InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wait for Me ❯ The Aftermath ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: Konichiwa minna-san! This is my first story on Fanfiction.net, but don't go easy on me. If you hate it…tell me! WARNING!! This chapter is EXTREAMLY SAPPY!! Even for my standards. I'm begging you to bear with me until the next chapter when the actual story begins.

 

Disclaimer: Plain and simple, I do not own InuYasha and or any character that is associated with said show. The rights are in the hands of Ramiko Takahashi-sama.

 

 

 

 

Wait For Me

Chapter one

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

 

“MIROKU!!” Sango screamed as Naraku once again threw the monk halfway across the battle field. This time, though, he didn't get up. Bloody, battered, and wincing in pain, Sango began half limping, half crawling towards the hentai she had grown so close to.

 

It seemed as though they had been fighting forever. Naraku had finally shown himself and went on a full offensive attack. Everyone was in what was probably the worst shape of their lives, except for Kagome. She had taken a couple of nasty attacks head on, but after that InuYasha wouldn't leave her side. He had not only been fighting the hardest of all of them and taking his own blows, but also any blow directed at Kagome. Because of this, he was by far in the absolute worst shape of them all.

 

InuYasha attacked with Tetsuiga, but barely did any damage before he was pushed back once again. Panting hard, he shakily got to his feet to stand in front of Kagome. Quickly, Kagome ran to his side to help support his weight.

 

“Kagome…one…last…attack. Together.” InuYasha never took his eyes off Naraku. `I can't let her see me like this. I can't let her remember me like this.

I'm more than half dead already. I doubt I can survive this and I don't want her to remember me at my weakest. I-I don't want to die, but…as long as Kagome is safe, then…I can die without regret. As long as she's safe, nothing else matters.'

 

Kagome looked up at the hanyou and inwardly gasped at the pure determination on his face. She stared and she knew. Someone would die in this fight. She prayed with all her heart that that person would not be InuYasha. “OK, I'm ready.” She said with all the confidence she could muster readying her bow.

 

InuYasha smirked, `That's my Kagome. If anyone can get though this, you can.' “Right.” And he was off. This would work. He could practically feel her miko aura bristling behind him. She knew this was it. She knew what was on the line. And she was going to put every bit of her concentration and miko power into that one arrow. He smiled to himself out of pride. She was doing this for him. She was doing it for everyone, but most of all him.

 

“KAZE NO…KIZU!!” He roared, and with every last ounce of strength and power he had left, he released the most powerful wind scar any of them had ever seen. And it was only made stronger when Kagome's sacred arrow was added to the already deadly attack.

 

Kagome saw him smirk. InuYasha had faith in her. This only made her power grow. If InuYasha believed in her then there was no reason to doubt herself even the slightest bit. IunYasha had begun to charge Naraku, who still had that manically evil and cold smile on his face. Kagome drew back her bow; thinking of all the evil bastard had done, and with each thought her power grew again.

 

She thought of Koga, whose entire pack had been annihilated and now lay possibly dead behind her. She thought of Sango, who was now alone. He had sleighn her village and family. She thought of Kohakku, who had been forced to kill his own family and friends, and was disposed of without a second's remorse simply to complete the Shikon no Tama. She thought of Miroku, whose family had been cursed and caused so much pain for so long. She thought of Kikyou who had been tricked into despising the one person she held the strongest feelings for and wasn't even released of the trick after her immediate death. And of how Kaede lost her only remaining family because of this. Most of all, though, she thought of InuYasha. The trials and torments that had been dealt to him and the pain that he had suffered. Naraku hadn't only given him physical wounds, no, he had wounded the inu hanyou's very heart and soul. She had been able to heal him somewhat she knew, but she still saw the pain in his eyes from time to time.

 

Her anger and power both flared at that thought. The bastard Naraku had brought a suffocating amount of pain to her hanyou, her InuYasha. No one was allowed to do that. He would die, right here, right now. No more fooling around.

 

She heard InuYasha roar his attack as she saw the blinding light of, she was sure, the most powerful wind scar the world had ever seen. But she didn't blink, her concentration never wavered. As the light hurtled towards its target she knew this was what they had all been waiting for. “Good-bye Naraku.” She murmured bitterly as she let her arrow fly.

 

Everyone watched in awe as the massive amount of pink miko energy combined with the equally huge wind scare with an explosion of sound and light as the new unfathomable amount of energy engulfed the stunned Naraku. The last anyone saw of him was his wide, truly scared, eyes disappear into nothingness.

 

There was a second's pause of absolute nothing before a defining crack and explosion to rival the apocalypse. Dust, earth, and debris were blown away from the spot of impact while the aftershock threw the two responsible for the attack back several meters. Sango, who now held a battered Shippo in her arms and a half-conscious Miroku in her lap, shielded her charges from the blast.

 

After the dust had cleared, Sango could finally see the extent of the damage. There was nothing left of Naraku except a very defiled Shikon jewel. A very drained Kagome was crawling towards the jewel as fast as her body would let her, which wasn't that fast at all. Wincing, she lifted her hand and plucked the instantly purified, complete sacred jewel from the wreckage. The taijiya watched as her miko friend then turned towards InuYasha, who still lay on the ground where he had been thrown.

 

Kagome clenched the jewel in her hand, and at the same agonizing pace she had gone to reach the cause of their sorrows, she began towards her beloved hanyou.

 

When she reached his side he was breathing, but it was slow and shallow. His clothing was torn and bloody from the many scrapes, scratches, and gashes on his body. His hair was tangled and his eyes were closed as if in sleep. Kagome slowly sat down beside him and moved his head so that it was cradled in her lap. His eyes fluttered open to gaze at a smiling, though obviously in pain, Kagome.

 

“How are you doing?” she asked, stroking his cheek with a gentle, though slightly trembling hand.

 

He looked into her eyes and saw nothing there but love and hope for the future. Gods he didn't want to do this. He didn't want to be the one to break her heart and make her cry. He took as deep a breath as he could. From the pain he could tell one of his lungs was punctured. Gods help him. `Let me live long enough to tell her what I need to.'

 

“I won't lie to you Kagome,” with a great effort he lifted his hand and gently caressed her own cheek, “not any more.” He saw a slight questioning look in her eyes before she closed them and leaned into his touch. “This is one fight I'm not going to come out of.”

 

“Don't.” He heard a distinct waver in her lovely voice. “Don't say things like that. Naraku is dead, and we have the sacred jewel. Our journey is done and we don't have to worry any more. InuYasha, it's finally over.”

 

Her eyes were open now, gazing into the amber pools she loved so much. She was fighting desperately to hold back her tears. She knew. She didn't want to believe it but, she knew what he was trying to tell her and she didn't think she could handle it.

 

“Our journey isn't the only thing that's ending, Kagome. I- “

 

“Yamete!” She cut him off shouting frantically. Tears were in her eyes now and her voice was beginning to crack. “Onegai,” She said a bit quieter, “yamete.” Nothing could stop the tears from spilling over now, and her voice was quivering. She couldn't bear what he was about to tell her.

 

“Kagome, I need to say this. You need to hear me say it.” It was a strong voice but with that signature gentleness that was reserved for only her. With his hand still caressing her cheek he wiped away the tears that fell. She whimpered, but nodded, never her eyes off his face. Gods she loved him so much. “I'm dying, Kagome. I can feel it.” His voice was low, as if she were the only other person on Earth at that moment. “I won't be carrying you home this time.” A small, feeble smile came to his lips. “I won't be around to yell at you, bug you, or tease you anymore.”

 

Kagome's grip tightened as she shouted, “No, please! I like it when you tease me! Your constant pestering makes me smile when you're not looking! And I know you just yell to protect me and because you're worried! I want you to be there! I don't want you to stop!”

 

InuYasha gave a labored chuckle. “I know you want me to be there, Kagome. But this is one thing I can't stop even if you wanted me to.”

 

Through tear blurred vision Kagome saw his eyes loose focus for a moment, and then come back. “No, InuYasha! You can't leave me!” She cried, “You can't leave me alone like this! You were my first! My first kiss, my first love! I love you InuYasha!”

 

“Shhhh…I know, I know. Everything's…going to be ok. Trust me.” He crooned. His palm was to her cheek again, so his thumb could stroke it tenderly.

 

“How could you say something like that? You're dying, the one person I care most for is dieing. How can everything be ok?” She said, no longer yelling. Her hand had never broken contact with his skin. She would stroke his cheek, then wipe the sweat from his forehead, fondle his bangs, then go back to his cheek.

 

“Listen. I need you to wait for me. I'll find my way back to you. I promise. I'll find my way back…and we can start right where we left off. Trust me.” His voice was getting weaker. He could tell he didn't have much time left.

 

Kagome was now slightly comforted though still in the pits of dismay. With this new hope came confusion, too, though. “How? If you're reincarnated you won't remember anything. You won't be…you, anymore.”

 

InuYasha smiled at her. She was still crying, but not as hard. He had given her hope. Their eyes locked with all the love in the world. “Just seeing you will be enough to remember, Kagome.”

 

“What if it's not?” She said almost in a whisper.

 

“Then take tetsuaiga with you. The way it prevents me from becoming full demon is by reminding of who I am. It seals my memories in place, if anything can get me to remember, it can.” For the first time he removed both his hand and his eyes from her gentle features. He reached down to his side and tried to detach the legendary katana from its place. Kagome, too, removed her hand from its post to help remove the sword. She took hold of it and placed it behind her. “Take my haori, too.” A quizzical look came to Kagome's face. “For reassurance.” He clarified. “I don't know how long it might take me to get back to you. I never want you to loose hope—“ InuYasha went into a fit of hacking coughs before he could finish. He could feel the blood rise to the back of his mouth, then begin to trickle down into his working lung, suffocating him.

 

Kagome's eyes widened and she could feel fresh tears well up in them as she watched him, helpless. His coughing died down and in a strained voice he spoke. “Take my haori off.” She did as she was told, gently maneuvering it off him and placing it with the sword behind her. “It will protect you when I can't.” Kagome nodded.

 

She didn't trust her own voice. InuYasha's eyes flickered out of focus several more times. He could feel himself slipping. “Kagome…onegai shimasu…smile for me. You know I can't stand it when you cry.” His hand once more went to her cheek to wipe away stray tears. She couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face, but she did her best to smile anyway. He smiled back. “I…I love you Kagome. Never forget that.” And with that he brought his hand down, his eyes loosing focus once more. His eyelids fluttered before finally closing. Tensed muscles relaxed completely. He was dead.

 

Kagome couldn't hold back the tears any longer. “InuYasha! InuYasha no!” Water streamed down her face and dripped on to the hanyou's. With eyes blurred she tried to move, but was hit with an overwhelming amount of pain. She hadn't realized how bad her wounds were or how much blood she'd lost. The emotional strain and exhaustion didn't really help either. “I love you too, my InuYasha.” She whispered before she gave herself to the sanctuary of the dark world of unconsciousness.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Sango, Shippou, and the half conscious Miroku watched as their two friends said their good-byes. They all knew there was no way even a full youkai could have survived those injuries. At the first signs of his surrogate mother's distress, Shippou tried to run to her aid. He was only stopped by Sango's firm hand. She told him that first of all, he was in no condition to run anywhere, and second, they needed to do this alone. No matter how hard it was to watch. So Shippou merely clung to Sango's shoulder and did his crying there.

 

As Songo comforted Shippou, Miroku watched as both the tetsuaiga and InuYasha's haori were surrendered to Kagome. Forget-me-not presents, he supposed. They were stationed a fair distance away from the couple so their conversation was inaudible save for a few uprisings from Kagome.

 

All three snapped to attention when their friend cried out in obvious pain and distress. That's when they knew. The greatest worrier and best friend any of them had ever had, was gone forever. None of them could stop the tears at the realization that InuYasha was dead. They barely noticed when Kagome collapsed on top of her dead love.

 

After many hours of rest, the trio could move enough to tend to their wounds and pry the lifeless hanyou from the unconscious girl's grasp. They were more than a day's journey from Kaede's village at a normal pace. Now they were battered, in pain, and had two extra people to carry.

 

It took them nearly five days, but they all got back to the village. They were extremely worried when Kagome didn't wake up. She was still breathing, but it was labored. Kaede told them the best thing they could do was send her back to her era through the well. She was worried that Kagome might die without advanced medical attention. It was dangerous for her to use all of her miko powers at once. The power of the jewel would ensure she stay alive until she got help as long as it stayed with her.

 

They were sad to see Kagome leave without knowing if she would be back, but did what was needed. They returned their friend to her own time along with her belongings, a note explaining what happened, and the completed Shikon jewel around her neck. They said their good-byes and prayed that her family would find her soon.

 

A proper burial was done for InuYasha at the foot of the Goshinboku. There simply was no other fitting place. His enchanted rosary was left around his neck so he would always be connected to his love.

 

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A/N: First chapter down! YAY! Thank Kami that's over. It was almost sickening typing that, but hay, what can I say, my sappiness levels were much higher when I wrote this and I'm not changin' it. Second chapter is no where near as sappy, so stay tuned if you want to see what my actual storyline is!! Ja ne!