Title: Our Destiny Awaits
Author: Hairann
Theme: Prison
Genre: Drama, Action
AU/CU: Canon
Rating: T
Warnings: Mentions violence and mass death.
Word Count: 2245
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.
Prompt Summary: The end is finally here and all players are in their places. Just a warning, the actual word for the prompt wasn't used, but I'm sure you can figure out how it fits in.

AN: Final part of Voluntary Obligation.

As Kagome paced the hut, wishing her eyesight was back up to par as she was convinced there was some way to escape that she just wasn't seeing, she fought the urge to kick herself for sending off both of her only allies that had been there. What she wouldn't give right now for either of them to be there to open the door from the outside. Or to even have Inuyasha and his usual brash, superhuman strength inside with her.

If he was, she knew he would be able to make quick work of the walls. She had to get out of there quickly as her time was running out and far too many lives were counting on her. Yet the quiet hut refused to yield to her silent pleas and demands. As she glanced around the small room, squinting with sore eyes that ached from overuse after being unused for so long, Kagome tried to figure out what Inuyasha might do to get out of there on his human night.

Not because this was the very day he would transform at dusk, but because, like her, he was without super human strength on his human night. It was at that moment that she realized her problem and actually chuckled at her own expense. Inuyasha wasn't the brother she should be trying to emulate. Knowing there was nothing of Sesshoumaru's she stood a chance of copying, Kagome threw that idea out the window and did what she did best in times of need; she screamed out his name.

Deciding to give it her all and throw out any misconceptions she might have about being modest out the window right along with her last thought, Kagome began to punch and kick the wall with all her strength as she screamed his name over and over again until her throat had begun to grow hoarse. Making sure not to hide any fear from her voice or aura, she continued her assault without fearing he wouldn't hear her for even a moment.

Her faith was awarded moments later as the wall beside her exploded and she found herself staring into the blood red eyes of a very pissed off demon lord. "Long story short: Ungai locked me in here so I couldn't warn anyone. Guess my acting wasn't as good as I thought it was," she began, speaking quickly even as she stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist to hold on. "Sorry Sesshoumaru, but we are out of time.

"Things begin at sunset," Kagome explained knowing they were already going to be cutting it close even with his demonic speed and not wanting to waste time waiting for permission to touch him. Hearing the urgency in her voice, Sesshoumaru wasted no time wrapping his own arm around her and taking off back toward the clearing.

Across Japan, from corner to corner a repetitive scene was unfolding for any who happened to be near enough to witness it. As this moment was guarded as secretly as it could be, the only people that were the to see this moment of history in the making were those that were part of it; the priests currently taking up their posts and the slayers placed there to guard them. While it had been Kagome;s idea to use them and Ungai knew her loyalty did not lie with him, he knew the slayers could be trusted.

They too wished for mankind to be safe from the horde at their door. Certain they were not compromised and knowing they might need their help if something was to go wrong; Ungai had decided it would be best to keep them around. As the moment of sunset moved ever closer to them, each priest and priestess raised their respective staves and bows into the air as they waited on baited breaths for the exact moment the sun had completed its journey.

That was their signal to begin and their anticipation was mounting by the minute. Deep in the forest, climbing to the top of a small mountain that marked the center of their circle around Japan, Ungai was the last to reach his destination. Glancing down at the forest below him sadly, he pushed the thought, that this was supposed to be Lady Kagome's spot, from his mind. She had made her choice, wrong as it might have been, and it was far too late for him to try and change it.

They could do it without her power and they would have to. Bringing his attention back to what was about to happen, Ungai nodded to the two slayers that were patiently waiting for themselves to be needed before climbing up the last few steps to the highest point around. From there he could see for miles in every direction, including the other priests as they too waited in silence. Glancing toward the horizon, Ungai watched as the sun began to set and raised his staff into the air in readiness.

Back in the clearing, many miles away, the demons were beginning to grow restless. Never before had so many different kinds, some allies and others foes, been grouped up in one place and forced to wait an unknown amount of time. Already small verbal fights were cropping up among the different factions and it would only get worse. Glancing in the direction they would be coming from, Inuyasha silently prayed for Kagome and his brother to return soon.

But as the first hint of holy power began to charge the air around them, lightly tingling across their skin, he began to fear they would be too late. For the first time in his long life, Inuyasha thanked his father, the Kami and fate for making him a half-demon. What once had thought to be his greatest weakness had now guarantied his survival as the sun dipped before the horizon and he felt the transformation begin.

Around him, the others were far too concerned about their own fates to even notice the difference. "Please hurry," Inuyasha softly pleaded, his words mentally repeated by those that heard him. All at once and coming from every direction, the demons in the clearing felt the power spike at the same moment that a bright pink light appeared where the power originated. Those of the canine families began to howl at the incoming assault, causing Inuyasha to shiver at the sound.

There was something eerily haunting about a large group of demons, who knew their deaths were imminent, howling in whining and fear and anger at the same time. Just as they were about to run from, or toward depending on the individual demon, the assault, a blur of speed and power appeared on the horizon; followed closely by a wave of holy power. Before the demons could even understand what was happening, Sesshoumaru and Kagome had landed in the middle of them.

The instant her feet had touched the ground, she began to call out her powers and push them out away from her; building a barrier that increased in size the further it got away from her. Soon a large, bright pink sphere took up the entire clearing; its opening closing over a split second before the holy power struck. Even within the barrier, they could hear the screams coming from miles around as those that were not so lucky were reached by the power.

Roars of pain echoed in their ears hauntingly as the demonic blood was purified from those not protected by the lone priestess, and though those in the clearing could not see it, the holy power did far more than just cause them excruciating pain. As their demonic selves were purified, disfigured humans were left in their wake. Unable to understand or cope with the sudden changes, most of the demons including all of the lesser ones, were saved from further pain as they died almost instantly.

Those that had lived for hundreds of years were not meant to suffer the human conscious; to experience remorse for all of their past deeds at once. Even if the transformation had not killed them, they would no doubt be driven mad by what they had done. Humanity was not something a demon was ever meant to handle.

As Kagome held Sesshoumaru's gaze with her own, refusing to release it as though it was allowing her to draw strength from it, she could feel the slight trickle of blood sliding down over her lip from her nose. Fighting the desire to wipe it away, she continued to poor all of the power she possessed into the shield knowing far too many lives were in her lands to let her exhaustion win out. Silently she repeated over and over in her mind that it would just be a minute more; a few more seconds and she would be able to rest.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to her, she felt the assault against her barrier begin to wane. The chanting began to grow louder in her head the weaker the power got as she pushed herself to hold on. Once the power was gone completely, Kagome began to retract her shield; slowly revealing the demons she had saved as it got closer to her. Inch by inch she pulled it back in until only Sesshoumaru and herself remained and it was only then that she noticed the problem.

Holding his gaze with her own and trying to keep the worry out of her voice she informed him, "It's time for you to leave. You can just take a step back and the barrier will let you out. I will not be able to hold this too much longer and when the barrier falls it will implode; purifying anything still inside of it. I need you to take a step back, Sesshoumaru." Instead of moving, Sesshoumaru continued to hold her gaze in silence for a long moment as he thought about her words.

"Including you," Sesshoumaru decided after a moment as he turned his eyes to the drop of blood resting on her upper lip and reached up to wipe it away. Apparently as stubborn as he was, Kagome did not answer for a long moment as she felt the barrier coming closer to her still. Soon they wouldn't even have room to breath.

"You need to leave now, Sesshoumaru. You've run out of time," she insisted before remembering her earlier promise to herself and seeing that he wasn't moving. Deciding now was as good a time as any to give him a reason to want to leave her, Kagome began, "Since this will probably be my last chance to tell you, there is something I want you to know." Feeling her power beginning to wane, she called upon every last once of strength she possessed and pushed on.

"I want you to know that I love you. Not because of my obligation to you or some strange sense of connection to you. I assure you that my feelings are completely voluntary," she insisted and once again, he held his tongue. Only this time, he graced her with a brief, but genuine smile.

Outside of the shrinking barrier, the rest of the clearing's occupants began to wonder what was going on. Kagome and Sesshoumaru should have come out long before now that everyone was safe, but neither seemed inclined to do so. Confused eyes turned toward Inuyasha as if he had the answers and the temporary human could do little more than shrug his shoulders. Even if it wasn't his human night, Inuyasha doubted he would have any better idea of what was happening if a clearing full of demons didn't.

Before anyone could say anything, and no doubt insist he do something, the pink barrier began to expand again. This time it only went a few feet but was far and fast enough to send those that were standing too close flying in every direction. An instant later and those still standing could see an explosion within the barrier that soon covered the clearing in a cloud of smoke as the barrier finally collapsed.

The first one back on his feet, Inuyasha began calling out for Kagome as he made his way back to the center of the clearing; waving his hand around as he tried to clear the smoke. All around him, he could hear the others shouting for his best friend and his half-brother, but tuned them out as best as he could with his human ears. Certain he was now standing where the barrier had once been, Inuyasha twisted back and forth as he searched for any sign of either of them.

"Where are they?" he could hear Sango call out from somewhere behind him, but paid her no attention as he felt something under his feet. Worried he might have stepped on their fingers, Inuyasha stopped and waited for the last bit of smoke to clear. As it did, the object he had stepped on began to appear. "Is that the Shikon no Tama?" Sango asked, her voice heavy with the confusion they were all feeling.

"No," Inuyasha began as he reached down and picked up the small, pink jewel off of the ground. "This one's different," he insisted as he held it up for the others to see.

AN: Well we've officially reached the end of another story. I thank everyone who stopped by to read and hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. I do not know if I will get around to adding a bonus ending explaining what happens to the rest of the group, but if I do, I will simply add it to this story so you don't have to go searching for it. Kagome and Sesshoumaru's story, however, is done. This story started and ended with a barrier and the idea of them creating a new jewel is just too perfect to change, in my opinion.

For those wondering, I will be working on the sequel of the void now full time, sorry I'm behind on that one. And plan to pick back up Rewriting History as soon as I can get things down. Again hope you enjoy and to see you at my next story.