Disclaimer: you know the drill.
Oh, I'm so sorry! I guess that doesn't do much, does it? Huh... Oh well, life moves on. C'est la vie!
Oh, and, by the way... yeah, blood does ooze from you ears when you're dead... heh... forgot that. But, anyway, Sesshomaru's a demon, so that rule doesn't really effect him, does it now?
And Voila place flourish thingy here The next chapter of...
Forever
Chapter 19: Forever
Sesshomaru gulped in air, his eyes snapping open to gaze at the nothingness he saw. Ragged breaths echoed in the hollow chamber that filled his mind. He heard voices.
"Sesshomaru?"
"What happened?"
"Tell us, Sesshomaru!"
"Come on, you're a demon! You can handle this!"
"What about Rin?"
Rin. The little girl. Rin, the child. Shit. Deep shit. Sesshomaru groaned, felt his throat constrict as a cough bust from his lips. He tasted blood.
Someone wiped his lips. Sesshomaru felt soft fabric brush them. He groaned again as another wave of pain hit him. He shut his eyes, opened them again. He couldn't see. Nothing. Only light. Bright light and mottled circles. Voices. So many voices...
He clenched his fists, and relaxed them, letting his muscles stretch one by one.
Sight returned. In time, the mottled figures became faces – the girl and the boy. The hag nurse. They helped him sit up, and he moaned at the pain of bending his spine. He could barely move his neck, but what he saw horrified him.
The darts were gone. He was covered in nasty gashes, some still open. Scratches and bloody wounds covered him, and the dart targets like millions of mosquito bites. The hag pushed something into his hands.
"Drink."
She helped him raise the cup to his mouth, and he opened his lips with agony. The liquid poured down his throat, Sesshomaru constricting it in pain. Setting down the cup, the hag smiled at him.
"You'll be fine."
Sesshomaru curled the ends of his lips into what he hoped was a smile.
Naraku, Inuyasha and KagomeKagome watched in terror as the life drained from Inuyasha, his well-built form becoming frail, his expression gaunt.
Naraku only looked on and smiled.
She had to do something. Had to stop this. But face reality –what could she do? Send an arrow at the demon? What good would that do, even if she had them handy? She was just a jewel hunter, nothing more. Just a useless jewel hunter.
But she couldn't just sit there at let Inuyasha die. Not this time. If she didn't have a reason to live with him dead, why not make the best try to save him?
She stood, raising her head to stare at Naraku. He didn't move his head. His violet eyes turned to stare at her, piercing needles through her skin.
She took a step. His gaze grew stronger. Another. The needles met bone. Another. Naraku widened his eyes, more darts piercing her through.
She closed her eyes, gulped down blood. Opening them, Kagome clenched her hands. Two steps and still the needles pierced, stronger and larger in number with every step.
She was beside the demon now. He chuckled and snapped his right hand. Kagome hit glass. Damn that bastard...
The needles stopped. Kagome stood straight, taking strength in herself. Her eyes flickered to Inuyasha, and back to Naraku. She muttered something, her words barely escaping her lips in a hiss of air.
Naraku turned to her fully, amusement playing in his gaze.
"Pardon?"
Kagome growled.
"Die."
The demon only laughed and extended his hands.
"Go right ahead. I'll give you a free hit."
The glass wall vanished. Kagome screamed and jumped on him, hitting him and kicking and biting... nothing worked. Naraku only stood there and laughed.
She was angry. Very angry.
She grabbed the first thing in her pocked – a sharp pencil. It didn't matter anymore. She stabbed it into Naraku's heart. Pain crossed his face.
"Wha-" came the confused murmur. Then his face straightened. "Damn Onigumo..."
Ah... Kagome grinned. Onigumo. Of course! She could kill Naraku, so long as Onigumo's weak heart remained within him. She wrenched out the pencil and through it to the ground. Naraku stumbled back. Digging for her pocked knife, Kagome approached him. Opening the weapon, she grinned at the demon, and stabbed his heart.
She twisted it, watching his pain.
"This..." she said through gritted teeth, "Is for me."
"This is for Sango and Miroku," she twisted it again.
"And this..." she wrenched it into his heart, and Naraku screamed in pain. "This is for Inuyasha!"
The mighty demon writhed at her feet.
SesshomaruHe raised his head at the bright sunshine, streaming into the hut and colouring the room. His eyes flickered past the pots and hay, and he gazed at the ashes of the fire.
The cloth in the doorway lifted, and the hag stepped in. The boy and girl followed her. Their expressions were anxious.
"What happened, child?" the hag asked.
Sesshomaru nodded.
"Naraku's puppets – they're still alive. Naraku's still alive."
Miroku shook his head and smiled weakly.
"He's not." He pulled off his glove, let Sesshomaru see the remnant of his wind tunnel – pink flesh, closing up the scar.
"Then, he was. It doesn't matter anymore, then, does it?"
Miroku only sighed.
"It's over."
Sango smiled.
"Yes, I guess it is."
KagomeInuyasha was almost dead when the last remnants of life flickered from Naraku's staring eyes. His magic broke, and the hanyou fell into her arms.
She sat there, stroking his head in her lap, smiling and choking back the tears that dared to spill. In time, he cracked open an eye and gazed up to her.
"Kagome..." he breathed.
She kissed his forehead, stroked his head.
"Shh... rest... Naraku is dead... It's over..."
NarakuIn the Feudal era, amid the heart of Inuyasha's forest, Naraku watched the last embers of his fire fade away with the wind.
He breathed, and sparks rose to create a new fire once again. He still had this chance.
He still had forever.
The EndI dunno if I should do an Epilogue... your choice. Sorry if I disappointed anyone, but this is how I am. Disappointing.