InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Fragile Heart ❯ Chapter Thirteen: Dradle and All ( Chapter 13 )

"A Fragile Heart"

By: Banshee Puppet

Chapter Thirteen: Dradle and All

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It was now or never. They had waited months, longer than they had any desire to wait, but as long as was necessary. They'd gathered the wolves, sent word to Kaede at the village by the well, but heard nothing back of Shippo or Kilala. And now, with the wolves of the North beside them, the three warriors stormed Naraku's castle gates, slashing through demon after demon. Sango's broken hiraikotsu had been replaced, Miroku had fashioned a new staff in the time that he was not even permitted to stand on his own, and Kouga was more confident and arrogant than ever with his trident in hand. Demon after demon swarmed, but they did not falter. The wind tunnel was useless at this stage, the familiar buzzing of Naraku's poison bees not far off. Kagura's wind magic sliced through many wolves, as if being attacked by blades of blood rather than a whipping wind, and many had already fallen. None said what they all feared: "we're not going to make it, are we?" Come hell or high water, they were saving their friends today.

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Rin could only fake being asleep for so long to stay by Sesshomaru's side and protect him. She had to pee, after all, and she was certain to be caught sooner or later. When no one was looking, she'd hidden one of Kagome's arrows between her body and Sesshomaru's, where she lay over it, just in case. She didn't really know what she would do if 'just in case' actually came, but she was going to protect Sessho-kun. The only Sesshomaru Rin knew was the one from the dream. That was true of everyone here, but that didn't make her care for them any less, want to protect them any less.

And as if in answer to a silent plea, in came Shippo, dradle and all, with little Kilala. Shippo waved at the girl, smiling, and put a finger to his lips. Kilala shifted into her full-blown demon form, and Shippo whispered, "hey, help me get them on top of her, kay? Let's bring them somewhere safe."

Rin was eager to assist the strange little boy. "Rin will help!" Rin said, and then clapped her hand over her mouth. Luckily, no one had heard them.

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The air was tense, it had been for some time now, and after an extended silence, when the teacher's back was turned, Kagome passed the note to Inuyasha.

'How is he?' it read.

He rolled his eyes, let out a soft, "keh", and scratched down in barely legible handwriting, 'He's grieving. How do you think?'

Kagome read this and shot her friend a glare. "Inuyasha," she whispered dangerously.

With a soft, defeated sigh, which would have been louder if their teacher didn't have ears like a dog, he returned, "He comes down for dinner, but that's about it. He doesn't talk, not that he cries or anything. It's more like. . . he's back to being the blank-faced bastard he was before he met you."

Kagome sighed, "Sess."

"He hasn't talked to you either?"

Kagome shook her head. "Not since, you know. . . that day."

"That day," Inuyasha mumbled. "The day he. . ."

"Yeah."

"Do you two have something you wish to share with the class?" the teacher suddenly asked, breaking them out of their quiet conversation.

"Uh. . . that is. . . n-no," Kagome stuttered.

"Children, if you want to have a recess, I suggest you take it in the principal's office," the teacher said drolly.

"See what you just did?!" Kagome protested.

"What I just did? Don't you mean what you just did!"

"Oooo!"

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Sesshomaru sat in his room staring at his hands. 'These hands, why do they look so familiar to me now? They're the same hands I've always had, aren't they?'

He dropped his head and sighed. "What's wrong with me? It's like something's happening, or about to happen, that isn't supposed to happen, and I know. . . I already know that whatever it is, I can't stop it."

'I was so happy. When did. . . when did this all begin? Is time catching up to me as well?'

He looked up at his easel where there was just the barest image of a small girl with a side pigtail. She was dancing, arms stretching heavenward. He knows who she is. But why did he choose that scene? Why there? She's surrounded by the most beautiful belladonna lilies, just like. . .just like at the funeral.

"I must be losing my mind."

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After Rin's death, Inuyasha moved in permanently with Sesshomaru. Well, as permanently as he expected, which wasn't permanently at all. They didn't sell the house. It was still their father's, and he was expected to return eventually, but it was just too large for one person alone…and Inuyasha could hardly get himself to go in the front door when he knew what he was hiding in the basement.

Today, he decided. He would finish it all today. Sesshomaru was miserable, this world seemed to be falling apart at the seams, though he appeared to be the only one noticing. It was the little things. He would put a cup of coffee on the table, then go do something, turn away from it, and when he went to get it again, it was by the sink. His toothbrush was in his underwear draw one day, and this morning he went to take a shower and the water came out red. Either he'd officially lost his mind, or this entire dream was being held together by duct tape and chewing gum. Strangely, he was fairly sure it was the latter.

Kagome sat now at the kitchen table. She'd asked Sesshomaru to come out of his room, and he said he would be out soon, but he hadn't arrived yet. Inuyasha was about to start chopping some vegetables. The knife held in his hand he took a deep breath. 'I'll just take care of Kagome first then. The order doesn't matter much at this point as long as I wake both of them up before I get myself. Since it was my stupid wish I don't want to risk them not waking up at all….'

Without warning, he dove over the table and attacked Kagome. She screamed, avoiding the knife just barely as it sliced a thin line into her arm. Kagome's teacup smashed against the floor and shattered.

At this Sesshomaru came out. "What's…have you gone mad, Inuyasha???!" he demanded, seeing that his younger brother seemed very intent on killing the love of his life, and the only thing that remained to allow him even the slightest peace of mind. He tackled his brother to the ground.

Inuyasha felt lucky, just this once, that they were both only human here, and Sesshomaru didn't have his customary speed and strength. His attack was diverted then. It didn't matter who he got first, and he slashed at Sesshomaru. 'I'll finish this today, right now. I will…we've got to wake up, or everyone is in a lot of trouble. They need us damnit!' the younger thought. It was quite clear that Sesshomaru and Kagome thought he'd gone completely mad, and Sesshomaru told Kagome to call the police as he tried to wrestle the knife away from his brother. But before Kagome could even dial the number, a supreme accident occurred.

Inuyasha stumbled back, the knife protruding from his stomach and blood gushing out. He fell, and Sesshomaru rushed to catch him. "N-no…not yet…" Inuyasha choked. "You gotta…Sess…you gotta wake up," he pleaded before his eyes fell closed.

"Inuyasha! INUYASHA!" Sesshomaru shook him. "Come on, this isn't funny! Wake up damnit!"

Kagome screamed, a pale pink light radiating from her body, the light of the Shikon Jewel. Everything flooded her mind. Inuyasha dying, Sesshomaru holding his bloody brother, demanding that he not die-she'd seen it all before, once, a very long time ago, when a woman with her face had died, at last, and returned to her a complete soul, and with it, the reborn Shikon Jewel, waiting for one last wish to be granted. The pulsing light filled the apartment, and Sesshomaru, suddenly, clutched at his arm, or where an arm would be, and was…but only in the dream…everything seemed so wiggly, like the ripples that form in water when a rock is suddenly dropped inside, and…

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…the crystalline world shattered, a shard of it flying off into Tanjoh's eye. "Gah!" he clutched at the wound just as the trio from hell stormed in.

"This one is mine," Kouga growled.

"We'll leave it to you then," Miroku nodded. "We're off to find Naraku."

"Good luck."

"Send him to the deepest of the seven hells my friend," Miroku grinned before running off.

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Kagome woke first, and a moment later, the brothers awoke together, simultaneously. Sesshomaru stared Inuyasha for a long moment before the other looked away. "Sorry," he grumbled.

"You should have just said something, Inuyasha."

"Are you kidding?! Even to me the idea of Kouga slipping in through the shower wall sounds totally insane!"

"Uh…guys…"

"Shippo!" Kagome had never been so happy to see someone in her entire life. She squeezed the little kitsune ecstatically before she heard Sesshomaru's shocked voice. "Rin?"

The little girl tackled him, almost knocking him off of Kilala's back, and grinned into his chest. "Sessho-kun!" He pat her head. So she was real. She hadn't just been a dream. And she appeared to be completely healthy on a very cursory expression. 'Oh thank the heavens you're alright, Rin,' he thought, though his expression faltered only very slightly.

Kagome smiled to herself. He really had changed. Maybe all in all, that dream would be good for them.

"Where are we going, runt?!" Inuyasha barked at Shippo. 'Well, some people will NEVER change,' Kagome thought wryly.

"Uh…somewhere safe?"

"LIKE HELL WE ARE! WE GOTTA GO HELP THE OTHERS!" Inuyasha barked.

"I cannot believe I'm about to say this," Sesshomaru began. "But I agree with Inuyasha."

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Kouga didn't really see Tanjoh as much of a threat. With his dream world shattered and his eye gushing, there was really very little challenge to killing the exiled wolf. "This is for my pack!" he demanded retribution for all the wolves lost this day as he stabbed the wolf in the stomach with his trident, and then clawed out the man's remaining eye, "and that was for my friends." Tanjoh gurgled, not much life left in him as Kouga ripped the trident out and kicked the youkai in the balls. "And that one was just because I don't like you, ya bastard!"

Kouga's eyes widened suddenly as he felt something dig into his back, and blood spouted out of his mouth. His eyes peered over his shoulder and he fell over the dead dreamweaver, life fading fast, as the name escaped his lips… "Ko---ha-ku?"

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"COME OUT AND FACE ME YOU COWARD!!!" Sango demanded of Naraku. They'd managed only a small victory, defeating Kagura, who's body lay prone on the ground, limbs bent in awkward positions, but the price had been heavy. " Miroku's arm. …Yeah, that arm. Gone. The prayer beads, bloody as hell, were wound haphazardly about his bicep, and the wind from the wound would not fade so easily this time.

"Without those two dog brothers and their little priestess, you're not even worth my time," Naraku laughed, his doll slashing down at Sango, who decimated it and charged forward at him.

"You're allies are dead, Naraku! I would think more carefully about who you insult!" she told him, and Miroku was just behind her. But as the last attack came down, ready to decimate them, a pink arrow sliced through the hand that would have finished them.

Miroku looked up, grinning, "Kagome!"

Inuyasha leapt from Kilala's back. "Stupid. You should have waited."

"There wasn't time! We came to rescue you!"

"It appears you are a bit late for that," Sesshomaru stated as he also leapt from the demon cat's back.

Inuyasha smirked at his brother. "Shall we?" he asked with a knowing smirk.

"Let's."

And the brothers attacked. Shippo went towards Sango and Miroku, but the monk stopped them. "Stay back, Shippo. My wind tunnel is particularly bad today."

"Where's Kouga?" Kagome asked.

"Huh? Where indeed…" 'I wonder if he's had some trouble,' Miroku wondered.

"Idiot. Go look for him! We'll kill Naraku!" Inuyasha told him. "Take Sango with you, so you don't get yourself killed by doing something stupid." 'And because she'll probably be safer away from here.'

"Inuyasha…I…"

Inuyasha glared at her over his shoulder. "Just get goin' already!"

And she nodded. The answer of what had happened between them would come with time. Right now, they had the battle of a lifetime on their hands.

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Kagome was running out of arrows. Naraku was weakening, but it wasn't enough. She would have to make this last one count.

What no one was expecting was the tentacle that leapt up and went straight for Rin. Instinctively, Inuyasha jumped in the way, but he couldn't counter in time and the tentacle pierced straight through him as the child fell back on her rear end.

"Wh-why?" Rin stuttered, eyes flodding. "Inu-kun!"

"Because…it's about time I…did something right," and Inuyasha fell from the tentacle, lifeless.

"NOOO!" Kagome screamed, letting her last arrow fly as the crystalline tears tumbled from her eyes. Not again. Not again. This is the third time she'd been forced to watch her best friend die! No. No. Just…no, damnit!

'He saved…Rin…for me…' Sesshomaru was stunned. He knew they were family, but there had been so much history between them that it was hard to fathom that he could be so forgiving and noble. 'Inuyasha…I will avenge you, I swear!' In the same instant as Kagome's arrow flew, Sesshomaru attacked with Tokijin, the demon blade that he had once loaned his brother to kill another beast that got in the way of their living and breathing, that destroyed the possibility of loving one another completely-Kikyo. Naraku would not be able to avoid both attacks at once. And though Kagome's arrow was the death blow, the feel of Toukjin sinking into the soft flesh of Naraku's shoulder was no end to satisfying for the demon lord.

But he turned, eyes gaping, as, in one final strike, a boy named Kohaku, long since dead, murdered Rin before his eyes, and Shippo as well, before falling dead himself as Naraku's life was extinguished. 'No…no…to just get…how much more are you going to take away from me!' his mind demanded of the heavens and whatever god was listening.

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"No! Sango! Run!" Miroku could feel the wind tunnel ripping open, but it was too late, as the prayer beads snapped sucking in everything around them, including himself, and leaving nothing but a large pit in the ground.

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The after-effect of the battle was silent, in that morbid sort of way. Kagome stood beside a badly injured Sesshomaru, finally understanding that the way things were…happiness was just an empty dream, nothing that could be attained. She kneeled down and dropped her head on his shoulder. He placed his bloody hand on the back of her head, listening to her breathing. It was the single comfort he had now, and it wasn't nearly enough. Even love wasn't nearly enough to protect from this sort of misery.

Finally, the girl, glowing pink again, spoke. She'd found her wish and looked up into his gold eyes. "Sesshomaru, I love you," she put Tokijin in his hand and brought the blade between their closely pressed throats. "Let's go somewhere where happiness is possible. Let's go there together." And the blade sliced out against the night, the jewel leaving Kagome's body and floating into the night sky, shattering into many pieces, and granting this one, final wish.

'Let's forget all of this. Let's go somewhere where happiness is possible. Let's seek that happiness, together.'

'I will wait for you there, Kagome.'

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A/N: You'll notice that two scenes from this chapter are taken directly from the prologue. Didn't think I'd ever get back to that, didja? Haha, well me neither! Gah, but I shouldn't say that. I'm supposed to be a brilliant authoress, not a fly by night scribbler! Hehe.

And ugh! That chapter was so freakin' sad! But it needed to be or else the end would have been stupid. That's okay though! I shall make up for it all in the epilogue! Read on!

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