InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Wind of Purifying Light ( Chapter 59 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.20.2006 | Updated On: 07.31.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 10.3K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.20.2006 | Updated On: 07.31.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 10.3K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
========================
Chapter 59 - Wind of Purifying Light
Kagome held the sword straight out at her side, swirls of energy visibly increasing in strength, as her hair blew more wildly, her eyes shown more fiercely… The sun peaked behind her, silhouetting her form, casting her in shadow, Daikomaru able to make out nothing of her features but the crimson pierce of her gaze.
Time froze. He could feel her youkai blood pulse within her in time with her blade. The swirls of kaze no kizu fluctuated, as waves of energy seemed to emerge from her very being, mixing with those around the sword, as the blade darkened, glowing purple, like her arrows. Then she swung.
“JOHREI NO KAZE!”
Daikomaru, blinded by the light that slowly started to burn away at his flesh, felt nothing but pain in his final moments of existence. He wasn’t even able to offer an audio proclamation of disdain, managing to think Curse you…within his mind, and nothing more.
In morbid fascination, Kagome looked on as the horrific sight before her unraveled. The scene was reminiscent of the “Vision” sequence in Terminator 2, as the bomb went off in close proximity to the busy playground.
Cries of agony could suddenly be heard, as Daikomaru’s flesh burned and pealed away, the entire purification, as a whole, taking no longer than twenty seconds, at most. The wave of energy that had accompanied the light disbanded the ash of his remains in the wind. A back draft effect washed over her then, as her purification encompassed the entire field.
Kagome dropped the sword suddenly, the legendary blade reverting back into its dormant state as it clanked innocently upon the ground. Falling to her knees, she attempted to steady her breathing, as her vision quickly started to blur. Clutching her belly in her last moments of consciousness, she collapsed.
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Coming to, Kagome slowly started to open her eyes, her senses being bombarded with familiar, comforting scents.
Focusing her vision, the first thing she recognized was that she was once again in “their” room, in Sesshoumaru’s castle. The next thing she recognized was the concerned gaze of her sister-in-law, as Kagura rushed to her side upon sensing her wakefulness.
“Kagome?” asked the wind-youkai in a concerned voice, “How are you feeling?”
“Like hell…” she mumbled, attempting to chuckle mildly. “What happened?”
“You gave us all quite a scare, you know…” Kagura soothed, wiping a stray hair from the miko’s face. “You used Tetsusaiga…and somehow…you totally purified…everything.”
“Ev…everythin g…?” Kagome asked in shock, and instant concern.
Kagura gently placed her hand upon Kagome’s cheek then, easing her face to turn to the side, until Kagome spotted Inuyasha, still unconscious, laying at her side. Though he was topless, his chest was clad in large bandages.
“Okay, not everything. You had a barrier around Inuyasha, and your baby is also just fine…” she assured her, placing her demonic hand upon Kagome’s swollen belly, relieved at the strong feel of youki she could detect in the infant.
“How…? Why…?” Kagome shook her head, not understanding what Kagura was telling her.
“What’s the last thing you remember, Kagome?”
“Fire.” she answered, and Kagura nodded her understanding.
Inuyasha had been found lying in a perfect circle of untouched ground, the earth outside the circle a darkened, charred black.
Playing the memories back in her head, Kagome attempted to regain the images she’d apparently lost, and managed to succeed, when she recalled seeing the fire ball Daikomaru had spat at them, feeling herself throw her body upon Inuyasha’s, erecting her barrier at the very last second. She remembered it all then, it had only taken her a moment to shake free her disorientation. She remembered Tetsusaiga calling to her, the feel of her mate’s aura embracing her own, as her youkai blood surged. She remembered emerging through the barrier, leaving it in place to protect Inuyasha. She remembered seeing the Wind Scar around Tetsusaiga thanks to her youkai sight, and she remembered channeling her miko energy to increase its strength, similar to what she and Inuyasha accomplish together when she fired her arrows into his Wind Scar, only much, much stronger.
“Tetsusaiga…” she mumbled suddenly, remembering how she’d dropped the sword. They would need to retrieve it.
“I’ve already retrieved his sword.” Kagura answered her, as if reading her mind.
“How…?” she asked again, remembering that no pure youkai could handle Tetsusaiga due to its barrier.
“Sesshoumaru didn’t like it, but I didn’t see what choice we had.” she explained. “I had Rin go with me to retrieve it.”
“You brought Rin into the battlefield?!” Kagome asked disbelievingly, thinking that the bloodshed she’d seen around her had been in no way a sight the innocent child should have been exposed to.
“What battlefield?” Kagura asked sarcastically. “I told you, you purified everything.”
“The bodies? The blood?” she asked.
“All gone.” Kagura nodded. “You really helped with the clean up.” she attempted to chuckle.
After everything was said and done, they hadn’t lost that many men. Many of their strongest warriors had been ordered by Sesshoumaru to escort her within the castle after that stunt she’d pulled with Tenseiga. Then, later, Inuyasha had ordered the rest of the survivors, of which there were many, to also retreat into the castle, and they obeyed, him being their ruler. After that, it was Kagome herself who had gotten Sesshoumaru out of harm’s way, when Kagura found Kirara suddenly landing within the castle gardens, her semiconscious mate clinging to the feline’s back. When Kagome released that devastating blast of purification, she and Inuyasha had been the only ones alive on the field, besides their enemy, and Inuyasha was safely within Kagome’s barrier, remaining untouched by her attack.
A moan coming from said hanyou’s lips pulled both Kagura as well as Kagome from their thoughts, as the weakened miko attempted to raise herself up on her side enough to gaze across the futon at her husband, while Kagura walked around to the other side of the mattress, to check the status of his fever.
“He’s been moaning like that all day.” she explained softly, replacing the warm dry cloth on his forehead with a fresh, cool and damp one.
“How bad is he?” Kagome asked, afraid of the answer.
“He’ll live.” Kagura responded softly, “Although…” She couldn’t stop the pain that laced her voice at her thoughts of the poor boy beside her. “It’s gonna be hell for him during the new moon.”
Kagome cringed. The new moon was only four nights away.
“How bad is he?” she asked again, and Kagura could tell from the tone of her voice that this time, she expected a direct answer.
“He has small fractures in both arms and legs, four broken ribs, one hundred fifty two gashes over both an inch in length and depth, not to mention the one, huge slash across his chest, that’s nearly four inches deep, and judging by his breathing, it sounds like only one lung is working.”
Kagome nodded, slowly taking it all in. The hairline fractures would all heal rather quickly, though the broken ribs almost certainly wouldn’t finish knitting themselves by the time he lost his youki. She wasn’t as concerned about his numerous small cuts and scrapes as she was the huge gash he had across his chest, which she had already seen before they’d bandaged it up, and knew how bad it was. That could easily become infected. She was also mildly concerned about his collapsed lung, not knowing of any way to reflate it in that time period, and merely hoping that it, too, would somehow heal itself with his youkai strength. Glancing him over as she was, Kagome suddenly realized that his pants, while red, were not his fire-rat hakama. They appeared to be a stiff, raw silk, and were tied on rather loosely, as though someone was in quite a hurry.
“What…?” she asked again, and was shocked out of her mind at Kagura’s blush.
“Well, his fire-rat kimono is pretty much ruined, there’s not enough left to regenerate itself. Those were just to get him by until we commission him a new outfit.”
Despite her fatigue, Kagome managed to let out a long whistle, mildly amused by the increasing blush on the wind-youkai’s cheeks, as she questioned teasingly “You changed his clothes? I don’t think we should let him know that.” She feigned a chuckle to help mask her unease at his injuries.
“I agree.” Kagura replied while blushing even harder, then added “We don’t really have a healer or anything, since youkai don’t usually require serious treatments for their injuries. Something like this is always just taken care of by family, and while it would have ordinarily been Sesshoumaru…” She paused, and Kagome quickly sobered up, asking
“How is he?”
Kagura smiled, and said “As stubborn as ever.”
Kagome sighed, relieved.
“Is there anything you need?” Kagura asked her next, referring to either food or water. She had been out of it for hours, and it was well into the afternoon.
“No…but,” Kagome thought for a moment. “Can you do me a huge favor? It’s important.”
“Of course.” the Lady of the West assured her, approaching her side of the futon once more, and sitting gently upon it, by the miko’s legs. “What is it?”
“Inuyasha…” Kagome started, gulping as the morbid realizations crashed down upon her, her mild attempt at humor not having helped her distress in the slightest, “He’s going to need special care, when he’s mortal.” she whispered, yet emphasized.
“How can I help?”
“Can you send word for Miroku and Sango? They can bring healing herbs that will help prevent infection, and…” She tried, really she did, but suddenly, Kagome could hold her tears back no longer.
The next thing Kagome knew, she was pulled into a tender embrace, and she embraced Kagura back, as she felt the wind sorceress wrap her arms around her trembling form.
“Can you do me another favor?” she whispered after a moment.
Kagura remained silent, nodding against her charge, Kagome feeling her affirmative movements through their embrace.
“Where’s the remains of his old clothes?
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“I’m worried Miroku.” Sango whispered, though her soft tone did not go unheard by her demonic companions.
“Nonsense! I’m sure by now that Lord Sesshoumaru and Master Inuyasha have already been victorious against their foe. Lady Kagome had nothing to worry about in her haste.”
Narrowing his eyes, Miroku leaned forward, spotting the flea that currently stood upon Shippo’s head. The kitsune was not amused, and threw the tiny youkai to the ground.
“Is that why you remained behind? Because you had unfaltering confidence in their assured success?” Miroku asked with bitter undertones.
“Uh…well…”
“I thought so.”
Standing up, the ex-monk turned his back on the tiny youkai, who was currently sporting a rather large sweat drop upon his brow. “Don’t worry Sango,” Miroku attempted to assure his pregnant wife, “You know how powerful Inuyasha is, and while I know Kagome sensed that he was in danger, you also know how strong Kagome is. I’m sure they’ll both be all right.”
Myouga, having since vacated his spot on the floor where Shippo had thrown him in favor of leaping himself upon Miroku’s shoulder, was just getting ready to speak once more when said kitsune spoke up before he had the chance, asking Miroku “How long before we hear from them?”
“Well…” he attempted to answer the child, gazing at the low evening sun. He was unsure of how to let Shippo know that it could be days before they heard anything, but then suddenly, as his eyes remained focused west, a small apparition caught his attention.
“Not long at all.” he answered much more happily all of a sudden, and pointing with his staff, Miroku announced “Here comes Kirara now.”
“Kirara?!” Sango’s voice piped up, gazing into the westward sky herself, seeing the same thing that Miroku saw.
As they all stood by, prepared to greet their companions, they suddenly grew more nervous when they noticed that Kirara was not alone, as Kagura flew beside her on her feather, and Kirara bore no riders.
“It appears we are being summoned.” Miroku correctly deduced before Kagura even landed, though with her own inu blood increasing certain senses, such as hearing, she had caught the monk’s words.
So it was upon Kirara landing on the ground, that Kagura took a few steps forward, and instantly addressed with “You are correct, your presence in requested in the West, by Kagome.”
A collective sigh of relief could be heard, the silence to follow broken by Shippo who quietly asked “And…Inuyasha?”
“Recovering,” Kagura assured them, “But in need of human treatments for his injuries in preparation for the new moon.”
“Of course!” Sango chimed up then, quickly ducking back inside their hut.
Informing Kohaku of the situation, and intrusting him with the charge of being the “man of the house” during their absence, Sango reemerged a few moments later, several containers of various healing herbs packed in a large satchel.
Mounting Kirara after his wife, Miroku was surprised to see Shippo start to head away from them, while hearing him announce that they should not hesitate, and that he would inform Kaede of their departure.
“You don’t want to come with us?” Miroku asked the youkai child, genuinely surprised. He’d thought that Shippo would have been the first to insist upon seeing Kagome, once he learned that the battle was over.
Shaking his head, the little kitsune surprised them all with his sudden maturity. “I’m just glad to know that Kagome’s all right,” he started, then patting the side of his vest, the inner pocket of which contained something very important, he added “She entrusted me while she was gone, and I have to stay with Kaede. I won’t disappoint Okaa-san.”
Smiling warmly at him, Kagura assured him that she would send Kagome his love, as the airborne group swiftly headed off towards the West.
During the flight, Kagura filled her human companions in on the details, as she knew them, of what had transpired during the final moments of battle. She said that while she didn’t know how, Kagome had managed to use Tetsusaiga to channel her powers. Twin sets of drop-jaws met her then, and she chuckled. Kagome was truly amazing.
Flying over the barren wasteland that had once been lush and green, Miroku could feel the incredible purity of the area. All sinister energies had been completely eliminated, and though the land looked desolate now, it was as any landscape would appear after a fire, ready to begin life anew.
When the castle finally came into view, Sango could not suppress her gasp. It was huge, the stone barrier around it even larger. Within its walls, the vibrant gardens remained unaffected by the devastation that had occurred just beyond their borders.
Swiftly following Kagura through the castle doors, both Sango and Miroku were humbled and confused by the bows they received from the few youkai that passed them along the corridors.
“They know you’re Inuyasha’s pack, and that you’re here to help him.” the wind witch stated simply, as she lead them to their friends’ chamber door. “I’ll leave you four alone for now. Kagome is awake, and expecting you.”
Nodding their understanding, they opened the door and stepped through. For the briefest of moments, they were taken aback by the sheer lushness of the chamber, which matched equally with that of the entire castle, in its grandeur. That amazement was short lived, though, as soon as they spotted their injured friend sleeping upon the huge futon, Kagome kneeling by his side.
Without turning her head, Kagome spoke softly, stating “I think he’s finally just sleeping.” while brushing a stray hair from his face.
“We brought herbs.” Sango responded softly as well, kneeling beside her friend, “Kagura said we would need to be sure to prevent infection during the new moon.”
Kagome nodded, thankful that Kagura had already prepared her friends during their flight as to the nature, and severity, of his injuries.
“How large is the wound?” Miroku asked next, considering it was currently concealed beneath his bandages.
Kagome illustrated by standing up to face them both, as she proceeded to touch her right index finger to her left shoulder, trailing it down in a diagonal line across her chest, stopping at the bottom of her ribcage on her right side.
“About four inches deep.” she voiced aloud, cringing along with her friends as they both winced in sympathetic pain, “But hopefully it’ll heal fast enough that it won’t be that bad in three days.”
“Let us pray.” Miorku stated solemnly, as he waved his hands in a spiritual manner over his friend’s sleeping form. He knew, just like they did, that his body would work on healing the more serious injuries first, a deep flesh wound not necessarily counting as “serious” from a youkai’s point of view.
First and foremost, his ribs had to be repaired. Next, his punctured lung. Kagome had at least been relieved when the gurgling she could hear in his breath told her that his bad lung hadn’t been collapsed after all. That would have been really bad. A punctured lung could heal much more easily, she was sure. His body seemed to know to shut it down, for the most part, as he was not coughing up blood. When Kagura had said she thought he was only using one lung, she was actually right. His natural instinct to survive probably knew that a coughing fit would aggravate his setting ribs, so it did the only natural thing there was to do, to prevent that happenstance. The youkai metabolism was certainly an amazing thing to behold.
Kagome hadn’t checked in on Sesshoumaru, never leaving her mate’s side all day, but when Rin, accompanied by Wenying, visited her earlier that evening, to deliver Tetsusaiga, Kagome had learned that Sesshoumaru was also healing quite nicely. He too had several broken bones…more so, due to his tremendous fall. But the fact that he had survived such a fall in the first place just went to show how strong of a being he was. He was recuperating quickly, according to the elder panda youkai, who said that to look at him, you’d think that the only thing he’d injured was his pride. She had also told Kagome that Sesshoumaru wished to speak with her, at a later time, of course. Kagome had nodded her agreement.
“Why don’t you guys get something to eat.” the miko whispered softly, kneeling beside Inuyasha once more. “It’s after serving time, but I’m sure the staff would retrieve something for you from the kitchen.”
“I suppose we would be of no use to you or Inuyasha, should we allow ourselves to weaken.” Miroku stated, realizing that he and Sango had skipped dinner.
Nodding, Kagome spoke softly once more. “They’ve prepared the chamber directly across the hall for you two, so we’ll be close, should Inuyasha change.”
“We’ll see you in the morning then…” Sango said, “Unless you should need us sooner.”
“I think we’re fine, but thank you. Thank you both.” she said, turning her face to greet them once more as they headed out. “Goodnight.” she all but whispered.
“Goodnight…” Sango and Miroku responded in unison.
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 59 - Wind of Purifying Light
Kagome held the sword straight out at her side, swirls of energy visibly increasing in strength, as her hair blew more wildly, her eyes shown more fiercely… The sun peaked behind her, silhouetting her form, casting her in shadow, Daikomaru able to make out nothing of her features but the crimson pierce of her gaze.
Time froze. He could feel her youkai blood pulse within her in time with her blade. The swirls of kaze no kizu fluctuated, as waves of energy seemed to emerge from her very being, mixing with those around the sword, as the blade darkened, glowing purple, like her arrows. Then she swung.
“JOHREI NO KAZE!”
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The blast of purification that poured forth from Tetsusaiga ripped through the air so forcefully, that it created a sonic boom in its wake.Daikomaru, blinded by the light that slowly started to burn away at his flesh, felt nothing but pain in his final moments of existence. He wasn’t even able to offer an audio proclamation of disdain, managing to think Curse you…within his mind, and nothing more.
In morbid fascination, Kagome looked on as the horrific sight before her unraveled. The scene was reminiscent of the “Vision” sequence in Terminator 2, as the bomb went off in close proximity to the busy playground.
Cries of agony could suddenly be heard, as Daikomaru’s flesh burned and pealed away, the entire purification, as a whole, taking no longer than twenty seconds, at most. The wave of energy that had accompanied the light disbanded the ash of his remains in the wind. A back draft effect washed over her then, as her purification encompassed the entire field.
Kagome dropped the sword suddenly, the legendary blade reverting back into its dormant state as it clanked innocently upon the ground. Falling to her knees, she attempted to steady her breathing, as her vision quickly started to blur. Clutching her belly in her last moments of consciousness, she collapsed.
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Coming to, Kagome slowly started to open her eyes, her senses being bombarded with familiar, comforting scents.
Focusing her vision, the first thing she recognized was that she was once again in “their” room, in Sesshoumaru’s castle. The next thing she recognized was the concerned gaze of her sister-in-law, as Kagura rushed to her side upon sensing her wakefulness.
“Kagome?” asked the wind-youkai in a concerned voice, “How are you feeling?”
“Like hell…” she mumbled, attempting to chuckle mildly. “What happened?”
“You gave us all quite a scare, you know…” Kagura soothed, wiping a stray hair from the miko’s face. “You used Tetsusaiga…and somehow…you totally purified…everything.”
“Ev…everythin g…?” Kagome asked in shock, and instant concern.
Kagura gently placed her hand upon Kagome’s cheek then, easing her face to turn to the side, until Kagome spotted Inuyasha, still unconscious, laying at her side. Though he was topless, his chest was clad in large bandages.
“Okay, not everything. You had a barrier around Inuyasha, and your baby is also just fine…” she assured her, placing her demonic hand upon Kagome’s swollen belly, relieved at the strong feel of youki she could detect in the infant.
“How…? Why…?” Kagome shook her head, not understanding what Kagura was telling her.
“What’s the last thing you remember, Kagome?”
“Fire.” she answered, and Kagura nodded her understanding.
Inuyasha had been found lying in a perfect circle of untouched ground, the earth outside the circle a darkened, charred black.
Playing the memories back in her head, Kagome attempted to regain the images she’d apparently lost, and managed to succeed, when she recalled seeing the fire ball Daikomaru had spat at them, feeling herself throw her body upon Inuyasha’s, erecting her barrier at the very last second. She remembered it all then, it had only taken her a moment to shake free her disorientation. She remembered Tetsusaiga calling to her, the feel of her mate’s aura embracing her own, as her youkai blood surged. She remembered emerging through the barrier, leaving it in place to protect Inuyasha. She remembered seeing the Wind Scar around Tetsusaiga thanks to her youkai sight, and she remembered channeling her miko energy to increase its strength, similar to what she and Inuyasha accomplish together when she fired her arrows into his Wind Scar, only much, much stronger.
“Tetsusaiga…” she mumbled suddenly, remembering how she’d dropped the sword. They would need to retrieve it.
“I’ve already retrieved his sword.” Kagura answered her, as if reading her mind.
“How…?” she asked again, remembering that no pure youkai could handle Tetsusaiga due to its barrier.
“Sesshoumaru didn’t like it, but I didn’t see what choice we had.” she explained. “I had Rin go with me to retrieve it.”
“You brought Rin into the battlefield?!” Kagome asked disbelievingly, thinking that the bloodshed she’d seen around her had been in no way a sight the innocent child should have been exposed to.
“What battlefield?” Kagura asked sarcastically. “I told you, you purified everything.”
“The bodies? The blood?” she asked.
“All gone.” Kagura nodded. “You really helped with the clean up.” she attempted to chuckle.
After everything was said and done, they hadn’t lost that many men. Many of their strongest warriors had been ordered by Sesshoumaru to escort her within the castle after that stunt she’d pulled with Tenseiga. Then, later, Inuyasha had ordered the rest of the survivors, of which there were many, to also retreat into the castle, and they obeyed, him being their ruler. After that, it was Kagome herself who had gotten Sesshoumaru out of harm’s way, when Kagura found Kirara suddenly landing within the castle gardens, her semiconscious mate clinging to the feline’s back. When Kagome released that devastating blast of purification, she and Inuyasha had been the only ones alive on the field, besides their enemy, and Inuyasha was safely within Kagome’s barrier, remaining untouched by her attack.
A moan coming from said hanyou’s lips pulled both Kagura as well as Kagome from their thoughts, as the weakened miko attempted to raise herself up on her side enough to gaze across the futon at her husband, while Kagura walked around to the other side of the mattress, to check the status of his fever.
“He’s been moaning like that all day.” she explained softly, replacing the warm dry cloth on his forehead with a fresh, cool and damp one.
“How bad is he?” Kagome asked, afraid of the answer.
“He’ll live.” Kagura responded softly, “Although…” She couldn’t stop the pain that laced her voice at her thoughts of the poor boy beside her. “It’s gonna be hell for him during the new moon.”
Kagome cringed. The new moon was only four nights away.
“How bad is he?” she asked again, and Kagura could tell from the tone of her voice that this time, she expected a direct answer.
“He has small fractures in both arms and legs, four broken ribs, one hundred fifty two gashes over both an inch in length and depth, not to mention the one, huge slash across his chest, that’s nearly four inches deep, and judging by his breathing, it sounds like only one lung is working.”
Kagome nodded, slowly taking it all in. The hairline fractures would all heal rather quickly, though the broken ribs almost certainly wouldn’t finish knitting themselves by the time he lost his youki. She wasn’t as concerned about his numerous small cuts and scrapes as she was the huge gash he had across his chest, which she had already seen before they’d bandaged it up, and knew how bad it was. That could easily become infected. She was also mildly concerned about his collapsed lung, not knowing of any way to reflate it in that time period, and merely hoping that it, too, would somehow heal itself with his youkai strength. Glancing him over as she was, Kagome suddenly realized that his pants, while red, were not his fire-rat hakama. They appeared to be a stiff, raw silk, and were tied on rather loosely, as though someone was in quite a hurry.
“What…?” she asked again, and was shocked out of her mind at Kagura’s blush.
“Well, his fire-rat kimono is pretty much ruined, there’s not enough left to regenerate itself. Those were just to get him by until we commission him a new outfit.”
Despite her fatigue, Kagome managed to let out a long whistle, mildly amused by the increasing blush on the wind-youkai’s cheeks, as she questioned teasingly “You changed his clothes? I don’t think we should let him know that.” She feigned a chuckle to help mask her unease at his injuries.
“I agree.” Kagura replied while blushing even harder, then added “We don’t really have a healer or anything, since youkai don’t usually require serious treatments for their injuries. Something like this is always just taken care of by family, and while it would have ordinarily been Sesshoumaru…” She paused, and Kagome quickly sobered up, asking
“How is he?”
Kagura smiled, and said “As stubborn as ever.”
Kagome sighed, relieved.
“Is there anything you need?” Kagura asked her next, referring to either food or water. She had been out of it for hours, and it was well into the afternoon.
“No…but,” Kagome thought for a moment. “Can you do me a huge favor? It’s important.”
“Of course.” the Lady of the West assured her, approaching her side of the futon once more, and sitting gently upon it, by the miko’s legs. “What is it?”
“Inuyasha…” Kagome started, gulping as the morbid realizations crashed down upon her, her mild attempt at humor not having helped her distress in the slightest, “He’s going to need special care, when he’s mortal.” she whispered, yet emphasized.
“How can I help?”
“Can you send word for Miroku and Sango? They can bring healing herbs that will help prevent infection, and…” She tried, really she did, but suddenly, Kagome could hold her tears back no longer.
The next thing Kagome knew, she was pulled into a tender embrace, and she embraced Kagura back, as she felt the wind sorceress wrap her arms around her trembling form.
“Can you do me another favor?” she whispered after a moment.
Kagura remained silent, nodding against her charge, Kagome feeling her affirmative movements through their embrace.
“Where’s the remains of his old clothes?
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“I’m worried Miroku.” Sango whispered, though her soft tone did not go unheard by her demonic companions.
“Nonsense! I’m sure by now that Lord Sesshoumaru and Master Inuyasha have already been victorious against their foe. Lady Kagome had nothing to worry about in her haste.”
Narrowing his eyes, Miroku leaned forward, spotting the flea that currently stood upon Shippo’s head. The kitsune was not amused, and threw the tiny youkai to the ground.
“Is that why you remained behind? Because you had unfaltering confidence in their assured success?” Miroku asked with bitter undertones.
“Uh…well…”
“I thought so.”
Standing up, the ex-monk turned his back on the tiny youkai, who was currently sporting a rather large sweat drop upon his brow. “Don’t worry Sango,” Miroku attempted to assure his pregnant wife, “You know how powerful Inuyasha is, and while I know Kagome sensed that he was in danger, you also know how strong Kagome is. I’m sure they’ll both be all right.”
Myouga, having since vacated his spot on the floor where Shippo had thrown him in favor of leaping himself upon Miroku’s shoulder, was just getting ready to speak once more when said kitsune spoke up before he had the chance, asking Miroku “How long before we hear from them?”
“Well…” he attempted to answer the child, gazing at the low evening sun. He was unsure of how to let Shippo know that it could be days before they heard anything, but then suddenly, as his eyes remained focused west, a small apparition caught his attention.
“Not long at all.” he answered much more happily all of a sudden, and pointing with his staff, Miroku announced “Here comes Kirara now.”
“Kirara?!” Sango’s voice piped up, gazing into the westward sky herself, seeing the same thing that Miroku saw.
As they all stood by, prepared to greet their companions, they suddenly grew more nervous when they noticed that Kirara was not alone, as Kagura flew beside her on her feather, and Kirara bore no riders.
“It appears we are being summoned.” Miroku correctly deduced before Kagura even landed, though with her own inu blood increasing certain senses, such as hearing, she had caught the monk’s words.
So it was upon Kirara landing on the ground, that Kagura took a few steps forward, and instantly addressed with “You are correct, your presence in requested in the West, by Kagome.”
A collective sigh of relief could be heard, the silence to follow broken by Shippo who quietly asked “And…Inuyasha?”
“Recovering,” Kagura assured them, “But in need of human treatments for his injuries in preparation for the new moon.”
“Of course!” Sango chimed up then, quickly ducking back inside their hut.
Informing Kohaku of the situation, and intrusting him with the charge of being the “man of the house” during their absence, Sango reemerged a few moments later, several containers of various healing herbs packed in a large satchel.
Mounting Kirara after his wife, Miroku was surprised to see Shippo start to head away from them, while hearing him announce that they should not hesitate, and that he would inform Kaede of their departure.
“You don’t want to come with us?” Miroku asked the youkai child, genuinely surprised. He’d thought that Shippo would have been the first to insist upon seeing Kagome, once he learned that the battle was over.
Shaking his head, the little kitsune surprised them all with his sudden maturity. “I’m just glad to know that Kagome’s all right,” he started, then patting the side of his vest, the inner pocket of which contained something very important, he added “She entrusted me while she was gone, and I have to stay with Kaede. I won’t disappoint Okaa-san.”
Smiling warmly at him, Kagura assured him that she would send Kagome his love, as the airborne group swiftly headed off towards the West.
During the flight, Kagura filled her human companions in on the details, as she knew them, of what had transpired during the final moments of battle. She said that while she didn’t know how, Kagome had managed to use Tetsusaiga to channel her powers. Twin sets of drop-jaws met her then, and she chuckled. Kagome was truly amazing.
Flying over the barren wasteland that had once been lush and green, Miroku could feel the incredible purity of the area. All sinister energies had been completely eliminated, and though the land looked desolate now, it was as any landscape would appear after a fire, ready to begin life anew.
When the castle finally came into view, Sango could not suppress her gasp. It was huge, the stone barrier around it even larger. Within its walls, the vibrant gardens remained unaffected by the devastation that had occurred just beyond their borders.
Swiftly following Kagura through the castle doors, both Sango and Miroku were humbled and confused by the bows they received from the few youkai that passed them along the corridors.
“They know you’re Inuyasha’s pack, and that you’re here to help him.” the wind witch stated simply, as she lead them to their friends’ chamber door. “I’ll leave you four alone for now. Kagome is awake, and expecting you.”
Nodding their understanding, they opened the door and stepped through. For the briefest of moments, they were taken aback by the sheer lushness of the chamber, which matched equally with that of the entire castle, in its grandeur. That amazement was short lived, though, as soon as they spotted their injured friend sleeping upon the huge futon, Kagome kneeling by his side.
Without turning her head, Kagome spoke softly, stating “I think he’s finally just sleeping.” while brushing a stray hair from his face.
“We brought herbs.” Sango responded softly as well, kneeling beside her friend, “Kagura said we would need to be sure to prevent infection during the new moon.”
Kagome nodded, thankful that Kagura had already prepared her friends during their flight as to the nature, and severity, of his injuries.
“How large is the wound?” Miroku asked next, considering it was currently concealed beneath his bandages.
Kagome illustrated by standing up to face them both, as she proceeded to touch her right index finger to her left shoulder, trailing it down in a diagonal line across her chest, stopping at the bottom of her ribcage on her right side.
“About four inches deep.” she voiced aloud, cringing along with her friends as they both winced in sympathetic pain, “But hopefully it’ll heal fast enough that it won’t be that bad in three days.”
“Let us pray.” Miorku stated solemnly, as he waved his hands in a spiritual manner over his friend’s sleeping form. He knew, just like they did, that his body would work on healing the more serious injuries first, a deep flesh wound not necessarily counting as “serious” from a youkai’s point of view.
First and foremost, his ribs had to be repaired. Next, his punctured lung. Kagome had at least been relieved when the gurgling she could hear in his breath told her that his bad lung hadn’t been collapsed after all. That would have been really bad. A punctured lung could heal much more easily, she was sure. His body seemed to know to shut it down, for the most part, as he was not coughing up blood. When Kagura had said she thought he was only using one lung, she was actually right. His natural instinct to survive probably knew that a coughing fit would aggravate his setting ribs, so it did the only natural thing there was to do, to prevent that happenstance. The youkai metabolism was certainly an amazing thing to behold.
Kagome hadn’t checked in on Sesshoumaru, never leaving her mate’s side all day, but when Rin, accompanied by Wenying, visited her earlier that evening, to deliver Tetsusaiga, Kagome had learned that Sesshoumaru was also healing quite nicely. He too had several broken bones…more so, due to his tremendous fall. But the fact that he had survived such a fall in the first place just went to show how strong of a being he was. He was recuperating quickly, according to the elder panda youkai, who said that to look at him, you’d think that the only thing he’d injured was his pride. She had also told Kagome that Sesshoumaru wished to speak with her, at a later time, of course. Kagome had nodded her agreement.
“Why don’t you guys get something to eat.” the miko whispered softly, kneeling beside Inuyasha once more. “It’s after serving time, but I’m sure the staff would retrieve something for you from the kitchen.”
“I suppose we would be of no use to you or Inuyasha, should we allow ourselves to weaken.” Miroku stated, realizing that he and Sango had skipped dinner.
Nodding, Kagome spoke softly once more. “They’ve prepared the chamber directly across the hall for you two, so we’ll be close, should Inuyasha change.”
“We’ll see you in the morning then…” Sango said, “Unless you should need us sooner.”
“I think we’re fine, but thank you. Thank you both.” she said, turning her face to greet them once more as they headed out. “Goodnight.” she all but whispered.
“Goodnight…” Sango and Miroku responded in unison.