InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Hearts and Crushed Dreams ❯ Death and Defeat ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
~Chapter Two~
.:Death and Defeat:.
They emerged from the woods to see Naraku's castle before them. Kagome slid off of Inuyasha's back.
“Inuyasha, you'll have to break the barrier with Tetsusaiga.”
“Got it,” Inuyasha yelled as he ran towards it, sword already in hand. A flash of light illuminated them and the barrier fell.
“He did it,” said Kagome.
“Kagome!”
She looked up to see her friends coming towards her on Kirara's back. They landed by her side.
“Where's Inuyasha?” asked Miroku with anxiety obviously chewing away at his nerves and helping Kagome on Kirara's back as well.
“He's already inside.” She stated flatly.
“Alright, let's go,” replied Sango as they flew off into the castle.
Kagome knew this would be the last battle. Naraku undoubtedly knew that they had the last piece of the jewel and wanted it to increase his already great power. But she knew they could defeat him. This was it, no turning back.
They arrived in the central grounds to see Inuyasha in the midst of using the Wind Scar on Naraku. Unfortunately, by the smirk on Naraku's face, this had been going on for a while.
“Naraku!” screamed Inuyasha as the ground split apart in various directions from the force of his attack. Naraku laughed and dodged the onslaught.
“Inuyasha, how can you presume to think that a feeble attack like that will affect me any?”
“Don't think I'm so weak, bastard!” replied Inuyasha as the ground quaked as he, yet again, tried using the Wind Scar on Naraku.
In return Naraku shot a tendril strait at his heart. Inuyasha moved just in time to avoid serious damage, but received a large scrape across his chest. The blow caught him off balance and he was thrown on his back, sliding a few yards. “Inuyasha!” cried Kagome as she jumped off Kirara and ran towards him.
“Stay back,” he yelled, avoiding another tendril.
“Inuyasha, don't think your going to do this alone. I, too, have a score to settle.” Miroku said, ignoring Inuyasha's previous demand.
“As do I,” said Sango, also joining the line up, “I will save Kohaku.”
“Fine. Just stay out of my way,” Inuyasha stated bluntly, turning back towards Naraku and firing an attack of yellow light at him again. To their surprise, the attack made contact, temporarily knocking Naraku off balance. As the dust cleared, they heard a shriek of pain and a large bang. There, standing before them, was the true form of Naraku; a gigantic spider.
Miroku turned to Sango, “Take Kirara and knock his legs out from underneath him using the Hiraikotsu.”
Sango nodded her head in agreement and quickly made her way to Kirara. Miroku then took his staff and prepared to take the other side of Naraku's huge form and knock out his remaining legs.
Here goes!
He ran forward towards the beast, ready to hit it just as Sango launched her large boomerang at the left side. Inuyasha fired an attack straight down the middle of Naraku while Miroku brought down the legs on the right.
As Miroku reached the rear of the monstrous beast and got ready to take out the final leg, he felt a stab of pain in his chest. He looked down to see crimson blood soaking his robes from the inflicted wound by Naraku. The others could only watch in horror as Naraku then ripped the tendril from Miroku's chest and let him fall limply to the ground.
“No!” shrieked Sango, jumping off Kirara and bounding towards the monk.
“Miroku, it's going to be okay. I promise, we… we'll take you to Kaede's village and…” Sango choked out as salty tears began coursing down her face and she looked down at the clearly fatal, gaping wound in his chest.
Miroku knew what was going through her mind. He was going to die. They both knew it. Before the last chance faded he had to tell her. He had to tell her he loved her. She was his world, his moon, stars and sun, she was his everything. There was too much to say in a matter of seconds and with the wound draining his blood as well as every ounce of strength in his body. He had to tell her before it was too late.
Miroku covered his heart with his right hand and lifted his finger to her lips to quell her babbling. They looked at each other for a moment and he said with much difficulty, “I love… you… so much…” and the light that once shone with such a brilliant light in his eyes faded as his soul was released.
“Miroku,” sobbed Sango as she laid her head on his chest, not caring if his blood covered her face, “I love you, too.”
A minute of reflection on what they had been through together went through her clouded mind. All the time they spent together, all the things she never told him, all the things she wished she had done… all gone. She could never do that. Any of it. She would never see him again and it was Naraku's fault.
Naraku!
With new determination she stood and prepared herself for another round.
“Sango…” came a familiar voice from behind. She turned to find Kohaku with his weapon pointed strait for her beating heart.
“Koha…” she began as the hard bone plunged into her and ripped away again, spewing flesh over the ground. She fell to her knees and looked into her brother's eyes, searching for some sort of emotion, only to be disappointed. Another flood of memories came to her in an instant of her childhood. The demon slayers' village, training for endless hours, Kohaku's laughter, tears, and finally, his blood. The betrayal of their trust. His blade plunged into her chest once more, and, as before, ripped out as she fell to the ground, never feeling so helpless.
As she looked into her brother's eyes standing over her, her vision went blurry and then everything was released, just black, empty space.
Shippo, who had been standing on the edge of the battlefield had witnessed this merciless onslaught was bent over in tears.
I have to get to Kagome and Inuyasha; they're the only ones left to protect me!
He looked around to make sure it was safe to cross without being noticed. Naraku was too busy concentrating on Inuyasha to worry about him. He started to run across the bloody battlefield when he heard Kagome shout, “Shippo, look out!” and everything went black.
Inuyasha watched in horror as the small kitsune was crushed. He didn't dare look at Kagome. She was crying; he could smell her tears. He couldn't be distracted from Naraku. He was so close to defeating him, he couldn't lose this time. This was the last time; someone was never going to come out of the battle alive.
He had already lost Miroku, Sango, and Shippo. There was no way in hell he was going to lose Kagome as well. A fire was lit in the pit of his stomach; he was overcome with rage, he was determined to kill the evil bastard before him.
Kagome watched as the little fox she had cared for like a mother was crushed beneath Naraku's large body as he fell.
The helpless feeling overwhelmed her; she couldn't do anything. There was no stopping her friends from dying.
“Kagome!” Inuyasha yelled as he fired the Wind Scar at Naraku. Kanna stepped out of the shadows that engulfed the fortress and reflected the attack right back at him.
Kagome was jilted back to reality and out of her daze when she realized that Inuyasha wanted her to shoot a Sacred Arrow while he used the Backlash Wave.
She knocked back an arrow with tears streaming down her face, “Please… Miroku… Sango… Shippo, lend me your strength.” As she let the arrow fly, the faces of her friends came to her and she fell to her knees. The combined attack of Inuyasha's Backlash Wave and Kagome's Sacred Arrow blew straight through the mirror in Kanna's hands, over Kohaku standing nearby and hit Naraku full force.
He gave a final roar and dissipated in the blast. Kagome struggled to get on her feet. When she succeeded, she glanced at Inuyasha to find him staring at the ground. Kagome made her way over and picked up the large piece of the jewel that was Naraku's, as well as Kohaku's shard, buried deep in his back. Inuyasha sheathed his Tetsusaiga and approached closer.
Kagome turned around into the brilliant light of dawn and towards Inuyasha unsure of what to do now.