The
sky was a rusty grey, as if innocent clouds had been bathed in blood. They reeled and rolled, pounding against one another,
rent into minuscule pieces and then recombining only to be destroyed again.
The
earth was black, soaked with blood, and the tender grasses were weighed down beneath the congealing matter, forced close to
the ground. It was inconceivable that all this blood had come from only one being . . . one being which was now shattered
and gruesomely spread across the once pure meadow. The flesh was torn apart by the claws of a vicious creature without the
aid of a weapon.
He
stood there in the middle, slightly hunched forward heaving the acrid air in through his open fanged mouth. Silver hair soaked
with blood stuck to his body in sticky, scab-like clots. His chest swelled and diminished quickly as he supplied air to his
blood-drenched body.
Wiry
muscles, slick with sweat and blood tensed sporadically as clawed hands clenched and flexed, aching for a living thing to
shred. Eyes, once golden amber and full of spirit were now scarlet and devoid of conscience as if the very soul behind them
had been devoured. These eyes were not the ones she knew, but still she could not turn away from him.
"Inuyasha
. . . " She whispered, praying to any deity that would listen that he would recognize her. "Inu – Inuyasha . . . "
His
face did not change and he no recognition registered on his face. All the days, as well as the nights were forgotten. All
their promises and sweet kisses had faded until all that was left were the snarls of his canine voice and the blood of the
fallen Naraku slowly dripping from his claws. His mouth was still open and he grinned wickedly, a soulless expression from
a mouth filled with animalistic teeth.
His
mouth was on her neck, his teeth gently tracing the lines of it. She could feel his kiss working against her jaw. Her hands
were tangled deeply in his hair and she clenched her fingers together as she threw her head back and moaned.
"Inuyasha,
please." She begged him, but still there was no humanity, no mercy in those eyes. He was slowly advancing on her with the
precise deadly intentions of a monster written on his face. "Inuyasha, sit." She commanded frantically.
The
purple beads flashed brilliantly and slammed him to the ground. He struggled against the spell and Kagome choked on a sob,
"Sit!" He was still for a moment, briefly stunned by the force of the enchantment. Her eyes rested on the purple stones shining
from beneath the filthy locks of hair.
"Let me take it off!" she whispered, her ivory hands lingering on the purple necklace.
"No." He refused, catching her hands between his.
"I
trust you!" She professed.
"Your trust means
everything to me." He murmured. "But I don't trust myself." He told her, turning her hands over and kissing her palms.
A white and black flaming form dropped out of the sky beside her, landing gently. The demon slayer
flashed anxious burgundy eyes at the prone form on the ground and then at Kagome before calling out to her frantically. "Kagome!
Hurry! The demon blood has taken over his mind. Tetsusaiga's broken! There's nothing we can do!" She reached her hand out
to Kagome, imploring her to flee.
"I could
never abandon him, even at the cost of my own life." Kagome answered, all the passion and strength from her short life violently
lived shining in her eyes. The power that was a born gift was humming through her, mingling with the devotion and eternal
bonds of the heart. "You understand me." She reminded the fierce woman.
Sango's eyes flashed to the unconscious monk slung across her legs and nodded her comprehension before
commanding the fiery cat to leave Kagome behind. No words were needed at this moment, for the hearts of the two women understood
one another without them.
Kagome's
attention shifted back to Inuyasha as he regained control of his limbs and launched himself at her with superhuman speed.
He struck her squarely in the chest, knocking her to the ground. The rocky ground tore through the back of her shirt biting
into the soft skin on her back and ripping the tender flesh. He was leaping above her now, claws poised in a killing strike.
"Sit!" She choked out as his body slammed to the ground on top of her. She groaned
as the air was forced out of her chest by his crashing weight.
His weight pressing down on her was both gentle and frightening. "Am I hurting you?" he murmured.
"You could never hurt me." She assured him, her fingers dug into his back, tracing the hard muscles as she
pulled herself closer, her mouth connecting with his in a slow, yet infinitely passionate kiss.
"Inuyasha! Please remember me!" She gasped, knowing that he was beyond comprehending her imploring
voice. She tried to draw air into her lungs, but such as vicious, knife-like pain filled her chest that she knew her ribs
must have been broken.
As the mobility returned to him yet again, she realized that there was no hope for
her and that death now stood above her, watching greedily, it's black scythe poised, aching to cut her young life short. Another
"sit" command would surely spell her death. It would be little more than a brief hindrance against Inuyasha's awakened demonic
power.
His claws, sharp as knives, sliced into her chest, and she choked from the agony. Though her pain-racked
mind told her to fight, to cry, to beg, she did none of these. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck, whispering, "I
love you . . ." in his ear as she began to glow. A flash of brilliant purplish pink light erupted from her body and enveloped
them both.
"I couldn't live without you, Kagome." He murmured stiffly, his breath warm against her throat.
"You won't ever have to." She promised, laying her hand across the back of his neck.
"If something ever happened to you – "He started, but stopped ash she pulled back and looked into
his eyes.
"No." She smiled, pressing bowstring callused fingers on his lips. "You would never let anything happen to
me."
"I love you." He told her, pulling her against him, all the passion ripped from deep within his soul shining
in his eyes.
The purple glow faded as quickly as it appeared, and the two inside it collapsed in a limp heap on
the blood-soaked earth.
Inuyasha shifted his weight slightly, and pain-filled golden eyes gazed in horror
at the broken girl beneath him. He pulled his hands free from her chest and she shuddered, struggling to breathe. "Kagome,
no – "he groaned.
Kagome smiled up into his amber eyes and raised a limp had to his cheek. "Inuyasha
. . . "she mouthed, nearly silent as the life faded from her eyes and her hand slipped to the ground.
He collapsed partially on top of her and shuddered, his face against her hair and his arm across her
in a morbid embrace. Slowly, haltingly, they exhaled and neither drew another breath in.
