and the barrier collapsed.

The shimmering film disintegrated to reveal a sinister looking castle cloaked in a hazy film of dark miasma. Almost immediately, angry howls tore though the air and a swarm of youkai appeared, heading towards them.

“Stay back,” Sesshoumaru ordered as he directed a blast from Toukijin towards the swarm.

The swarm split apart at the attack and began to spread out.

Inuyasha scowled at him. “What? You think I'm going to let you have all the fun?” he snapped, delivering an attack from Tetsusaiga as he stepped forward.

Sango, Miroku, Moriko and Kirara ran off to fight the portion of the youkai swarm that had broken off, leaving her, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha to deal with the rest of them. A few blasts of energy from Toukijin and Tetsusaiga, backed up by her miko arrows took care of most of their opponents.

All of a sudden, Kagome felt a warning tingle at the back of her neck. Then, the sound of mocking laughter reached them. She turned around to find Naraku standing on the raised wooden platform in front of his castle.

“Well, it looks like I got some visitors,” Naraku drawled in a deceptively smooth voice.

“Get down here and fight, you coward!” Inuyasha yelled.

Naraku smirked.

Kagome's eyes widened as the dark haired hanyou disappeared from the platform to reappear right in front of them. With an alarmed squeak, she jumped back as a tentacle shot out at her. She raised her kodachis in reflex, bringing them up to deflect the tentacles. Beside her, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha began to tear the tentacles apart using their katana.

Naraku simply laughed as the tentacles regenerated themselves. More of his thick black miasma began to seep into the air surrounding them. Inuyasha began to cough, but to Kagome's surprise, although she felt the stink of the poisonous gas, it affected her less than it had done in the past.

Naraku gave her a piercing glance. “It seems that the rumor is true then. A miko with the strength of a youkai exists.”

Kagome's eyes widened in alarm. How did he know?

“Miko. Focus.” Sesshoumaru instructed evenly. “He is merely attempting to distract you.”

Pulling herself together, Kagome nodded and began her attack on Naraku. Naraku retaliated by releasing more tentacles. Out of the corner of her eyes, Kagome noticed that Inuyasha and the rest were drawn into battle with fresh swarm of youkai.

Sesshoumaru released blast after blast with her doing the same beside him until one of them finally caught Naraku in the chest, throwing him backwards. However, a stray tentacle managed hit Kagome in the leg, tripping her.

Then Naraku disappeared.

“Where is he?” Kagome asked as she stood up gingerly, glancing around them. Her right leg throbbed, but to her relief, there was no blood. Worriedly, she noted that half of the swarm was headed in the direction of Kaede's village.

“We've got to stop them,” she said as she hurled a beam of energy towards the departing swarm.

Inuyasha gave her a sideways glance. “What?”

“They are heading towards the village,” Sesshoumaru remarked evenly.

“Kirara!” Sango called out.

The white nekomata, already expanded into her true form, landed in front of the taijiya. Sango leapt onto her back, pulling Miroku along. “We will head to the village to warn the people,” she called out as Miroku settled himself behind her.

Kagome nodded. “We have to intercept Naraku before he gets there. We can't fight near the village.”

Inuyasha turned to the forest youkai. “Moriko, you should go with Sango. Now that the bastard is out, we can track his scent.”

Moriko frowned. “Are you sure?”

Kagome spoke up, “He's right's Moriko. Not to mention who knows what Naraku might do with you so close.”

Nodding hesitantly, Moriko replied, “Alright. But be careful. Naraku is sneaky.”

Kagome's lips twisted. “Yeah, we know.”

With that, Moriko, Sango and Miroku flew off on Kirara, leaving her, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru to follow Naraku's trail. They ran through the forest with Sesshoumaru leading the way, his heightened senses making it easy for him to track Naraku down.

They finally ended up in a familiar clearing.

Naraku was standing arrogantly in the middle of it, watching them with a smirk on his face. “Lost half of your group already?” he mocked. “Or you simply abandoned the weaker ones?”

Kagome's eyes narrowed. “Why you…”

“Miko.” That one word from Sesshoumaru reminded her that Naraku was simply trying to rile her. She gritted her teeth and glared at the smirking hanyou.

“Interesting,” Naraku mused. “The two of you are closer than I thought.”

“Shut up and fight!” Inuyasha yelled as he charged ahead.

Before he could reach, Naraku held his arms out and brought it down towards them. A dense fog settled around them, making it hard for them to see.

Kagome glanced around warily. Was this another one of Naraku's tricks?

Then, as the fog dissipated, a number of youkais emerged.

“Meet my new detachments,” Naraku drawled, his eyes glittering darkly.

Kagome's eyes widened as she took in the eight youkais she had never seen before, each looking as if they were formed from more than one species. Their general appearance was grotesque, unlike his first two detachments.

Naraku's eyes narrowed. “Kill them,” he ordered coldly.

Kagome unsheathed her kodachis as two of the detachments charged towards her. She stood her ground, her weapons held out in readiness as they came closer. When they reached her, she leapt up high and brought her weapons down as she descended. Her kodachi caught one of them, but the other one managed to escape unscathed.

With a snarl of outrage, the injured detachment picked himself up and pounced. Kagome immediately swung her blades around in a wide arc, but the youkai managed to deflect the blow with his armored arm. Irritated, Kagome called forth her miko energy into her kodachis and flung it at the youkai.

The youkai's mouth opened in a silent scream as he disintegrated.

A howl of pain rang out behind her as something warm and wet suddenly splattered against her back. Alarmed, she spun around to find Sesshoumaru standing over a shredded youkai just behind her. She gulped as the implication of the shredded youkai's presence sank in.

“You will remember to mind your back, Miko!” Sesshoumaru bit out, his eyes gleaming in what she recognized as fury.

Bristling at the reprimand, she retorted, “I was a little distracted, alright?”

“That is not an acceptable excuse,” he intoned flatly. Then he turned a pair of cold gaze into the distance. “It's time to destroy Naraku.”

Abruptly, she found herself being launched into the air towards the other end of the clearing where Naraku stood smirking as he watched the battle. He eyed them with amusement as they landed some distance away.

“Miko. NOW!” Sesshoumaru ordered as he swung Toukijin towards Naraku.

Kagome immediately hurled a bolt of miko energy along Sesshoumaru's silvery stream of energy. The two attacks collided and as before, melded with each other as they headed for the hanyou.

To her dismay, Naraku simply laughed and leapt out of the way, sending a fresh swarm of youkai into the flare. Screams pierced through the air as the combined attack decimated the youkai swarm, depleting its energy as it did so.

“Damn it!” she hissed irritably. Naraku was simply to smart to be tricked that way.

Beside her, Sesshoumaru simply stared at Naraku stonily.

“Too slow, Sesshoumaru,” Naraku sneered as he spread his slimy tentacles outwards. “And I expected more from you, little miko.”

Kagome's eyes narrowed.

“Again, Miko,” Sesshoumaru bit out as he released a series of whips.

Gritting her teeth in concentration, Kagome pushed her powers out of her palms and watched it merge again with Sesshoumaru's attack.

Naraku disappeared from sight before the explosion rocked the forest.

Suppressing the urge to stomp her feet in frustration, Kagome quickly scan the area for the dark haired hanyou. Not far from her, Sesshoumaru was occupied with another one of Naraku's detachment, a youkai with slimy green body with an appearance of an overgrown toad.

A shift in the air was the only warning she received before she turned around to find herself facing a new opponent.

But before anything could happen, Kagome felt herself being yanked off the ground. With a squeal of alarm, she found herself flying through the air. Tentacles wrapped snugly around her, preventing her from escaping as she was brought close to a smiling Naraku.

“Let me go!” she yelled furiously as she began to struggle.

“Now, now, Miko. Surely you should know better than to ask me of such a thing,” Naraku drawled smoothly. His hands reached out to her neck and yanked.

Kagome felt a sharp sting against her skin as her chain broke under the force.

Naraku's expression became pinched as he stared disbelievingly at the empty bottle dangling off the chain. His hand shot out again, this time to clamp his fingers around her neck, the pressure on her throat forcing her to look at him.

“Where are the shards?” he hissed into her face.

She glared at him wordlessly. As Sesshoumaru had predicted, Naraku expected the shards to be with her. Did Naraku think that they were so stupid as to let her hold the shards during battle? Even with her enhanced skills, the shards were much safer under Sesshoumaru's protection.

His tentacles slithered tighter around her. Kagome braced herself to release an attack, and then paused as an idea came to her. It took her less than five seconds to realize that it might be what they needed to do to defeat Naraku.

She deliberately went limp.

…***…***…***…

“KAGOME!”

Inuyasha was being overly protective again, Sesshoumaru thought without even glancing backwards. The deformed beasts in front of him snarled viciously. Impatient at the distraction that was barring him from his main target, Sesshoumaru let loose a blast of Toukijin and instantly reduced the two lowly youkais to dust.

Then he heard Inuyasha yell, “Let her go, Naraku! Your fight is with me!”

Sesshoumaru froze as he digested his half-brother's words. A quick glance out of the corner of his eyes told him that Naraku had captured the miko. She was slumped over Naraku's coils of tentacles, unable to move and Inuyasha was prevented from reaching her by a fresh swarm of youkais.

“I'll kill you!” Inuyasha yelled as he slashed furiously at the youkai swarm in front of him, obviously trying to forge a path forward.

Naraku laughed, a deceptively smooth sound which echoed through the forest. “You're nothing without this girl, Inuyasha!” Then he turned to the miko, the tip of one of his tentacles caressing her cheek. “I'll have the rest of the jewel one way or another. And you'll pay for all those times you got in my way.”

As Sesshoumaru sprayed a stream of poison at an oncoming youkai somewhat absently, he frowned. Something was not right. Why was the miko not fighting to release herself? All she had to do was to exert her powers and she would be free. It might not kill him but Naraku would not be able to retain his hold on her if she did so.

Then he felt it.

It began as a familiar tingle within his consciousness. His brow furrowed in concentration at the connection between him and the miko. It felt like a plea.

His eyes shot towards her. Naraku was too preoccupied with taunting Inuyasha to pay her any attention. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he watched her, only paying half his attention to his own opponent. It did not matter. His opponents were weak and were no match for his well-honed reflexes. With a flick of his wrist, Toukijin obeyed his command and blasted the impudent youkai apart.

He felt himself being nudged again. She was trying to tell him something through their connection. Sesshoumaru frowned in irritation. Whatever it was, she should have told him before the battle.

The feeling washed over him again. This time, it was more pronounced, forcing itself against him. He froze as he felt the sudden urge to attack Naraku. Glancing at her briefly, he caught the slight nod she directed at him. Her face was set in a look of determination, telling him that she meant it.

The miko wanted him to attack Naraku while she was being held captive against the hanyou.

And he knew why she wanted him to do so.

For the first time ever, Sesshoumaru hesitated.

He had never released the full brunt of his strength directly at her before. Although she was supposed to possess his strength, they had not been able to tell if it was completely true. Would she survive it?

The nudge became more insistent.

A quick glance at Naraku told Sesshoumaru that the sneering hanyou was about to kill her. His tentacles were tightening around her body, making her gasp. Her feeling of mounting panic reached him through their connection, urging him to make his move.

Tetsusaiga.

Tetsusaiga would not harm her.

With that thought, Sesshoumaru streaked towards Inuyasha, extending and flicking his whips at the oncoming swarm of youkai. In the middle of slashing his own opponents, Inuyasha only spared him an incredulous glance as he approached.

“Oi! What do you think you're doing?” Inuyasha yelled as he was shoved to the side, the youkai he was fighting sliced into half by Sesshoumaru's golden whips.

“Hand Tetsusaiga over,” Sesshoumaru ordered coldly.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. “You're out of your mind!”

“NOW!” Sesshoumaru snarled as he grabbed Inuyasha's red sleeve. This was no time for the hanyou to be his stubborn self.

Inuyasha pushed him off roughly. “Get off me!”

Lips thinning, Sesshoumaru decided to do the only thing he could. Spinning around, he grabbed Inuyasha's neck from behind with his left arm and grasped the hand holding Tetsusaiga with another.

“Wha- You bastard! Let go! I'll-” Inuyasha choked out.

Ignoring him, Sesshoumaru clamped his fingers down on Inuyasha's wrist and forcibly raised Tetsusaiga, aiming it at the laughing Naraku. Inuyasha began to struggle furiously, but the strength of his hanyou body was no match for a taiyoukai's. Intent on Naraku, Sesshoumaru barely felt the tips of Inuyasha's claws piercing his arm, loosening it slightly.

“What are you going? You're going to KILL her!!” Inuyasha yelled frantically and then gasped for air.

Naraku continued to laugh. “So, you will betray the miko? Tsk, tsk, Sesshoumaru. You are truly heartless.”

“She is of no importance,” Sesshoumaru intoned disdainfully as he lowered his emotional barrier and willed the miko to understand his intent.

Then he pushed all his strength into Tetsusaiga and brought it down.

“NO!” Inuyasha shouted, his body frozen in horror.

Tetsusaiga obeyed.

A bright silver flare interspersed with golden streaks lighted up the area before a stream of crackling energy rushed directly towards Naraku.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened the moment he realized that the katana had also utilized Inuyasha's strength. A twinge of concern hit him. He did not know what Inuyasha's contribution would mean for the attack. But it was too late to do anything about it now.

Pushing away his concern, Sesshoumaru willed the miko to commence her attack.

And she did.

A pearlescent glow immediately surrounded both her and Naraku as the silver-gold strike from Tetsusaiga neared them, growing more and more powerful. He saw Naraku's eyes widen in disbelief as he tried to escape. But caught in the miko's barrier together with her, it was an impossible task. The miko reached out and forced her energy past the barrier.

Then the two attacks collided.

As before, his attack and hers blended, the swirling power increasing in strength as Naraku continued to roar furiously. The miko's face showed nothing but utter determination as she continued to hold the barrier until the combined attack reached its limit.

To Sesshoumaru's surprise, he saw a small bluish white orb floating out of the barrier to hover briefly before it zipped right into her.

Then the miko dissolved the barrier.

The shift in energy was enough of a catalyst.

Silver, gold and purple exploded outwards with a loud crack, its force sweeping outwards rapidly. A gruesome scream tore through the air as the aftershocks of the explosion rocked the ground. Chunks of soil were thrown up high and the surrounding trees split apart at the impact.

Eyes widening at the unexpected magnitude of the attack, Sesshoumaru threw himself down on the ground, bringing a struggling Inuyasha along with him. His Mokomoko-sama immediately wrapped around them, affording them some protection.

Dimly, he felt something moving within the folds of his kimono. Then he realized that the forest youkai's pendant was floating upwards into the sky, gradually fading out of sight as it did so. The pressure from attack grew, distracting him from the pendant. Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth against the force.

Then it went ominously silent.

The moment the aftershocks receded, Sesshoumaru straightened and turned towards the place he had last seen Naraku. There was no sign of the hanyou, but a large circular crater adorned the ground.

And the miko was at the centre of it, lying facedown.

Without a second thought, Sesshoumaru streaked towards her, his hand on Tenseiga's hilt. He could hear Inuyasha struggling to his feet behind him. Sesshoumaru could not see the pallbearers of the afterworld, so the miko must still be alive.

Unless it was already too late. He wondered what the feeling of trepidation in his chest signified.

Bending down as he reached her side, Sesshoumaru immediately hauled her limp body upright. Searching her face, he released the breath he did not realize he was holding when the warmth of her body seeped into his arms. Apart from minor wounds, it appeared that the miko was unharmed. She was simply unconscious from the blast.

Seeing Naraku's half of the jewel next to her with a few loose shards scattered nearby, Sesshoumaru picked them up with his free hand and placed a barrier around them before dropping them into the empty bottle.

Inuyasha skidded to a stop beside him, wearing a murderous look. “I can't believe you did THAT!” he raged, his entire body shaking.

Ignoring the hanyou, Sesshoumaru proceeded to lift the miko up in his arms, noticing absently how fragile she was. Turning to Inuyasha, he asked evenly, “The miko requires healing.”

Inuyasha's eyes flashed. Breathing heavily, he snarled, “Of course she needs to be healed! You almost killed her!”

“She's alive, Inuyasha,” Sesshoumaru pointed out flatly. “Your concern is not necessary. However, it would be wise to obtain a healer for her.”

“I KNOW THAT!”

“And you will cease your shouting.”

Inuyasha glared at him. Then he held out his arms. “I'll bring her to Kaede,” he gritted out tightly.

Sesshoumaru raised a brow. “Kaede?”

“The village miko,” Inuyasha supplied impatiently. “Are you going to hand her over or not?”

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the unconscious miko in his arm, noting how her dark lashes formed smooth crescents on her flushed cheeks. She appeared to be sleeping but there was no telling if she had been damaged further than what he could see from the outside.

His eyes narrowed. If Naraku was still alive…

“Oi! What are you waiting for?” Inuyasha prompted irritably.

Gritting his teeth, he suppressed the urge to flatten his half brother against the ground for his impudence. Wordlessly, he lowered the miko onto Inuyasha's outstretched arms.

Inuyasha gave him an odd look. “You care for her, don't you?” he stated curtly.

Sesshoumaru froze. Then he bit out disdainfully, “Ridiculous.”

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. “Of course,” he replied disbelievingly before he turned around.

Sesshoumaru watched silently as his half brother carried the miko in the direction of the village. It was not until Inuyasha had disappeared from his sight that Sesshoumaru realized how tightly he was holding himself against following the miko.

…***…***…***…

She felt like she was floating weightlessly, touching nothing, feeling nothing. It was a strange feeling. Something in her mind told her that she was tired and was simply sleeping.

But why was she so tired?

A voice.

She could hear a voice calling her.

She was reluctant to leave this place, but she knew that she had to.

…Kagome…

With a groan, Kagome woke up.

“She's awake!”

“Kagome!”

“Child, how are you feeling?”

Her entire body felt washed out. Blinking blearily, she looked around her to find Inuyasha, Moriko and Kaede staring down at her with identical looks of concern.

As she struggled to sit up, Moriko rushed forwards to her aid. “You shouldn't try to get up just yet. Kaede said you need to recuperate.”

The old miko nodded, “You've used up too much strength in killing Naraku. Just rest and let us worry about things. You've done enough. Sango and Miroku are outside, helping to repair some of the damages.”

Kagome's eyes widened as it all came rushing back to her. The fight, Naraku and the combined attack from Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru and her. Inuyasha was in front of her and he seemed to be fine. A feeling of elation bubbled within her as it registered on her that Naraku was dead.

But where was Sesshoumaru?

“Sesshoumaru,” she gasped, looking around anxiously. “Is he alright?”

Inuyasha scowled. “He's fine.” Then he muttered under his breath, “Too bad.”

Kagome frowned. “Where is he?” she asked as she shuffled to the side of the thin futon. Inuyasha was behaving like he would not care less if Sesshoumaru was bleeding to death somewhere out there.

Then something occurred to her. Her agreement with Sesshoumaru had reached its end. After all, their agreement only extended until Naraku's destruction. Since Naraku had been eliminated, it meant that she no longer owed him anything.

They were even.

And it also meant that he had no reason to remain.

He would leave.

Her breath caught. The thought of not seeing him did not sit well with her. Perhaps she had grown too attached to him in the course of their quest. But she knew that although Sesshoumaru seemed to tolerate, and maybe even enjoy, her company, it would be stupid of her to expect him to remain with them. The Western Lands needed him. He could not just travel around with them indefinitely.

It was for the best, she told herself firmly. She refused to make this a bigger issue than it was.

Perhaps he had left already.

“Where do you think you're going?” Inuyasha growled as he stood in front of her, preventing her from getting up.

Agitated, she snapped, “I want to see if he's alright!”

A voice came from the open door. “You need not concern yourself, Miko.”

Kagome exhaled a breath of relief, instantly calmed by his presence. So he had not left yet. Her eyes raked over his form. He seemed to be alright except for a few bloodstained rips in his kimono.

Still, she felt compelled to ask, “Are you alright?”

A curt nod was all she received from the silent taiyoukai.

“Do you have the shards?” she asked.

Sesshoumaru reached into the folds of his kimono and extracted her bottle, now completely full of shards. Then he took her hand and placed the bottle in her palm. “This was all this Sesshoumaru could find. It would be wise for you to check the area again.”

Kagome's eyes widened. “What if someone else found the shards?”

“The area has been warded,” he replied. “No one could enter.”

She sighed with relief. Trust Sesshoumaru to think of everything. Knowing that she should check as soon as possible, she stood up.

“Oi!” Inuyasha exclaimed. “Where do you think you're going?”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Just going out to make sure that we got all the shards. Don't worry, Inuyasha.” Then she took a few steps, surprising herself at her own steadiness. “See? I'm fine.”

Moriko frowned. “Still…”

Brushing away their concern, Kagome made her way out of the door, intent on getting to the battleground. She could hear Inuyasha grumbling as he followed her and her senses told her that Sesshoumaru was not far behind.

After a short walk, she reached a tall golden barrier surrounding a large crater in the ground. She blinked, surprised that their combined powers had yielded such a large force. A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled how it had happened. It had been terrifying to hold her barrier, trapping Naraku within as she watched Sesshoumaru launch an attack directly towards her.

But Naraku was gone now, and that was all that mattered.

Remembering her reason for being out there, she stepped forward just as Sesshoumaru came up beside her. As he brought down his barrier, she focused her senses on finding the shards.

Nothing came to her.

“Well, I don't sense anything,” she said as she scanned the area for one last time. Turning up to look at Sesshoumaru, she smiled and said, “You managed to find all of Naraku's shards.”

“Hn.” His expression was unreadable.

Shrugging, she remarked, “I might as well purify them now.”

Pouring the shards into her palm, she closed her fist and concentrated. A faint pearlescent glow surrounded her hand briefly before it dissipated. When she unfurled her fingers, a pinkish sphere sat on her palm.

But a small crack was visible.

Kagome's eyes widened. “No…” she whispered disbelievingly.

“There is one missing shard.”

“State the obvious, won't you, Sesshoumaru?” Inuyasha snapped irritably.

Sesshoumaru gave him a threatening look. “You will watch your tongue, whelp.”

“Please,” she said, placing a hand to still Inuyasha's agitation. “It's not going to help anything.”

“Keh!”

Kagome sighed as she clamped her hand around the almost-whole jewel. “I guess one more shard is not that hard to find, right?” she said, forcing herself to sound cheerful. The crushing weight of her responsibility pressed against her, making her feel very tired suddenly.

“Kagome…” Inuyasha said uneasily. The tone of his voice made her look up. “There's something else…”

“What?” she asked, wondering why he looked so nervous.

Wordlessly, he pointed towards something in the distance.

She turned to look, only to gasp in shock.

“The well,” she muttered in disbelief as she sank to her knees.

She felt numb as the reality of the situation sank in. With the well gone, she would never be able to find her way back. She was stuck here in the past. There would be no need for her to go back to hand in any assignments. There would be no more visits to her family.

She wanted to cry.

Clenching the Shikon jewel in her hands, she lowered her head. She could not believe this had happened. Of all scenarios, she had not imagined that the well would be destroyed before she completed the jewel.

Sesshoumaru was standing beside her in silence, but Kagome could sense his unease. She glanced at the taiyoukai. His impassive gaze was fixed to the jewel. What she saw simply confirmed what her senses had told her, that Sesshoumaru seemed uncharacteristically unsure.

Perhaps he was torn between staying and leaving. Perhaps he felt obligated to help her find the last shard. But it would not be fair on him. After all, the jewel was not his responsibility.

Taking a deep breath, she clasped the jewel in her hand and stood up. Forcing a smile to her face, she said, “Well, I guess I'll just have to find the last shard, huh?”

Sesshoumaru gave her an unreadable look.

Almost choking on her words, she continued, “I guess that now the debt is paid up and all, you'd want to go back, right?”

His gaze intensified. “Miko…”

“Heh heh. It's okay. I think we can manage to find one shard by ourselves. Right, Inuyasha?” She turned to deliver a pointed look at the strangely flustered hanyou.

“Uh…sure,” Inuyasha faltered, blinking slowly.

“Great!” she exclaimed, hating how fake her cheerfulness sounded.

Inuyasha averted his eyes, his discomfort clear for all to see. “I…uh…I'll go check on Moriko.”

With that, he disappeared in a flash of red and white, leaving her alone with the taiyoukai.

Swallowing, she turned to Sesshoumaru.

“Miko. Are you well?”

The corner of her lips lifted. Sesshoumaru, their one time enemy turned teacher, was expressing concern for her. It amazed her how far they had come. With a wistful smile, she replied softly, “Yes. I think so.”

“The last shard will be found,” he told her, sounding very sure of it.

Kagome nodded, wishing that she could be just as sure. What if she had to spend her entire life searching for that one shard? Her lips twisted humorlessly. Now that the well was destroyed, it was not as if she had anything else to worry about.

She looked up to find the taiyoukai staring at her. He must be anxious to leave.

“Well, I guess you'd better go, huh?” she paused, and then added almost hopefully, “Unless you want to stay over at the village?”

“It is unnecessary. This Sesshoumaru needs to return to the Western Lands.”

“Oh. Okay.” Why did she feel so disappointed? It was not like she would never see him again. She could always visit, right?

“We will meet again, Miko. When you complete the Shikon,” he said quietly.

“That sounds nice.” She inhaled deeply. “Take care, Sesshoumaru.”

“As you should.”

Both of them stood there unmoving. Kagome was not willing to be the one who walked away first, so she just stood there, studying the new spring grass under her feet.

…***…***…***…

Sesshoumaru was unable to understand his reluctance to move. It was as if his feet were rooted to the ground, holding him to this very spot in front of the miko. He had indicated that they would meet again after the completion of her task. There was nothing left to say. So why was he still there?

It occurred to him that perhaps he should offer to go with them. But it seemed foolish to do so. After all, he had no interest in the Shikon jewel and the miko was more than adept in protecting herself. After all, how many mikos could claim to possess the strength of a taiyoukai?

Still, his feet refused to move.

The miko was shuffling uncomfortably. Was his presence causing her to do so? He was beginning to wish that she had not learnt how to barricade her emotions from him. It was his own fault for teaching her.

But he had to leave. It was pointless for him to remain standing there.

Sesshoumaru spun around swiftly and began to walk away, not failing to notice how heavy his steps were.

…***…***…***…

End Part 2

A/N: That's it! End of the saga with Naraku. Please review and let me know what you think of Part 2. Part 3 coming up very soon.