InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Fallen Hero ❯ A Hero Falls ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha, or the lyrics to these great songs. I do not make any money from writing this.

Author's Note: This was written for the Battle of the Bands contest for the Deadliest Sin Community. I chose two songs, and made a “remix” of them, to make this song fic. The songs I chose are “It's The Fear” and “The Promise” both by the amazingly talented Within Temptation.

Warning: This piece is dark. It is sad. It contains a main character death. It is also written in first person, present tense. I normally shy away from this style of writing, but in this case I feel it more accurately communicates the emotion of the characters. I apologize if it's an awkward read, or not your usual preference.

How to read: Think of each new verse/chorus section as a new chapter, and therefore the narrator changes. It should be fairly obvious who is speaking by the title of the verse/chorus. There are three narrators, Hiei, Kurama, and Kagome.

Title: A Hero Falls
Word Count: 6,544

 

 

Fallen Hero

 

 

Verse I:

The Suffering Fire Demon

It waits for the day
I will let it out
Give it a reason
To give it its might

 

I leave abruptly, but no one will say a word. I do what I want when I want, and they are used to me growing bored during these little get-togethers. Except this time I wasn't bored. I glance over my shoulder from the shadows of the forest, back to Genkai's temple where my team-mates, my only friends, and my sister are gathered, enjoying each other's company. I pause only a moment, before rushing deeper into the forest. I'm leaving for their sakes.

 

I feel the dragon inside me, straining at the bonds I keep it in, roaring through my head and threatening to tear me apart from the inside if I don't let him out. Everyone calls me the “dragon master” but in reality, I am simply a vessel for the dragon. If push comes to shove he could snuff out my life in a heartbeat, not that he wouldn't die as well, but the dragon isn't exactly known for rational behavior. I'm already pushing my luck with him as it is by trying to keep him contained.

 

I lean against a tree trunk, breathing heavily. In truth I'm exhausted. Fighting to contain the darkness dragon puts a constant strain on my mind and body. I grunt and clutch at my stomach as a sharp pain rips through it. These are becoming more and more common, pain that feels as though the dragon is clawing at my insides. I bring a hand to my mouth as I cough. It is coated in blood as I draw it away.

“Alright.” I mutter exasperatedly, as if the dragon will both hear and understand my words. Who knows, maybe he does.

 

Verse II:

The Worried Kitsune

I fear who I am becoming
I feel that I'm losing the struggle within

 

He thinks no one notices, but he's wrong. The way he leaves at times when he seems to be enjoying himself. Well, as much as Hiei really ever enjoys himself, that is. The change in his walk: his shoulders sag ever so slightly now. The way his pale skin has lost its healthy glow, or the fact that his red orbs have lost some of their fire. He always looks so tired, so tense. It's been this way since he tamed the dragon.

I don't think the others notice, but how can I not. How can I, of all people, not recognize my friend's inner battle? I too struggle with my own demon side. The monster within that is always scratching at the surface, begging to be let out. Ever since I unleashed Youko at the tournament, he and his feelings have been more prominent in my thoughts. What was once a barely noticeable buzz in the back of my mind, is now a clear voice ringing in my ears.

Sometimes I let Youko have his way. I sneak off to the forest and let my spirit fox form take over and I just run. I run as if my life depends on it. I think by now my happiness, at least, does depend on it. I've never felt more myself than at those times. It's as if for a moment I am not Shuichi Minimino, nor am I Youko Kurama, I am simply…myself.

I get the feeling, though, that Hiei's inner battle is more of a war, and that my friend might be losing. There have been times that I've caught glimpses of the pain that flashes through his eyes, usually right before he runs off on his own. I wish he'd talk to me, but that's not his style. Hiei doesn't share things with others. So instead I watch from the shadows, and wonder just how much my friend is suffering.

 

Chorus I:

The Reason for the Fire Demon's Suffering

I can no longer restrain it
My strength it is fading
I have to give in

 

The sound a sword makes when it slices through flesh causes most people's skin to crawl, but it makes my blood surge with excitement. The gurgling sound as a dying man struggles to take his last agonizing breaths is enough to turn any man's stomach, but its music to my ears.

I've been killing since I was a child. It's a skill I both love and hate. I've been in human world too long. I'm growing soft. As the warm blood spills from my victim and pools at my feet I feel the slightest twinge of remorse.

Humans are such weak prey. It seems wrong to kill them. But the dragon demands blood and violence. Only a kill will quiet him, keep him from ripping me open. I've told Koenma that my control over him is slipping. He knows it poses a serious threat to humans if my restraint breaks. Instead of sending me back to Makai, however, he's been giving me special assignments, things too dark for the others to handle. Missions to locate and illuminate humans whose souls are nearly black. Sometimes the Jagan shows me what they will become, and I can't argue with Koenma's decisions to rid Ningenkai of them.

The kills quiet the dragon, but what he really wants is innocent blood. He wants to burn away the dark parts, and devour the light. He has been plaguing me with dreams of slaughtering entire schools of children. I shiver as I recall one recurring face in those dreams, the purest person I know, Yukina. The dragon yearns for her, and it frightens me.

 

Hold down your head now
Just let me pass by
Don't feed my fear
If you don't want it out

 

There is only one person that the dragon wants more. It leads me to her often. I have never approached her, I've only watched her from afar, a murderer, stalking my ultimate prey. I often perch in a giant tree outside her bedroom window. My demonic senses allow me to see easily into her room. I love when the moonlight glints through her window and lands on her face. It makes her subtle human beauty seem ethereal.

I've been watching her for months, long enough to know that she is no ordinary human, long enough to know that she travels often between dimensions through a tear in her family's well, long enough to know that she is a powerful priestess with an important mission, long enough to know with absolute certainty that I will not ever allow myself to kill her.

I allow the dragon to bring me here, just as I have now, perched in the tree, watching her sleep, my hands still soiled with the dried blood of my latest mission. But it infuriates the dragon that no matter how it coaxes, prods or threatens he will not get me to move any closer.

Tonight, however, something isn't quite right. There is something off in the girl's energy. A deep sadness engulfs the entire house. A dark aura hangs around her. This is not the pure and innocent energy I have grown accustomed to, and it repulses the dragon, who shrinks back into the recesses of my mind. With the relief that comes from the dragon letting up on his relentless resistance to my mental bonds, I find myself slumping weakly against the tree, allowing sleep to claim me.

I awoke one day a few weeks ago to the dragon about to break loose, and have not slept well since. This is the first respite I've had since then. In the beginning it had simply been a gentle tugging in my mind, no more bothersome than the pull of a puppy to a giant oak tree. But over time, the dragon has been leeching my ki, and as he grows stronger, I grow weaker. I no sooner strengthen my mental barriers than he tears through them like nothing.

I want nothing more than to be rid of the dragon. I've tried on several occasions to release him, but he has bonded to the Jagan, and the Jagan is bonded to me. I don't fear him killing me, for if I die, so does the dragon, but I do fear losing my mind to his commands. I refuse to allow myself to become a puppet to a demon's desires.

 

Verse III.

The Tainted Priestess

On behalf of her love
She no longer sleeps
Life no longer had meaning
Nothing to make her stay
She sold her soul away

 

My eyes are closed, but I'm not sleeping. I can't sleep, or dream. Not while there's so much unfinished business. I'm going through the motions so I won't worry my family, but only because I don't have the heart to tell them that I won't be back for possibly a very long time. I don't know when it happened, exactly. When the past became my present, or when strangers became my true family, but one thing is for certain. I don't belong here anymore. I belong with him, with Inuyasha. We were meant to grow old together, but things didn't work out that way. It's hard to grow old with someone who has been dead for almost a week. I'm still young. Am I meant to live the rest of my life without him? No, that's too cruel of a fate.

 

I held you tight to me
But you slipped away
You promised to return to me
And I believed, I believed

 

I know, somewhere in the back of my mind, that I'm dreaming, that despite my efforts, sleep has claimed me. It's easier to sleep here in the present. I feel distanced from the tragedy that happened in the past. My dreams, however, won't let me forget. It was a typical day, nothing out of the ordinary. I woke up in my hanyou lover's arms, and after breakfast bid him and a small group of my friends a safe journey. They were headed to a nearby village, taking them some medicines. I had to stay behind and assist Lady Kaede, and so I watched them go, my lover flitting over tree tops and my friends, a monk and a demon slayer riding on the back of a flying cat demon.

As a priestess, I always thought I'd somehow know if those I love were in danger. But I never knew. I never suspected. The whole afternoon I never even thought it was weird that they were running late. Miroku was always insisting on accepting hospitality, so I just assumed that was why they were delayed.

 

After the night he died
I wept my tears until they dried
But the pain stayed the same
I didn't want him to die all in vain
I made a promise to revenge his soul in time
I'll make them bleed at my feet

 

The villagers brought their bodies to me. At first I thought it was some cruel joke. My friends were strong. Together they were nearly invincible. I was told it was the work of a powerful sorcerer. He had conjured two demon spirits and used them to kill my friends as a warning to any who tried to help the villagers. He had kept the villagers sick and demanded a health tax to lift his curse. These demons he had created for the sole purpose of killing my friends.

I listened through my tears as they explained the story. A serpent made of water had trapped Sango and Kirara within its body until they had drowned. Miroku had used his wind tunnel to stop a dragon made of immortal flames, and it had consumed him from the inside, leaving nothing of him but his prayer beads and his staff. The dragon had then turned on Inuyasha. He had died a terrible death as the beast devoured his soul.

Miyoga had said that their souls would most likely suffer until the beast was destroyed. I hadn't needed a reason, I was going to do it anyway, but that bit of information made up my mind. The demons must die, and I must be the one to kill them. I would free their souls, and avenge their deaths.

I was consumed, not by hatred, not by anger, but by numbness, and the need to end the lives that were created only to take away that which was precious to me.

 

Sometimes I wonder
Could I have known their true intentions
As the pain stayed the same
I'm going to haunt them down all the way
I made a promise to revenge his soul in time
One by one they were surprised

 

Everyone wanted me to grieve. They told me not to be rash. And so I snuck away in the night. My first stop was an obvious one. The sorcerer expected me. He had onis guarding him, but my arrows easily sent them back to the hell they belonged in. When at last I saw him face to face I found nothing more than a misguided human on a power trip. This is the type of person I normally have pity on, but not this time. No, this time I would get the information I needed.

 

The serpent would be easy enough to find. She had taken residence atop a nearby mountain, dwelling among the mist there. The dragon, on the other hand, had disappeared without a trace. I hadn't meant to, but in a moment of weakness, an arrow was released, and the man responsible for their deaths was dead. His blood pooled around my feet, and all I could manage as a reaction was a small, satisfied, smile.

The water beast was the next victim on my list. She fell easily to my sacred arrows. Even though the once pure light was now tainted with tinges of black. My sins were having an effect, I would have to finish my task before my soul became completely tainted.

When it became clear that my search for the dragon was going to take some time, I decided to return to this place. My original home, and my first family. I owe them a fair goodbye. They deserve that much for all they've put up with these last couple of years. I'm pretty sure I won't be coming back from this mission for a long time, if at all. I hope they can forgive me for that. But I have to do this. I must avenge them.

 

Verse IV:

TheFire Demon's Adventure

I fear who I am becoming
I feel that I'm losing all beauty within

 

My eyes shoot open, and a gasp leaves my lips. I almost fall from my spot in the large tree. My breathing is hard, and a shiver runs down my spine. I wipe at the sweat on my brow. Another nightmare, all my life I've had them, nightmares of my childhood, or the ever-recurring dream where I'm falling to my death. This one was again about Yukina, about me killing her, except I was enjoying it. Both in and out of the dream, I was enjoying killing the one being in all the three realms that I'd do anything for. Another shudder flows through me and I feel mildly nauseous.

For the first time in my life, I'm afraid. I feel my control slipping more each day. I've never been pure on the inside, but I do have my own set of morals, and I feel myself caring less and less about them. I feel the dragon tugging at me, trying to get me to return to Genkai's, to Yukina.

No, I have to stay as far from there as possible. Going back to Makai is becoming more and more important, but I already know what Koenma will say. He needs me here. Missions, duties, debts, blah, blah, blah.

Suddenly my attention is drawn to the raven-haired priestess. She's telling her mother goodbye. She's going through the portal again. Her aura is even darker than it was last night. I feel the dragon recoiling yet again. He's easier to control around her.

As she disappears into the well-house I do something more impulsive than usual, I follow her. Her family is watching after her, but they won't see me, I'm moving too fast for mortal eyes. I lurk in the shadows as I watch her. She hesitates, she senses me here, I'm sure of it, but she gives a small smile and jumps into the well. I jump after her.

The next thing I know I'm engulfed by an uncomfortably bright light. My vision blurs, and I have the sensation of falling.

“Hey, are you dead?” a woman's voice asks from the distance. I force my eyes open slowly, only to meet my priestess' dark brown gaze.

“No.” My voice comes out weaker than I intended. I push myself up on shaky limbs. The dragon is not happy with me for bringing him here, so far from Yukina.

“Good. Why did you follow me?” There's an irritated edge to her voice as she begins crawling out of the well. I watch her, slightly dumbfounded. I blush when I get a clear look up her skirt, luckily she doesn't notice. I jump out of the well and beat her to the top, offering a hand to her, which she ignores as she climbs out on her own and stares at me expectantly. “Well?” She reminds me of Keiko as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“I was curious, as to where you always disappear to.” I answer honestly.

“So you are the one that's been stalking me. I figured as much.”

“I'm…” I don't really know what I'm planning to say, but it doesn't matter as she interrupts me.

“You can't have the jewel, you stand no chance. Give up and go away.” She's almost bored as she speaks, and when she's finished she begins walking away.

“Wait, what? What jewel?” I follow her, glancing around in awe. This world is strange to me. I smell humans and I smell demons. There's no pollution in the air like there is in Ningenkai, but the sky is not red like in Makai. Everywhere I look there's trees towering over us, warm sun filtering through their leaves. For the briefest moment I feel like I'm home. “Where are we?”

“You mean you're not after the jewel?” She turns to me, not masking her surprise, “We're in the past, the feudal era to be more precise.”

“Before the barriers were erected.” I know I sound awed, and I don't even mind.

“Yes, so if you aren't after the jewel, what do you want?”

I shrug. “Just drawn to you I guess.” Better not to mention the bit about something inside me wanting to kill her.

She makes a small “humph” of disbelief and continues walking. I smirk at her back because the sound was sort of…cute. I wrinkle my nose in distaste at my own thoughts.

As we walk deeper into the forest, we hear sounds in the distance. Not just any sounds, but people screaming. She takes off at a run, and I have no problem keeping up with her. As the wood ends we run out into a clearing. Across it there is a village, parts of it are flooded, and there are huts collapsed into soggy piles. It isn't hard to spot the culprits, two identical human boys that are riding dragon-like demons with horse's heads.

“Bring us the one responsible for our uncle's death!” one of them yells.

“Or watch your village be destroyed!” the other adds.

 

The twins join hands and a large wave rises over the village.

“No…” Kagome whispers, then charges forward, “Stop!”

As the wave crashes forward, I send a wall of black fire to meet it, turning it to steam.

Kagome shoots me a suspicious look, but with no time to dwell on it, she pulls her arrows, and shoots both boys without batting an eye. I watch as her aura darkens further, and the dragon snarls in distaste from the back of my mind.

“Kagome! You've killed them!” an elderly woman exclaims.

Kagome walksforward to retrieve her arrows from the boy's bodies. “It couldn't be helped,” she says coldly, she then turns to me, “Since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful. We need to organize the villagers and see what can be salvaged of this mess, you're in charge of that, Kaede and I will start tending to the injured.”

“Aye, and I'll get the younger holy women to organize funerals for the two young sorcerers.” Kaede adds.

“Hn.” I grunt, but it isn't like I have anything better to do, and it isn't often I get to boss humans around, so I do as asked.

 

The old lady reminds me of Genkai, the way she looks at me with no fear, despite the fact we both know I can kill her in an instant, the way she approaches me as if she's oblivious to the fact that I purposely sat away from the group around the fire. I feel a slight annoyance growing inside me as she just stands there, staring for a long moment.

 

“What's the matter, Grandma, forget what you came to say?”

“No, I was deciding if I should trust you,” she says it so honestly, so easily, she hides nothing. I admire that. As she speaks again I assume that she's decided I am trustworthy. For her age she isn't a very good judge of character. “You care about Kagome, don't ye?”

I snort. “I wouldn't use such strong words, priestess.” I realize as I protest that it isn't totally true. If I didn't care, her shifting aura would not bother me so much.

“I worry for her. She has not mourned the loss of her friends, I fear she is instead taking the path of vengeance.”

“Hn. And why is that my problem?”

“She needs protection, please, I think you can help her.”

“Hn.” I grab my sword and walk away, but I think the old lady knows where I'm going. I have no problems slipping into her hut. She's sleeping on a bed roll on the floor, raven hair fanned out around her head. A picture of beauty, were it not for that damned ugly aura.

“You have a real problem with watching me while I sleep,” she speaks without opening her eyes.

“You have a real problem with not sleeping.” That gets her to open them. Brown eyes flash with defiance as they look at me.

“I can't sleep. I have work to do,” her tone is so resolved, there will be no changing her mind.

“Then why pretend, let's start this work of yours.”

“Sorry, pal, this is a solo mission.” Again the resolve is strong, but not as strong as before.

“You're the only person I know in this place. Besides, it's not as if I'll hinder you in any way.”

She thinks for a moment as she looks me over with that penetrating gaze. “Alright, let's go.” She surprises me by jumping up and grabbing her quiver and bow. She'd been sleeping in her shoes. That's what leads me to believe she was planning on leaving tonight anyway. I nod and follow her silently.

 

I'm happy to leave the village. The children were curious, and hung around me, the dragon wanted them. Even now he wants me to turn back, but I silence him.

We travel for several weeks. We run into demons now and then, but nothing eventful. We stop only for as short a sleep period as her body will allow. I spend most of that time awake, keeping guard, watching her sleep. Every day her aura becomes more tainted. The dragon longs to see her purity returned. In truth, so do I.

 

 

Chorus II:

The Priestess' Disease

I'm going to haunt them down all the way
I made a promise to revenge his soul in time
One by one they were surprised

 

My travel companion doesn't speak much. Normally that would bother me, but lately it's been a relief. He's always there if needed, and blends into the background when he's not. I don't understand why he's staying with me. I don't really spare it much thought. These days I don't think of much besides destroying the dragon. Along my searching I've learned of the various people and sources that aided the sorcerer in creating the awful creatures, and one by one those people and sources have paid dearly for their mistakes.

My revenge won't bring my friends back, I know that. That's not why I'm doing this. That's not why I've killed them. Magic this powerful shouldn't exist. I am ensuring no one else is hurt by their foolishness. My true goal still remains to kill the demon dragon and free my friend's souls. I've caught rumors about it here and there, so I know we're on the right path, at least. I won't rest until it is a pile of ash at my feet.

“Is this what your friends would want?” I raise an eyebrow. So tonight he's talkative.

“Gee, I don't know, wouldn't you want your soul to be able to rest in peace?”

He rolls his eyes. “I meant would they want you to darken your own soul in order to free them?”

“That's what we do for people we love, Hiei, we do anything for them. I'm not worried about the blood on my hands, and I don't need you to be either.” I mean every word. If I have to kill a hundred humans to see that they find peace, that's what I'll do. That is my promise to them.

He shrugs and jumps up into a nearby tree. Good, I like it when he's anti-social, it makes things easier. Under different circumstances I might actually be able to be friends with this surly fire demon. If I weren't so numb inside, I might actually be able to care about him. But I don't feel. Not anymore. My heart broke when my friends died, and I haven't found any glue that could hold it together.

 

Verse V:

The Broken Fire Demon

I can no longer restrain it
My strength it is fading
I have to give in

 

 

We're near a village, I feel it. I feel it because the dragon is commanding me to go there. And so I'm walking, slowly. I don't have the strength to resist him right now, but I won't rush to give him his way either.

My limbs are weak with exhaustion. If I were attacked by an enemy right now I'd be dead. I lean against a tree to gain some strength. My eyes are drifting closed. I'm aware, but there's nothing I can do about it. As I slip into darkness, however, I feel my body moving.

Have I been found by someone? I try to wake but I can't. Luckily the jagan still recognizes my commands, and shows me what my closed eyes cannot see. I'm not being carried; I'm walking on my own. No, not me, not me at all, the dragon is in control now. The dragon has finally won the war.

I hate being helpless, and I claw at my consciousness, trying to reclaim my own body, but my efforts are futile. I watch in horror as my body slips undetected into a hut full of sleeping children. I fight with renewed strength as I see the glint of my sword in my hand.

The dragon wants innocent blood. I can't let this happen. I won't be controlled like this. I summon all the strength I have, even drawing on the jagan, and finally I am able to place the dragon back in his confines. As I regain consciousness, however, I see my blade, black with blood. I sense movement at my feet. There a girl lies, writhing in agony. Her throat has been cut, but not deep enough to kill her instantly. I don't hesitate as I end her misery, finishing the job with more precision than the dragon managed.

I hurry from the hut, flee the village, put as much distance between myself and the heinous crime as my weakened body will allow before I collapse on the forest floor, trembling. I cough as a searing pain rips through my insides. Blood coating the ground is the last thing I see before my world goes black.

 

 

Verse VI:

The Priestess' Recovery

I held you tight to me
But you slipped away
You promised to return to me
And I believed, I believed

 

 

I didn't think I could feel anything anymore, but I was wrong. I feel clearly the panic as I wake and realize Hiei is not with me. I feel a sense of longing to find him. I feel desperation as the hours pass by and my searching turns up nothing.

I feel relief when, just before sunset, I seehim, slumped against a tree. I feel a cold fear as I notice the blood around him, and pick up on the fact that his breathing is undetectable.

I don't know at what point I started crying, I just know that my voice sounds hysterical, as I sob over his still body, taking it into my arms. “Don't die, please don't die.” That is my only mantra, but he doesn't hear me.

When I realize he is still alive, but barely, I calm a bit. I don't remember building a fire, or wrapping us in a blanket, but I must have. I don't remember letting the exhaustion of the last 24 hours pull me into sleep, but it clearly did. What I do remember, however, is realizing, in awe, that my heart is whole enough to care for someone once again.

 

Chorus III:

The Fire Demon's Resolve

Long ago it came to me
And ever since that day
Infected with its rage
But it ends today

 

The first thing I notice is warmth. A fire is near, a blanket surrounds me, and a soft body is pressed against me. I open my eyes and smile when I see Kagome's sleeping face. She must have found me and cared for me. I always wondered if she had feelings for me, and now my question is answered. I don't need grand confessions of love. I'm not one to make them myself, after all, so why would I require them from others? The fact that she had paused from the one goal that had consumed her since her friend's deaths is all the proof I need. The real Kagome is still in there, and she cares for me. I find myself smiling at that. It's clear to me now, as it has been for some time, that I care for her too.

My smile fades quickly as I remember last night's events, and I have to pull away from her embrace as I puke at the memory of what I've done. Yes, living among humans has softened me.

“You're awake! Are you alright?” I can't tell her. She can never know what I've done. The dragon knows I'm awake now as well, and is scrambling for his chance to take control again. The taste of copper fills my mouth, and the ground below me tints red as another sharp pain rips through my body.

“I'll be ok.” My voice is shaking with the strain of speaking. I notice the sun rising over the distant horizon as my vision fights for focus.

This is my fault. I knew when I called the dragon that day that there was a chance I would die. I knew as I consumed him, that there was a chance I wouldn't be able to control him. All these things I've accepted. What I will not accept, however, is endangering the lives of others because of my weakness. No, I can't allow that. I will beat the dragon, and I will do it today, before I hurt anyone else.

“Are you sure?” She turns worried eyes to me. That concern is all for me, when was the last time someone worried about me? A warmth spreads through me at the thought.

“Yes, but, if you don't mind, could we take a day and rest? I know I said I wouldn't slow you down…”

“No, its fine, just rest, I'll take some time and ask around for information.”

“I have some for you.” I am hesitant to tell her this information, but as I think about last night, I am certain of my plans. I know that I am going to lose the battle with the dragon, and I needed to be sure he won't hurt others. “When you find the dragon, the only way to kill it is to kill the host.”

Her eyes widen in surprise. “How did you find that out?”

I smile, and that too surprises her, “Never mind, it's reliable.”

“Alright then,” she finally says after a long pause, no doubt thinking it odd that I won't divulge my source, “I'll go grab some firewood, and see if I can get some food.”

 

(It's the fear)
Fear of the dark is growing inside of me
That one day will come to life
(Have to save)
To save my beloved
There is no escape
Because my fate is horror and doom

 

I nod, glad for a moment alone. After watching her disappear into the forest I walk the opposite direction. Finding a stream, I shed my clothes and slip into it, relaxing into the gentle current. I take a few deep breaths of this clean air, and I feel oddly at peace.

After I've had my fill of the cool water, I head back to our make-shift camp. I sent the air and find she is already back. Pulling my cloak over my hair, I keep my distance in the forest. The dragon resists my call. It knows I'm up to something. I haven't willingly unleashed it since I started losing control over it. The jagan, too, is sending my brain panicked messages as it sees its own future, but my mind is calm. I want this, I know it's right.

Reluctant as it might be, the dragon can't ignore the promise of freedom. My arm erupts in black flames. The pain is comforting; it's what I was expecting. I watch, steeling myself as the dragon approaches her. She hears him at the last moment, but it's too late, she's been swallowed by black flames. Despite its fear, the jagan obeys me without hesitation, and takes control of the dragon. I order him to burn away the darkness in her soul, and to leave her flesh untouched, and he has no choice but to comply. I smile as I see the pure light surrounding her. This is how she is meant to be. This is how I want to remember her.

I continue to smile as an arrow cuts down the center of the dragon, the pure light obliterating it. I'm not afraid as I see it flying toward me. Nothing I face in death can be as painful, or as frightening as losing myself to the dragon's evil.

The arrow strikes my chest, grazing my heart, a testament to her gift with the bow. Two more follow it, one in my right shoulder, and one in my gut. This pain is less comforting, it burns. Her holy powers scorch their way through my soul. I stager backward, and fall to the ground. Death is coming slower than I had hoped. I keep smiling though, as I feel the dragon's rage at the trick before his flame flickers out, his presence completely disappearing from my mind. The Jagan is the next to abandon me, as my blood flows out of my body so does my ki, and I no longer have the strength to maintain my bond with it.

It seems almost the instant I hit the ground, she is there, hovering over me, wrapping me in her warm arms. Tears stream from those confused eyes. “No, Hiei, why?”

I can't feel my limbs, but they mercifully obey me anyway, I bring a hand to her face and brush at her tears, though more almost instantly replace them. “That's what we do for people we love, Kagome,” My voice is shaky as I quote her words back to her, “we do anything for them.”

“I don't understand, if you love me, then why?” She sobs. This isn't how I want to see her in my final moments.

“Now we're all free, thank you, Kagome.”

 

Verse VII:

The Return of the Pure Priestess

After the night he died
I wept my tears until they dried
But the pain stayed the same
I didn't want him to die all in vain

 

I am horrified as the figure staggers backward and the hood slips from his head. My white-hot anger disappears as I watch him fall.

“HIEI!” I run to him. Confusion, betrayal, and pain warring for dominance in my mind. I cradle him in my arms. He's so weak, and his eyes are growing dimmer. How can he be the dragon's host? How could he have kept it from me? Why did he attack me? Why did it have to end like this? His words make me realize. He's been fighting the beast within him, he was a prisoner to it, as much as I was a prisoner to my need for revenge.

“I love you too, Hiei,” I whisper, knowing as his eyes grow lifeless that he may not have heard the important words. I place a kiss to his lips, and whisper a thank you. His lips part slightly as if he's trying to speak, but then his eyes slide shut and his body relaxes in my arms.

I wasn't there when my first lover died, but tonight, my second love drew his last breath in my arms. I didn't cry for my first lover, but now, my tears fall. Tears for Inuyasha and Sango, and Miroku and Kirara, and tears for Hiei. I`m not numb anymore. Hiei taught me how to feel. He taught me how to feel love, and he taught me how to feel pain, and that's ok. He lived his last few weeks with me. As I think over the short conversations we had, and the handful of things he had said, I knew that he had planned to die all along, he was just making sure I didn't let the vengeance destroy me. Hiei saved my life, and so I will live it, for him.

 

Verse VIII:

The Mourning of a Kitsune

Long ago it came to me
And ever since that day
Infected with its rage
But it ends today

 

I feel, more than hear the whisper in my mind. It feels like Hiei. Sometimes he would communicate with me during battle via the jagan, and it was much like this, but this voice is so faint, so weak, and it says only four words:

Thank you, my friend.

I try to convince myself I've imagined it, but the empty feeling in my chest lets me know, a hero has fallen.