Author's note- Ever wonder what my ideal ending for the series is? Probably not, but you get to find out anyway. This is kind of unpopular angle, but it is one that has always appealed to me. I understand that some people don't like it, and that's okay. But here it is, what I want to happen in the end.
This is an extended version of a drabble done for iyfic challenge's rain theme and was also used as my second piece for thirty kisses. (I would upload it to my "Ai no Kakera" thirty kisses collection, but I thought it could stand on its own.)
One cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.- Arakawa Hiromu for "Fullmetal Alchemist."
Equivalence
A One-Shot by Kelly O'Connor
It rained. Blood splattered dirt turned into mud and the telltale signs of an epic battle began to wash away.
Never could one imagine a more bizarre place for a boy and a girl to be sharing precious moments.
"It's yours to do with it what you wish InuYasha…" her smile was a spot of sunlight in the dreary rain drenched surroundings as she offered him the coveted tama.
Inside the jewel, the great Miko Midoriko's soul continues to battle a foe perhaps greater even than the now conquered Naraku.
It's not a matter of what I wish, is it?
In order to vanquish the evil within the legendary jewel, that desire must be pure and selfless.
And yet, without a second thought she entrusts it to me.
To gain what one desires, they must sacrifice something of value.
It's not about what I want, but what do I want now anyway? I have… Kagome.
But when one holds everything they could ever aspire for in the form of love nestled in the boughs of their heart, perhaps it is possible to wish selfless.
Perhaps an exchange? Could a person forfeit something to Midoriko that is equal to what she must annihilate?
Half youkai… half human. Just like the shikon no tama.
Midoriko must be the victor. She must the kill the youkai to release her tormented soul.
Kill a youkai? In… me.
Sacrifice. He'd come within a moment of doing it once before, but selfish is far different from selfless.
A crash of thunder resounded across the sky as he clutched the jewel to his chest, his eyes closed and a peaceful smile flickered across his features.
This time it's selfless Midoriko… this time I want you to be free.
InuYasha felt warmth overflow within him as the power of the Shikon no Tama manifested itself in the form of a pink eruption of light surrounding him.
Silver to black, gold to violet- A relinquishment to preserve tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.
The first thing he noticed was that the rain still felt the same, and that the only immediate difference occurred in the fact that the thunder was no longer as loud in his ears.
The second thing he noticed was the sloshing of penny-loafer clad feet and her voice choking out a question.
"InuYasha, why?" She placed her damp hand upon his cheek.
The boy's eyes widened, realizing something he hadn't considered before. "Does it bug you?" There was immense trepidation in his voice. The thought of Kagome thinking any less of him…
"No!" She quickly reassured. "But… why?"
"You gave me the jewel, and I wasn't sure what to do with it," he began. "There was nothing left I wanted with it."
"InuYasha…"
"But, I couldn't just let it be," he continued, violet eyes pensive. "There was more at stake here than us having to guard it if I didn't purify it Kagome…"
Gasping as comprehension dawned on her, the Miko lowered her gaze to the drizzle covered ground. "Midoriko-sama…"
"I gave her my youkai half to defeat, Kagome," he brushed a strand of rain-soaked sable hair out of his face.
"I see…"
"And because of that," one side of his mouth turned up in a reluctant smile, "she's free… finally free."
Kagome felt the remnants of a smile begin to creep across her lips as well. "Then I'm glad, but I'm sorry you had to sacrifice…"
"And we're free now too Kagome," InuYasha interrupted.
"Eh?" No more burdens, no more protecting the jewel, InuYasha and I can… live as we want together. "I guess you're right."
"Keh," he smirked, "Of course I am."
Kagome laughed, peals of happiness that echoed, blending in with the now strangely relaxing thunder.
Sometimes sacrifice is the only way to gain true happiness. But although change can be an awkward thing, the joy that results from it is far worth the price.
And as their eyes met, violet to blue-gray, InuYasha and Kagome mutually embraced each other's rainfall-drenched forms.
The rain pours down, spiraling through rivulets on a battlefield now caked in mud. In the midst of each other, they did not notice that the purified jewel had slipped out of their grasp. They assumed it had just disappeared, like the rest of what plagued them.
Rain is new life and new beginnings. It is the means to an end and the start to a future.
And what had become just an common pink stone was washed away by the rain, as what seemed to be nothing more than two ordinary human children walked away possessing their own ultimate desires, the unbreakable bond that no jewel could shatter even if it had been asked.
-End-