InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Heartless ❯ The Phoenix ( Chapter 21 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I neither own Inuyasha nor make any monetary gains by torturing him.

Author’s Note: Thanks for the reviews, especially to those that I didn’t get a chance to reply in private. I’m working hard to finish this story before the New Year. Wish me good luck please and expect an update next week!


‘Thinking’
“Talking”
Dreams or memories


Chapter 21: The Phoenix


“No!” The cry that broke out from Kagome’s heart echoed in her ears as her feet pushed at the ground with the force of her desperation.

In the middle of the field, Inuyasha knelt on the ground with his head bowed in acceptance, waiting to meet his end via the slayer’s sword. He was too far away, and even though the miko knew that she wouldn’t make it in time to save her love, she still ran as if her life was on the line.

And in a sense, it was.

Her heart pounded against its cage in sync with her rapid steps, but the distance with the anchor of her existence did not diminish fast enough. A sense of déjà vu hit her then, reminding her that she did not have to touch him to make him move. She opened her mouth with the magic word of subjugation on the tip of her tongue and she would have said it had it not been for the sudden appearance of someone out of the blue.

Before Kagome could find her voice, a shock of red and white and black flew toward the duo and blocked Inuyasha from the miko’s vision. Kagome unconsciously slowed to a stop as she tried to process the unexpected sight before her.

Keiko stood facing Sango with her scarred face bared to the world. Her body shielded the hanyou as her hand kept the slayer’s sword-wielding arm at bay.

Kagome couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘Keiko saved Inuyasha?’

As disbelief gave way to relief, the miko wondered what the wicked priestess’ motives were and how she appeared out of nowhere. She hadn’t noticed anyone else in the meadow other than the fighting duo. Movement to the side caught her attention and brought her gaze away from the middle of the field and to Miroku, who was bound to a tree and struggling against his restraints. Judging by his state, the monk had to have been there all along, and Kagome suspected that Keiko had been with him as well. ‘She must have concealed their presence with a barrier.’

Not for the first time, the lengths the high priestess would go to get what she wanted astonished the young woman and reminded her that even though the imminent threat to Inuyasha’s life was eliminated, he was still in grave danger with the enemy so close to his person. Keiko could have stopped Sango simply because she had had a change of heart and had decided to kill the hanyou with her own hands.

With that thought, Kagome snapped her head in time to see Inuyasha’s claws tear through the skin at Keiko’s back. The miko gasped in horror, and her knees gave out underneath her. She had been so concerned for her husband’s safety that she had forgotten that he was the most dangerous player on the field.

And, it was a good thing that he was, for it kept him alive.

Kagome scrunched her eyes shut against the little voice in her mind. Her fingers clawed at the ground as she fought the onslaught of shame she felt at her selfishness. Was it so bad that she was relieved to see that her love was safe? At what cost? When her fingers closed around soft fabric instead of dirt, she looked down to see what was in her grasp: Keiko’s veil.

The silken cloth mesmerized her. Whereas its color symbolized purity and innocence, this garment was the symbol of the taint in Keiko’s heart, of what Kagome had almost lost and what she still had to lose.

Hurried steps brought her attention back to the field. She saw Sango run to Miroku’s side. Keiko was facing Inuyasha now. The hanyou crouched low, licking the blood on his claws. The miko knew he was going to kill the high priestess unless he was stopped, and without having to consider it, she knew that she had to do anything she could to stop him. It didn’t matter whether Keiko deserved to die by his hand or not. Even if he killed her, it had to be by his conscious decision.

Kagome opened her mouth to subdue him, but it seemed like the Kami were against her interruption.

“Mama!” cried out a voice she knew by heart, making her forget about everything but the safety of her babies.

Kagome jumped to her feet and whirled around to the source of the voice to see Kohaku drag Reika back into the woods. Her shoulders sagged in relief. Knowing that her little princess was safe, the miko turned to stop her husband…

… and froze.

She was too late. Inuyasha retracted his hand out of Keiko’s chest, and the high priestess’ lifeless form fell limply at his feet. Unfazed by the death of his longtime torturer, the hanyou stood up. His red gaze washed over the remaining occupants of the meadow. He was, without doubt, choosing his next prey.

Time stood still for the miko as a soft breeze caressed her stoic face and ruffled the white cloth she still clutched in her hand. What was she supposed to feel? Sadness or satisfaction? Regret or relief? Right then, all she could feel was horror. And that feeling escalated to an unbearable level the moment she saw a tiny figure run past her in a blur of red and silver.

“Raiden!” she cried out. “Stop!”

But, the boy paid her no heed as he barreled toward his father. Inuyasha had taken only a couple of steps before Raiden ran into his leg.

She should have put a rosary on her son as well.

Kagome’s heart jumped to her throat when Inuyasha raised his claws to attack. When she finally had the chance to say the word, she couldn’t do it; it would crush the boy under his father’s weight and possibly do more damage than the hanyou’s claws would.

Clearly unaware of the danger he was in, Raiden clutched at Inuyasha’s leg with the excitement of a puppy welcoming its beloved owner at the end of the day. “Papa!” The boy’s voice rang clear in Kagome’s ears, as clear as the hostility she could read in the hanyou’s ruby eyes.

She took a step forward, intent on protecting her child at all cost, when a second figure ran past her. This time, however, Kagome was faster and she grabbed Reika before it was too late. She hugged her daughter to her chest tightly despite the girl’s protests.

Inuyasha hadn’t hurt Raiden yet, and it gave the miko hope. His claws were still bared, but instead of attacking, he was watching with curiosity as the boy struggled to climb up his leg. One side of his lips was twisted up in an amused smirk. It reminded Kagome of a cat playing with a helpless mouse before its certain death.

The hair on her arms stood up, and her fists tightened in reflex, bunching up Reika’s flowery kimono in their grasp. She could feel the energy rising within her veins; she was ready to purify her husband if need be and she would certainly do it to save her son.

Their son…

Even if her powers didn’t kill Inuyasha, harming his pup surely would. But how could she pull it off? She wasn’t close enough to touch him and she didn’t have her bow and arrows with her — she didn’t even remember where she had left them. Any sudden movement on her part could mean Raiden’s death. Besides, if she did manage to purify the hanyou by some miracle, what would happen to their children? They had never been subjected to purification. Would it hurt them? Were they strong enough to survive? Would it simply turn them into humans or…

Or, would it kill them?

While the miko painfully considered her options, Raiden was making progress in his attempts to climb up the deadly hanyou’s stony form and getting closer to his bloody claws in the process. Like a monkey, he used both his hands and feet to get to his destination. When the boy was hanging off his haori at his waist, Inuyasha growled in warning. To Kagome’s horror, instead of running off with fright, the pup growled back playfully and his smile widened, thinking that it was a game they used to play.

Inuyasha’s growl turned into a snarl as he bore his fangs to the boy. Kagome knew then that hoping for a miracle was futile; he was going to kill the child. She ran forward right as the hanyou flexed his fingers and let them descend upon his son’s throat.

His claws were too long for Raiden’s tiny throat, too sharp for the child’s soft skin and too dirty to touch the purity of innocence. The claws she had never feared before…

They were killing her baby.

But, they didn’t. Not yet.

What stopped the hanyou’s attack was not Raiden’s brilliant smile as he looked up at his father. It was the miko’s sudden movement; and instead of the boy’s throat, he swiped at her.

Kagome gasped in pain as sharp claws scratched at her outstretched hand and jumped back in time to avoid further damage.

“Mama,” whimpered Reika fearfully, bringing the growling hanyou’s red gaze on her. “Papa hurt you?”

Tightening her hold on her daughter, Kagome rushed to reassure the child. “No, baby. It was an accident. He didn’t mean it.” Seeing the concern in Reika’s huge golden orbs brought tears to the miko’s eyes. The children had never witnessed Inuyasha’s transformation before, and she regretted that they had to see it now. Something had to be done, and soon. She forced her steady gaze on the girl instead of her unpredictable husband. Though, out of the corner of her eye, she caught the movement of his ears as they twitched madly at the sound of her voice. “Papa wouldn’t hurt any of us,” she declared with certainty. “He loves us too much to do that.”

Turning to the hanyou, she whispered, “Inuyasha.” His name on her lips was a plea that she wasn’t sure he would hear. But, she had to try. Watching the hanyou’s reactions and keeping Reika out of reach, she approached the father and son — this time, with carefully measured steps.

He growled in warning when she came too close for his comfort, but she wasn’t deterred. Instead of cowering, she slowly reached for him. The mild sting on her injured wrist was already forgotten once her fingers finally contacted the soft skin of his cheek. “Please, come back,” she begged.

The moment she touched him, he suddenly pulled back as if shocked. His growls ceased at her touch, and Kagome’s heart thumped with hope. His nostrils flared with his effort to recognize the familiar scents assaulting his senses. Encouraged by his lack of hostility, the miko let her hand graze his skin once more before she gently caressed his cheek. “Come back to us, love.”

Inuyasha blinked several times before he closed his eyes tightly. The miko could see the battle he was having with his demon by his shaking fists as he fought to keep them away from his family. She knew the moment her Inuyasha finally won; his arms fell to his sides and the jagged stripes on his cheeks faded to reveal his smooth skin. Tears of relief sprang to Kagome’s eyes when he opened his golden orbs in confusion before looking off to the side where Keiko lay lifeless.

The scent of rust and salt jerked Inuyasha away from the blissful fog of unawareness. He could feel the tingling in his nose even though the rest of his senses were lost to him.

‘Blood?’

When he had closed his eyes to the world, he had been awaiting Sango’s killing blow. Was it possible to smell your death as your life’s essence leaked out of your cut throat? It had to be. The scent burning his nostrils reminded him of death, of loss and nothingness. But, there was something wrong with it. He knew for sure that it was what kept him alive.

As sure as he knew that it wasn’t his blood.

Something kept pushing him down to the abyss — a force within his unfeeling body, determined to suppress, eager to control. But, he needed to see, so he pushed back.

Before his eyes, his trusted nose let him know the source of the scent that pulled him out of unconsciousness.

‘Kagome’s blood!’

A string of profanities echoed through his mind. He had left her behind with the sole purpose of protecting her. But, that wench was always good about acting against his wishes. In fact, she did it as if she had a death wish. And, she did it again; his nose never lied to him.

Kagome was nearby.

And, she was hurt.

What happened? Did Sango attack her, too? Or was it the holy bitch? Panic gripped at his soul. Kagome could have been dead by now, and he was… What was he? He surely wasn’t dead if he could still feel fear. Did that mean he had transformed completely? Had it been his claws that had hurt Kagome?

‘No!’ His voiceless cry brought with it the power he needed to break through the barrier that kept him in the abyss.

He had to see.

Hands turned into fists as sharp claws dug into his palms painfully. He welcomed the pain; it was infinitely better than emptiness. Long fangs bit into helpless lips as he fought over the control of his body until every single part of it was his again. Once he could finally feel his tightly closed eyelids, he opened them slowly.

His vision was blurry at first. Black and white covered his sight in shapeless shadows. Then, a fleck of red caught his attention and he looked to the side, focusing on the only color that made sense; Kagome had been wearing red when he had last seen her.

The sight of a lifeless form clad in miko robes combined with the scent of Kagome’s blood threatened to shed him of his sanity. But, the now familiar warmth on his cheek kept him grounded, compelling him to look away from the corpse and to the people standing in front of him.

His fears must have been correct. Kagome had died, and so had he. And somehow, they met in heaven. Nothing else could explain the amazing sight before him.

Reika, his beautiful princess, sat in her mother’s arms, wearing the flowery kimono he had traded a herd of elks to get for her. Her tiny lips pulled up in a smile when his gaze met her equally golden one.

The negligible weight dangling on his chest turned out to be none other than his brave son. A wide grin stretched over the boy’s face as he looked up at the older hanyou with hope.

His pups.

His disbelieving gaze swept over the pups back and forth. It had been ten years since he had been graced with the sight of their happy smiles, little twitching ears, their chubby hands and tiny, bare feet. They hadn’t changed even a single bit. Why? Was it because…

They weren’t real?

When his eyes finally settled on their mother, they held the question he was afraid to voice — afraid that it would turn out to be another cruel trick set up to destroy what was left of his sanity. By the sad smile Kagome gave him, he knew that she understood.

Her smile widened slightly as she simply nodded her head in confirmation.

It was true.

They were alive.

His pups were alive.

A soft whimper escaped his lips as Inuyasha’s face twisted with a heart-breaking combination of sadness and a mystified smile. This time, it was overwhelming relief and joy that brought the mighty hanyou to his knees as he dropped to the ground.

Raiden took the opportunity to settle down in his lap. Still holding Reika, Kagome mirrored the hanyou’s position as she sat down in front of him. The moment her knees touched the ground, Reika slid out of the confines of her arms and crawled to the hanyou’s lap to join her brother.

Inuyasha watched in wonder, unable to make a sound as the pups hugged his neck and started asking questions and talking about Kami knew what. Everything was changing so fast that he couldn’t make sense of anything. One moment ago, he had believed that he had lost his precious babies forever, and now they were in his arms, safe and alive. He had thought that he would never see them again, that he would never hear their joyful laughter, feel their warmth, or smell their sweet scents…

He breathed in deeply, relishing the delightful fragrances of his children as if it were his last chance to do so. They smelled of the first blossoms of spring, of grass after rain, of hope and love and life…

They smelled like a dream.

He tentatively brought his hands up to touch the silky strands of their silver hair but froze at the sight of his bloody claws. Horror gripped at his heart, but not because of what he might have done. He couldn’t care less about who he had killed; all that mattered was in front of him, and they were too pure to be soiled with blood.

But, he had to touch them.

“Kagome,” he whimpered helplessly. “My hands… my hands, Kagome. I can’t…”

“I know, love,” soothed his miko with a trembling voice as she produced a flask of water from seemingly out of nowhere and proceeded to wash his hands. Once his hands were finally clean, he touched the children’s heads timidly, afraid that they would disappear.

They didn’t.

Holding a small lock of Reika’s hair, he hesitantly brought it to his nose. He sniffed once and then twice before he buried his nose into her hair and clutched both pups to his chest. At that moment, the cry that broke out of him was both an apology and gratitude to the ones he had cursed for the last ten years.

“Oh, Gods!”

Off to the side of the clearing where the heartbreaking reunion of the once broken family took place, Miroku sat leaning against the tree he had been bound to a few minutes prior. Sango sat on his lap, crying like she had never done before and seeking comfort in her husband’s arms.

Miroku stroked her hair and back soothingly, whispering words of endearment as he waited for her tears to subside. He had never seen his wife so hysterical, but he couldn’t blame her; his head was still spinning from the events of the last few minutes.

He hadn’t expected Keiko to run to Inuyasha’s rescue, but now that he thought about it, he shouldn’t have been surprised. Keiko had never planned for Inuyasha’s death. If she had wanted him dead, she would have seen to it when he had been at her mercy in the dungeons of the castle. But, she hadn’t done it then and she didn’t let it happen now.

From that moment on, everything had happened so fast.

The moment Keiko had moved, Kagome had burst through the trees, but she had been too far away to make it in time. Keiko had been the one to save Inuyasha, but it had cost the high priestess her life. And then, the children had appeared out of nowhere followed by Kohaku and Shippo. The young men stayed back, seeing that their involvement would only irritate the hanyou-turned-demon more and endanger the pups’ lives.

In the mean time, Sango had run to Miroku’s side and started tugging at his binds. She had been crying and mumbling incoherently, but Miroku had been too entranced by the unfolding events to pay attention to anything else. By the time she had freed her husband, the hanyou had returned to normal. The monk had seen Kohaku throw his flask to Kagome before he and Shippo loaded the deceased priestess’ corpse on Kirara’s back and led the cat demon away from the clearing.

The sound of a harsh sob brought Miroku’s gaze away from the reunited family to the woman in his arms. Sango was shaken up badly, but she was alive, and so was everyone else he cared about. Overcome with relief, Miroku hugged his wife tighter and kissed her temple.

Sango was frantic as she clawed at his back to get closer. “I-I th-thought…” she stuttered between sobs. “I thought you were d-dead!”

“Shhh,” whispered Miroku, hoping to soothe her with the timbre of his voice. “I know, love. I’m here. I’m here. It’s over.”

Sniffling, Sango pulled back slightly and wiped at her cheeks before looking up at him. She was so beautiful with her shimmering doe eyes and her runny nose. “I couldn’t live without you, Miroku,” she whimpered through her reddened lips, and all Miroku wanted at that moment was to kiss her.

So, he did just that.

Pressing his lips softly against hers, he tasted their salty wetness gratefully. “Neither could I breathe without you, love,” he whispered against her lips before he pulled back to pin her with his steady gaze. “But we’re alive now, and there’s no reason to worry about that.”

The hint of a smile blossomed on Sango’s face as she cupped his cheek and stroked his jaw with her thumb. She let out a trembling sigh and settled against his chest, facing the meadow. It wasn’t long before Miroku heard her gasp. “Oh, Kami,” she exhaled, looking at the pups in Inuyasha’s lap. “They’re…”

“Yes,” the monk interrupted before she could finish. “They are alive.”

The slayer was silent as she watched their friends interact with their spirited children in wonder. After a while, she asked, “What happened to them?”

Anticipating his wife’s volatile reaction, Miroku tightened his hold on her. “They were bound to the Goshinboku,” he blurted in a rush. Just as he expected, Sango gasped in shock and tried to get out of his arms. Ignoring her attempts, he continued, “They were suspended in time by a spell not unlike the one Inuyasha had been under. Keiko used a concealing barrier to make sure no one found them.”

“That bitch,” spat Sango venomously. When it became clear that he wasn’t going to let her out of his arms so that she could punch something, she deflated against his chest. “She deceived us all, and we fell for her lies like fools. I can’t believe I fell for her illusions so easily,” she mumbled dejectedly. “But, it was so real, Miroku.”

The monk stroked her back in reassurance. “It wasn’t your fault, Sango. Which one of us didn’t fall for Keiko’s manipulation? Besides, she even sent Tadashi to the dungeons to rile you up beforehand. You didn’t stand a chance against her scheming. None of us did.”

“Still, I could have killed him,” muttered the slayer, looking at her hanyou friend with sad eyes. “I don’t understand. If that was what she wanted, why did she stop me?”

“Because she wasn’t trying to have you kill him.” Miroku’s declaration brought Sango’s attention back to her husband. “She was trying to force him into killing you, Sango,” he claimed as he held her surprised gaze. “You and I… We were sentenced to death, anyway. She was trying to break him even more by dropping the weight of your death on his shoulders. And, she was going to have me watch while he took your life with his claws. We betrayed Keiko by helping Inuyasha escape, and she wanted to make me suffer, to make me feel the pain of betrayal. The next step would have been to have me fight against him as well, and I would have done so if he killed you; she knew that.”

Furrowing his brows, Miroku looked away from the pain in Sango’s eyes and to the tortured but still very much alive hanyou. “Keiko never tried to kill him really,” he mumbled in thought. “I don’t think she could have lived in a world where he didn’t exist.”

A warm hand on his cheek gently coaxed his gaze to meet Sango’s questioning one.

“Keiko was…” he started, feeling the wrongness of the words even before he uttered them. “…in love… with Inuyasha.”

Sango’s eyes widened before she scoffed. “But… but, that’s… that’s…”

Knowing the word she was having trouble to find, Miroku finished for her. “Twisted, I know. She was a woman scorned, Sango. And this is where her ego led her.” With his head, he gestured to the woods where they had taken Keiko’s body.

Looking around the field where a disaster had almost taken place, the monk sighed tiredly. “We should leave this place as soon as possible, but first, we have a funeral to attend.”

“What?” asked the slayer as she turned in his arms to glare at him. “After everything she did, we’ll give her a funeral?”

Unfazed by the look she was giving him, Miroku nodded gravely. “We can’t afford to leave any evidence of what transpired here, Sango. If they find her body, they’ll know that we’re alive and there’ll be more reason to hunt us down. But if we cremate her now, no one will know for sure who died here and who lived. That will at least give us more time to decide what to do.”

He could see that his argument made sense when Sango bit her lip in silent acceptance. “It’s not just that, though,” he added more somberly. “I know you disliked the Keiko that died in this clearing today; I didn’t like her either.”

Sango snorted sarcastically. “Dislike is not a strong enough word, Miroku.”

Miroku nodded his agreement. “No, it’s not. But… don’t you remember the first time she had come to our village? She had been so young, so willing to learn, to help. She had so much potential to do good, but all that was ruined because of her emotions.” When Sango opened her mouth to protest, he silenced her with a finger on her lips. “…emotions that any teenage girl could have developed for a guy like Inuyasha,” he asserted with conviction. “What Keiko needed was guidance to find the right path, but she had none. We were the only friends she had, but she couldn’t come to any of us with her feelings for our married friend, could she? Had we paid closer attention, I think we could have seen the love in her eyes every time she looked at him and prevented it from getting out of hand like it did. But, we chose to chalk it up to admiration for the village’s hero. I guess, in a sense, we’re responsible for Keiko’s destruction from the very beginning.”

Acceding to his point, Sango’s face fell.

“We can’t change the past,” the monk added with a sigh as he guided her head to his chest and resumed stroking her hair. “But, the least we can do for the girl we knew all those years ago is to give her a proper funeral. Right?”

The slayer nodded wordlessly before her attention was diverted to the trio that entered the clearing. Their son and twin daughters looked around in confusion before they spotted their parents. Sango jumped to her feet and ran to hug her children, leaving Miroku to watch his family in blissful exhaustion.

A few meters away, Inuyasha still sat with his pups in his lap. He had one arm wrapped around each pup while Kagome tried to keep the wiggling children from pressing on his injuries. It seemed that the hanyou couldn’t have cared less about his wounds; he wore the biggest smile Miroku had ever seen on his face as he took every opportunity to place a sloppy kiss on the children’s cheeks, hair, ears, hands — whichever part of their little bodies he could reach. Seeing his friend so affectionate brought a smile to the monk’s face, but also made him wonder what the couple was going to think about his plans.

Reddish flames born from a large pile of wood hungrily licked at the body lying on top of it. To the witnesses gathered around, it seemed like they were performing a rather spirited dance of farewell as they eagerly enveloped the lifeless form with the welcoming warmth of hell. Heavy smoke rose from the sizzling fire only to be scattered by the harsh wind.

In between the slayer and the monk, Kagome stood like a stone as she watched Keiko burn.

Inuyasha stayed back with the pups. He didn’t want to be involved; he didn’t even acknowledge that there had ever been someone like Keiko.

Kagome couldn’t blame him.

The group had argued about whether to simply bury the body and be done with it or to cremate it before they had finally decided on the latter, trusting the strong wind to blow the smoke far enough to prevent exposure. The remains were to be scattered around; no one was willing to take the risk of dealing with another resurrected priestess any time soon.

After Sango and Miroku left her side, Kagome remained motionless, lost in her thoughts. In her hands was the white veil she had found earlier and had unconsciously tucked in her shirt sometime during her struggles to keep her family alive.

The miko had been so angry with the deceased priestess for what she had done to her family. But despite everything she had done, Keiko still had a heart — one that hadn’t let her really harm the children. For that, Kagome was grateful.

Now, as she watched the flames lick at Keiko’s body, all the miko could feel for her former friend and foe was pity. The high priestess had had all the time in the world to turn around, to right her wrongs, but she hadn’t done it — not until the last moment. Whatever Keiko’s reasons had been, Kagome hoped that they had been worth it in the end and that she would find peace in death.

Because from that moment on, the miko was going to live in peace with her children and her husband, knowing that she was dearly loved.

She moved to throw the veil into the flames, ready to get rid of everything that could remind her of Keiko, but at the sight of the white cloth, Kagome hesitated before pulling her hand back. “My memories of you will disappear like your smoke dissolves into thin air,” she whispered. “But, I’ll never forget what I almost lost. This,” she said as she fisted the garment in her hand. “This will be a constant reminder of that, not of you.”

With her mind set, Kagome tucked the veil in her shirt and spared a last glance at the fire. “Goodbye, Keiko,” she mumbled and turned her back to what was left of the high priestess and her past.

Walking toward the edge of the clearing, the miko could make out Inuyasha’s figure in the distance standing close to the pups as they ran around the trees. Her heart soared once again, and a huge smile blossomed on her face at the sight of her future.

“No, Papa!” cried out Raiden with his eyes wide in horror, causing the birds residing on the surrounding trees take off in fright. “Don’t!”

A low growl resonated through the woods, sending tremors up Inuyasha’s leg as he looked down at his daughter in surprise. Reika’s cheeks were red in anger as she sat in her father’s lap, holding a small cup in her hands and glaring daggers at her brother. “Shush, you baka!” she screamed, wiggling one tiny finger in the mortified boy’s direction. “It’ll help him heal.”

With a decisive nod, his little healer took a piece of the ‘medicine’ she had diligently prepared in the wooden cup and extended it to Inuyasha’s face. Seeing the hopeful expression on her face as she waited for him to accept her offering, Inuyasha couldn’t deny his daughter and opened his mouth. The moment he did so, she stuck the handful of makeshift medicine into his mouth, causing his taste buds to scream in agony.

“That’s nasty!” cried out Raiden, voicing his father’s thoughts precisely.

“No, it’s not!” protested Reika with her hands on her hips.

Despite having her father’s coloring and other hanyou features, she resembled her mother too much, especially at times like these. It used to scare Inuyasha to think about how he would deal with her temper as she grew up. But now, he couldn’t care less about the troubles he would have to face as long as she had a chance to grow up.

Unaware of the rather melancholic path her father’s thoughts had taken and the soft look he was giving her, the little girl declared with certainty, “Papa likes it!” Then, seeking his support, she turned her doe eyes on the older hanyou. “Don’t you, Papa?”

Inuyasha nodded with his mouth full of the disgusting mixture he was trying hard not to swallow. There was grass in it and dirt and feathers and… ‘Is that dry stuff rabbit shit?!’ He couldn’t help it; his face scrunched up in disgust.

Several giggles rose up from the group sitting around them, Shippo being the loudest.

Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed in warning, but the young fox demon chose to ignore it. Raising an eyebrow in challenge, the hanyou muttered through a mouthful of dirt, “I think Shippo wants to have some too, princess.”

Shippo started shaking his head in objection, but the glare Inuyasha sent him stopped him from bolting. The fox opened his mouth tentatively, and a pitiful whimper left him once the nasty concoction hit his tongue.

Everyone started laughing out loud.

“Ew!” exclaimed Raiden, who started making retching noises and holding his stomach dramatically. Reika’s cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson before she started chasing her brother around the group.

While the pups were distracted, Inuyasha silently stood up and sneaked off toward the clearing to spit the now muddy mixture out of his mouth. When he looked up, Miroku and Sango were back from the clearing. The scent of smoke was heavy around them, causing the hanyou to wrinkle his nose in distaste as they passed by him. Their somber expressions turned to one of amusement when they saw him. Confused, Inuyasha checked the corner of his mouth with the tip of his finger to find a large grass blade stuck there. Cursing under his breath, he pried it off of his face and tried to flick it off of his finger. But, the wet blade wouldn’t come off without a fight. With an annoyed growl, he stalked up to the nearest tree and rubbed his finger on its bark, effectively getting rid of the stubborn piece of grass.

Now that he was so close to the clearing — the one place he had avoided for the last couple hours — his eyes caught the sight of the fire and the woman standing in front of it. He couldn’t help it; he stared. Kagome watched as what had remained of Keiko turned to ashes while Inuyasha watched the beauty she exuded from afar as she stood like a statue.

The woman enveloped in the flames could no longer bother him. ‘Serves her right,’ he thought without a hint of guilt on his conscience. He had burned for years; now, it was her turn to be lost in fire. She was gone forever, but he…

He was reborn from his ashes.

During his years of torment, he had done a lot of things he wasn’t proud of, including the murder of the monster that lay over a pile of wood a few yards away. In his mind’s eye, he could still see the blood on his hands. But, his children cleansed his soul. He was their protector, he was their provider and he was their avenging angel. He would be dark as death; he would be white as an angel; or he would get drenched in crimson. He would be anything they needed him to be, would take on any color for them. He was their father.

And, they were his salvation…

…while the beautiful woman smiling at him from across the clearing was his light.

A large grin broke out on his face as Kagome made her way to him. Her brilliant smile only widened once she reached his side. He extended his hand, and she took it without pause. Together, they returned to their pups.

He knew that it wasn’t over yet. There was a war going on, and he had a great responsibility to fulfill. He could sense that things were going to get ugly again soon. But, he would think about that tomorrow.

Today, he had been given his life back.

And, he was going to live it.

End of Chapter 21
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