InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Cataclysm ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

 

Endgame

 

“So, what brings you to my temple after so long, Kagome?” Genkai asked as the two sat down at a table.

“Well… I was wondering if my friends and I could possibly stay at your temple for a few days… There's something we need to do, and they're very important to me, but I was kicked out of my home…”

“I see… And why were you kicked out of your home?”

“Well… umm, that is…”

“It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the kitsune currently clinging to you or the demonic aura wrapping around you, would it?”

Kagome's eyes widened, but in truth, she wasn't really that surprised.

“In truth, it really doesn't. My mother isn't as bad as you'd think a shrine keeper would be. She's pretty open-minded. When I told her I'd formally adopted a kitsune pup as my son, her only concern was if she'd ever meet him. The reason she kicked me out is because I'm too much of a risk for her and my brother.”

“Really, now? I'd think, after my training, you could handle most things.”

“I can,” Kagome defended. “The problem is that she's afraid, and I don't blame her, that the demon that did this to me will attack my family if I don't kill him.”

“A demon turned you into a demon? That sounds like a forbidden spell that would most likely kill the user,” Genkai said.

“You'd think so, but he didn't even seem to be weakened by it. I need to kill him. And my mother doesn't want me to endanger them.”

“So, she kicked you out, seeking safety in the hopes that somehow, this demon that you're going to kill will know that you're not connected to them, should he survive?”

“Basically,” Kagome sighed. “I was too angry to point that out, though. So, can my friends and I stay here?”

“Sure,” Genkai sighed. “But I want to know the rest of this story. I'm curious about why you've got a demonic sword with you while wearing anti-demon armor. Your friends are rather interesting, too. The monk seems to have a rather dangerous power around him.”

Kagome nodded enthusiastically before standing back up and bowing.

“You know where the guest rooms are.”

Kagome nodded once more before exiting the building and walking her friends to their temporary house. Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama took off into the woods shortly thereafter and Kagome sat down with Genkai again, without Shippo this time.

“So, I'm guessing you didn't tell me everything last time, based on your friends,” Genkai observed.

“Well, it's not that I lied or anything. I just told you the basics. I'm a miko who didn't know how to control her energy, and needed to learn because my group of friends and I needed to kill a dangerous person.”

“I may be old, but I think I would've remembered if you'd mentioned the person you need to kill is a demon,” Genkai sighed.

“Well, I didn't think that demons still existed,” Kagome said in her defense. “And I didn't know that you knew about demons because of that. So, if I'd said that, I thought I'd be put into a mental institution or something.”

“What do you mean `still,' exactly?” Genkai asked while Kagome mentally kicked herself.

“Well… Here's the thing. My group is from the past. Five hundred years, to be exact… And I'd assumed that, because I've never seen a demon in this time other than the soul piper and the Noh mask, that they all died sometime between then and now. I didn't know about Makai until very recently.”

“So, you were playing demon slayer in the Feudal Era, then? And this demon you're hunting has brought all of your friends here. How exactly do you travel back and forth?”

“Well, we don't. Not anymore. The Bone Eater's Well was a kind of wormhole-thingy that, because of the Shikon no Tama, allowed myself and a friend that was connected to me travel back and forth. But the jewel's on this side, now, so the well's sealed. The demon we're hunting was also from the past, but he somehow found out about the well and disappeared through it.”

“I see… And what is this demon's name?”

“Naraku.”

Genkai's eyes widened at that.

“The spider hanyo?”

“Yes. How do you know about him?”

“Personally, all I know is the legend of the Shikon no Tama. I'd assumed Naraku was just part of something that was just a legend. I mean, believing in demons is easy, for obvious reasons. But believing in a legend about a wish-granting jewel born from the souls of a powerful miko and three demons is rather hard for me.”

Kagome reached into her pocket and revealed the three jewel shards in her possession.

“It's not a legend. And I'm the reason Naraku's alive, so I need to fix my mistake. Kill Naraku, complete the jewel, and wish for anything bad that happened as a result of my mistake to be fixed. Those are my goals.”

“I see,” Genkai said again, eyeing the girl. “And the fact that he's made you into a demon and obviously other things to you doesn't enter the equation, right?”

Kagome looked at the floor.

“That has a lot to do with it,” she ground out. “It's the reason I was kicked out. My mother doesn't believe that revenge is ever justified, as well as wanting to be safe. I understand that she wants to be safe, along with my brother, but thinking nothing ever warrants hatred is a belief that was ripped out of me.”

“Well, I'm not your mother,” Genkai said. “There are certainly things that can be done to warrant death. But listen carefully, and hopefully you'll learn this lesson as fast as my others. Acting rashly because of hateful revenge is a fool's way to die. You have assets and friends that are obviously here for the same reason you are, so don't hesitate to have their help.”

A wry smile formed on Kagome's lips at that.

“When did you get into the whole `ask for help' philosophy?”

Genkai snorted at that.

“The dimwit's not the best in logic while fighting. I learned from watching his group that sometimes, it's necessary to ask for help.”

“Huh…”

“Speaking of which, how exactly do you know the dimwit?”

“Oh… Well, Yusuke's my cousin,” Kagome said with a sheepish smile.

Genkai laughed heartily at that.

“It figures. Well then, lesson's over. I think you'd benefit from watching their sparring match in the woods,” she added as they both felt the explosions of power nearby.

With a bow, Kagome disappeared from the room.

“Where are you going?” Miroku asked as she passed the `guest house' on her way to the woods.

“I want to see what those guys can do,” she said before disappearing into the woods. After a few minutes of walking she reached a massive clearing in the forest, filled with marks of a battle.

A loud sound brought her attention skyward, where she saw something incredible.

Yusuke, who now had a massive amount of youki coming from him as well as a new appearance, was blocking Hiei's sword with his right hand while Kurama swung his whip at both of them in a circular swing. Meanwhile, Hiei swung at Yusuke so fast it was hard for Kagome's eyes to follow while the Jagan eye was wide open, surging with power.

“Shotgun!” Yusuke screamed as he swung his fist at Kurama. A massive spray of energy bolts launched from his closed fist, and the redhead quickly used his whip to lever himself to a tree below. And then, Hiei launched after the redhead while dodging Yusuke's smaller, but still very powerful, bolts of energy.

“Damnit, Hiei! Stop showing off! Spirit Gun!”

Another blast of energy left his extended pointer finger and Hiei smirked. Kagome saw his plan and couldn't help smirking too.

Just as the spirit gun was about to hit the apparition, he dropped down, leaving the off-guard kitsune avatar in its path. It hit the redhead full-force and threw him into the tree behind him with a loud snapping sound. Kagome would've winced if she hadn't known the sound had issued from the tree, and not the demon connected to it.

“That was rather unpleasant,” Kurama groaned, shaking his head as he jumped away from the falling tree. “Petals and Thorns!”

He crushed the rose in his hand and a spray of blade-like rose petals formed a vortex around the other too. Just before it closed, Hiei vanished and appeared behind the fox, swinging his blade with incredible speed. Without even turning, Kurama flicked his whip backward and it lashed against Hiei, knocking him down from the limb supporting himself.

The vortex of youki-infused rose petals suddenly exploded as a burst of youki shot from Yusuke's hand. Kurama dodged this as well, and it smashed into the base of the trunk. Unfortunately, it was the tree Kagome was practically under, and it had broken in just the right way to fall to the right instead of left.

That's when the three demons noticed Kagome watching them, and the tree plummeting toward her.

“Watch out!”

Yusuke began to run toward Kagome when she did something really amazing. She jumped into the air and spun, kicking the thing mid-way up its length. As her foot met the wood of the tree, a resounding snap echoed through the entire clearing as it was decimated by the contact as well as the flames that had erupted from her youki.

“Whoa,” Yusuke yelled in surprise. “How in the hell'd you do that!?”

Kagome landed from her several-foot jump as though she'd hopped a few inches and the three demons stared at her incredulously.

“It would seem your body's adjusted quickly,” Kurama observed.

“Yeah, I guess so… My body seems to be completely healed, so whenever you want to get this done, tell me,” she said before disappearing into the woods.

The three quickly returned to the temple to find something similar to what they'd been doing going on. As they emerged from the woods, a massive whoosh of air caught their attention. They watched as a huge boomerang whizzed through the space in front of them and started heading for Kagome, who watched the weapon calmly.

Just before it reached her, she dove into the air and grabbed the handle with a fist while spinning. As she landed, her body made one final rotation and the weapon smashed into the ground.

“You've definitely improved, Kagome,” Sango said as she walked toward her weapon. “I remember when you first asked me to help you, you had to dive for the ground every time.”

“Not every time,” Kagome complained. “Just nine out of ten.”

“And the tenth one almost killed you,” Sango added.

“It did not! I was just out of it for a few minutes.”

Sango smirked as she pulled her weapon from the ground.

“Regardless, good work. So, why'd you ask for the workout? Shouldn't you be letting your body recover?”

Apparently, Kagome was either oblivious to their presence or she was ignoring the demons, because she smirked.

“My body's fine. I was just watching those three fight, and now I'm revved up.”

“They're good?” Sango asked curiously.

Kagome nodded before smiling.

“I noticed something interesting about Yusuke's energy.”

“Oh?” Sango asked while her cousin's eyes widened. Evidently they really were oblivious to the demons' presences.

“Yeah. His aura feels like that mazoku's… You remember, right? The huge guy that helped us when I was out of energy and your weapon was gone while that horde of demons was attacking?”

Sango's eyes widened at that.

“Oh! I think his name was Raizen or something like that, wasn't it?”

“Yeah, that's it,” Kagome said. “I wish I knew if he was still around. We never got the chance to thank him for that…”

Yusuke stepped further out of the trees, coughing to get their attention. Both jumped when they realized the demons were there.

“Oh… hi, Yusuke… How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to hear you talking about me,” he said with a shrug. “You met Raizen?”

“Well, met wouldn't really be the right word. More like… we got saved by him.”

“That old bastard actually helped humans?”

Yusuke started laughing hysterically at that.

“Oh man, if I'd known he was such a softie, I wouldn't've given him so much credit!”

“He was in love with a human,” Kurama chided.

“Wait… Is he still around?” Kagome asked. Immediately, Yusuke's mood sobered up and he stared at the ground.

“No. He died a while back.”

“Oh… So, why do you have his energy?”

“He was my ancestor. It's how I'm technically a hanyo.”

“You said your body is healed, Kagome?” Kurama asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah. As soon as you want to go to Makai…”

Kagome suddenly trailed off as she looked to the side.

“Umm… How exactly do those portals open?”

“It's rather complicated,” Kurama sighed. “Why?”

“I'm getting that feeling again,” she said while grabbing the hilt of her sword. “But it doesn't feel like a good thing this time.”

They turned to look where her focus was and were shocked to see a massive, black portal opening with a very powerful hate coming from inside.

A long blade shot out of the hole and Kagome caught it an inch from her throat, a dark glare on her face. The pain from the gash in her hand was short-lived as the incredible strength and speed with which the sword had come through the portal made it impossible to actually stop the weapon. As it dug into her shoulder, black smoke rose and Kagome's lips pulled back in a vicious snarl.

Everyone watched as a tall man dressed in armor stepped out of the hole, which swirled behind him. A massive vortex-like wind engulfed Kagome's body and everyone watched as the sword in her melted, sealing the wound as her eyes bled red.

“What? Not happy to see me again, Kagome?” the man mocked. His mocking smirk vanished when her body did, and suddenly, his head was in the air while his body burned.

“Not good enough, I'm afraid,” the puppet said with a smirk before a loud cry of pain filled the air. Kagome spun to find Shippo being dragged through the portal by a tentacle. Just as she reached him, he completely ended up on the other side and the portal slammed shut.

“I hate your fucking puppets,” she snarled. “Let's hope the fire near him will be big enough to burn you, you manipulative bastard! Hoja Tetsusaiga: Dragon's Breath!”

She swung her blade down, halving the head. Suddenly, it exploded in black flames and Kagome landed where the portal had been.

“Can you open a portal to where that one opened from?” Kagome asked without turning around. She heard Yusuke talking to Botan and a hole opened in front of her. Another opened and Sesshomaru stepped out, glaring at Kagome.

“He's made an open attack, then?”

They watched as the already-wicked curve of the Tetsusaiga grew even more deadly and long claws formed on Kagome's hands, gleaming in the light. Without a word, she dove through the portal, and the others rushed after her.

Kagome landed in the middle of a miasma-filled clearing that was completely filled with Naraku's disgusting scent.

“Don't make me laugh,” she screamed before smashing her blade into the ground. It exploded upward in a spray of dirt and air, and the miasma was gone. Before her was another puppet, who was staring at her with a cruel smile.

“Hello, Kagome. What brings you here?”

She launched forward, swinging her blade at the rapidly retreating figure. Finally, she lost her very thin patience and used every ounce of speed her legs could handle. The puppet's eyes widened as its body was completely rendered by a nearly-invisible Kagome.

“Listen up, you twisted fuck,” she bit out as more cuts formed along the puppet's body. “One way or another, you'll be dead before this day is over. I swear to that. But if you touch my kit, I'll make sure to take things nice and painfully slow. You will be begging me to kill you before I'm done. This is a sample,” she said before stabbing straight through the puppet's right eye. Blood dripped down the length of the sharp steel and then, the head exploded with flames.

The others appeared, then, and Kagome took in the auras within the forest.

“He brought us here on purpose, it seems,” Kurama said as he felt the miasma that had been where they were standing.

“Yeah? Good! I really want to kick this guy's ass!”

Kagome's senses stretched throughout the forest, and she snarled.

“He wants to play games. I've had enough.”

She drew her blade and a massive vortex of youki formed around her entire body as she lifted it.

“Hoja Tetsusaiga: Wind Scar!”

She swung downward and a massive explosion of black energy shot forward, turning the forest before her into a barren strip of land. The attack hit an invisible wall and rode upward into the sky before it finally disappeared.

The sword became wrapped in diamond shards, and she once again swung it with enough force to create a wall of energy in front of her.

“Adamant Barrage!”

Massive spikes of diamond launched through the air, the barrier, and finally, the castle. It hit full-force and the castle shook as its structure began to break apart.

“My my, that was rude,” a voice said, making Kagome's head whip around.

“I'm done,” Kagome said in a cold, dark voice. “You're going to die, and I'm going to make sure I'm the one that does it.”

“Ah, revenge is never a good emotion, Kagome. Especially in a miko,” his voice said from her other side.

“It's not revenge. Kikyo and I are the reasons a bastard like you exists, and you killed Kikyo. I'm going to undo your existence, if I have to kill one demon inside of you at a time.”

“Oh?” an amusedly chuckling voice asked.

“There's something you don't realize, Naraku,” she said as her eyes bled red. The group watched as long, gleaming fangs and claws formed and the blade became even more brutal.

“Pray tell, Kagome, what's that?”

Her body vanished, and a third of the remaining forest exploded with a massive burst of blue flames. Kagome reappeared, pushing Naraku with her blade, into the clearing.

“I can see you now, with or without that damned stone of yours or the barriers or traps, or any of your pathetic tricks! You have nowhere to hide!”

She swung her foot upward and Naraku's eyes widened as she completely snapped his jaw. Off of his face. The instant the force was applied, the puppet's body burst into flames and Kagome turned to the only remaining part of the forest. In front of the tree lines stood Naraku, his left hand wrapped tightly around an struggling Shippo's throat.

“Put him down,” she ground out, earning a smirk.

“Oh, but what would be the fun in that? I rather savor the idea of taking away everything you hold dear to you, one by one. First, it was Kikyo's appearance as a power to look up to, then it was Inuyasha. And now it will be your… abomination. I mean, really? A kitsune pup taking a miko as a mother. It's disgusting.”

He turned his head so it was closer to Shippo's ear, and he smirked cruelly.

“You know, she doesn't love you. The second you seem like a danger, she'll kill you without any hesitation, just like she did to Inuyasha.”

“The only one that's going to die here is you,” Kagome bit out.

“Ah, but that would require your willingness to attack me while I hold his life in my hands. A very interesting dilemma, isn't it? If you don't attack, I'll kill him, and if you do attack him, I'll kill him. What will you do? Fight and risk his life or do nothing and throw yourself on my nonexistent mercy?”

Kagome's grip on her blade tightened and she smirked.

“I'm not as weak as you think I am.”

“Oh? Well then, by all means, make your choice.”

Kagome slowly sheathed her blade and a cruel laugh Naraku echoed around them from Naraku.

“Fool!”

Shippo glared at the hanyo, but his eyes widened when Kagome began to move. Her foot smashed into the side of Naraku's head just as she gently caught the falling kit in her arms.

“You're the fool, you bastard,” she bit out before gently kissing Shippo's forehead. “Are you alright, sweetie?”

Shippo nodded, though the effort seemed to cause him pain. At his wince, Kagome gently ran her hand through his hair and walked over to the group.

“It will be alright. I promise,” she said before putting him down. And then, she was rushing at Naraku, who began to bombard her with tentacles as she drew her blade once more. She began to simultaneously swing her empty claw and the Tetsusaiga at the retreating hanyo, and growled as he easily dodged each strike.

“I have to say, that was quite an interesting trick.”

“Be impressed when you're dead!” she yelled as power exploded from the sword. “Wind Scar!”

His body was blown into the sky and began to quickly collect itself once more. Once completely healed, Naraku snarled at her with blood-red eyes.

“I don't like that attack.”

“Too bad,” she yelled before spinning. The blade pulled across Naraku's chest, and he groaned.

Blood fell to the ground in a torrent, and Kagome swung her free hand when not swinging the Tetsusaiga at the quickly retreating hanyo.

“What's wrong? No cannon fodder to help you this time?”

A stabbing pain filled several places along her body and Kagome looked down to find spikes quickly descending into the ground.

Blood poured from her new gashes, and she stumbled slightly, making Naraku smirk cruelly.

“I believe that losing so much blood will make things hard for you, Kagome.”

A dark, ominous wind picked up, encircling the clearing as youki began to build rapidly.

“You think so? I believe that you talk too much!”

Flames engulfed her body and Kagome launched forward, her blade as flames shot at the retreating hanyo.

“Wind Sc-”

Just before she finished her attack, several dozen tentacles shot up from the ground and wrapped around the blade. Suddenly, there was an echoing snap and the Tetsusaiga fell to the ground as scrap metal, the youki in the blade quickly disappearing from the metal.

“Ha! Without your protector's sword, you're nothing!” Naraku mocked.

The hilt in Kagome's hand turned to ash and a massive wave of youki entered her body, leaving the sword to be one with its de facto master. Her claws turned blood-red as the youki in her body flowed over them, and dark black slits grew in her eyes.

“Without my `protector's sword' I'm a full-blooded demon,” she said quietly. His eyes widened as she lunged for him, both youki-infused claws swiping for his throat so rapidly they were nearly invisible.

Suddenly, she sensed power building in her allies and smirked. If she had a choice, she wasn't going to lose her sanity to the overwhelming bloodlust coursing through her.

“And I have something that makes you infinitely lacking.”

“Oh?”

“I have my friends,” she said before vanishing. All at once, her group released their attacks. A massive boomerang swung through the air, halving the hanyo's body. Then, Yusuke's spray of energy shot forth, though it was purple with his reiki and youki. A vortex of youki-infused rose petals blasted forward, and a massive, black dragon of youki launched through the air at incredible speeds. As they converged on the hanyo, an agonized scream filled the entire forest.

And then, in a flash, it was gone and Kagome walked over to the damaged body. She knelt down and reached forward, smirking.

“You lose.”

His eyes widened as she reattached the jewel, completing it. A massive burst of pink light filled the clearing and the hanyo screamed as it bombarded him with light.

“Shikon no Tama, hear my wish,” Kagome said. “I ask of you to undo the pain and suffering caused, either directly or indirectly, by the Shikon no Tama, and in effect, the hanyo known as Naraku.”

The clearing was filled with a massive, pink mist that was centered around Kagome. A woman formed in front of her.

“As you wish, it shall be done. Kohaku will be brought back, and Inuyasha and Kikyo will live a peaceful life with each other. The monk's curse will disappear, and Koga will be brought back to life. You need to be the one to end Naraku's existence, however. The purity of this wish will put the Shikon no Tama to rest for all eternity, and your friends will be allowed to choose whether to live now or in the past.”

“Thank you,” Kagome said with tears in her eyes.

“However,” Midoriko continued sadly, “your wish was not an entirely pure one, as you made it, at least in part, to make yourself feel better. And you shall therefore suffer the consequences. Life as long as the one you will grow to love. Until you love, you will go through time, unaging as the demon you've become. You will suffer a life where you will watch your friends and family slowly turn to bones and dust over the flow of time. I'm sorry for you, Kagome. I would truly not wish this upon any human being…”

Kagome looked at the ground, smiling sadly.

“It's alright… I knew going into it that something along these lines would happen… I don't care if I suffer, as long as they're not suffering any more…”

Midoriko nodded before the light surrounding them vanished.

A loud snarl filled the clearing just before a large number of tentacles tore into Kagome's side. Her eyes widened as blood rolled down her chin.

“Kagome!”

The tentacles turned to dust and Kagome growled.

“It's over. You have no more power.”

As she said it, her eyes began to glow a brilliant silver and the new wave of tentacles coming for her also turned to dust.

And then, she moved behind him and his body was in two burning halves on the ground.

“I promised you a slow, painful death, but knowing that you lost is a good enough torturous end for me,” she said before slowly coughing a spray of blood onto the ground.

“Kagome!”

She felt her friends rushing toward her and she smiled sadly at Sesshomaru, who was eyeing her curiously.

“Sorry for breaking the Tetsusaiga…”

He appeared as if he was about to answer, but if he did, Kagome didn't hear what he had to say, as she blacked out just then…

 

A/N:

Well, there's chapter seven. I enjoyed writing this fight. If any of you have read Darkness, you may have noticed that I like the fights between Naraku and Kagome to be painful and very graphic. It's not because I love gore, though I do. It's because it's the way I think of a final battle between a miko and a demon of Naraku's twisted mindset should be painful-sounding. Those with the truly manipulative minds usually turn out to be the most psychotic killers, after all. So, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Be sure to review. Constructive criticism is one of a writer's most important tools, as it allows them to see mistakes and logical missteps.

Be sure to come back for the finale!