InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Life's Menagerie ❯ Prologue: Omega ( Chapter 1 )

Life's Menagerie

A/N~ This story is my first published. Don't expect anything even remotely resembling regular updates; this is the junior year of high school, and I barely have a life. The plot is convoluted; at a certain point I myself have to make a decision on where I'm taking it. Have fun reading!

Disclaimer-- What's the harm in dreaming?

Prologue- Omega

~~~~~~

Endings lie hidden in many times and places. Unfortunately, they are not predictable. The one you love can be swept away by an ill-timed circumstance… gone in an instant of heartbreaking despair. Those who have lost often tearfully declare all they wanted was to say farewell.

~~~~~~

I stand, smiling bravely . My heart beats slow and steady, pulsing to the rhythm of my lungs. Pain drifts in increasing waves, but I will not give in to it. We have finally reached the end of suffering. Naraku defeated, all of us freed from our burdens. Before me my friends gather, exalting in their new-found liberty. Weary and wounded, there still remains an indefinable air of lightness to their actions.

Kikyou leans heavily upon her bow, an empty quiver of arrows at her side. She had aided us, as had the mighty Sesshomaru and the wolf demon tribe of Kouga. Together, we defeated perhaps the most terrible demon to have ever walked the earth. An ache in my heart briefly overshadows the agony in my side. Kikyou. Why has she stayed? Is she going to press Inuyasha to make good upon his oath?

Turning my head aside, I concentrate on the physical pain, seeking a distraction from the bitter truth. Beneath my breath I repeat over and over that we've won. I'm happy. Yes, happy that we are all free, happy that we can now continue with our lives in peace.

I watch as Miroku and Sango share a sweet moment, as Shippou tends to a revived but injured Kohaku. Sesshomaru looks down upon his tiny human charge, an inscrutable emotion hidden within his eyes as he cradles her tired, wounded body. Naraku, bastard that he was, had attempted to use the innocent against the demon Lord. Kouga moves among his wolves, greeting all his men with warm congratulations, while Kikyou… Kikyou gazes into the golden eyes of Inuyasha, in a heartfelt moment of shared elation.

Why? He has not yet come to me, not since the first rush of panic filled his gaze. Doesn't he care that I'm wounded? Did he forget that my side was pierced by one of Naraku's tentacles of miasma? I know that he was the only one who saw. Surely that incredible nose of his would have noted what the others have not. But no, my scent must be smothered under the scent of grave soil. Tears sting , harsh and unforgiving. I hold back. She has always had his heart, even if he loved me for a brief time. This isn't the time. I had never had a chance. I need to let go, let him go. The pain increases, and the tears threaten to overflow. No! I will not show weakness! I will be happy!

I move towards my over-stuffed backpack, hoping for bandages. I can't cry over such a silly little thing; others need help. I need help. We are finally free from Naraku's compulsions. I have a duty to make sure we do not die before we have a chance to sample the sweetness of life.

Yes, they are all free. Even me. The jewel is finally complete. Inuyasha will have his wish. I can go home, and finally continue with my life. I pause in my search. Blood is dripping . The brilliant liquid slides down my white thigh. My breath hitches in my lungs. Fumbling fingers drop the precious bandages, and they sink back into the depths of my pack. My head pounds feverishly and my vision wavers.

Unnoticed by all, I stumble over to a tree, leaning into it's support as I press a trembling hand to my side. An unexpected ending, this. I had hoped for more time. Time to say goodbye.

My head hurts, and I know that I'm pale. I'm losing blood fast. Common sense dictates that I call for help, but my mind is muddled. I can think of nothing but those things which have been left undone. Things left unsaid. Not a breath can be wasted, not a heartbeat spared. There isn't time to call out.

All I wanted was more time. I will not be granted even that. I brace myself and begin to walk with an unsteady gait towards my friends. Now is not the time to be weeping. It is time for celebrations and warm congratulations. It is time. It is now. All there is, is this very moment, in which for a brief time I exist. My being is focused on this very moment. My breathing is unnaturally loud. My heart beat is pounding. I need to say goodbye before I go home.

Suddenly, I feel my legs give way beneath me.

'No… please, no. I never got to say goodbye.'

Time slows till every second becomes an eternity. Silence unfolds gossamer wings, sweeping in to cradle me. Vision blurring, my gaze descends to those of my friends, memorizing their features, their warmth.

Sango, strong, sweet, and beautiful, smiling in weary triumph, love for her future husband shining through in her shy eyes. I can see her aura. It sparkles with joy for the family she has regained, and the future she will make.

Miroku, caring, benevolent, and intelligent, grinning with joy at the prospect of life, life with his beloved. The lecherous grin that is so familiar has an added element, tenderness. That grin is for one woman now. No longer will it stray.

Shippou, cute, loyal, and loving, face bright with his jubilation at our success. He laughs and wiggles, eyes seeing things that only a child would note. He has matured so much, been forced to learn. Yet he still grins cheekily as he teases the world.

Kouga, amorous, hard-headed, and steadfast, laughing among his pack of worshipful followers. He is prince, though none would tell him that- His ego is large enough. Yet he can care so much for those he holds dearest; family and friends. He has loved me, in his own way.

I no longer hear their voices. All that I hear now is my heartbeat. It is heavy and loud, its beats echoing in the silence that has become my world. I am still falling, and I have yet to look upon the face that matters most.

Inuyasha…

He stands, tall and strong, oblivious to the blood staining his red haori. His smooth face does not reflect the scars that litter his heart and soul. The elegant sweep of his neck, the stubborn square cut of his jaw, the gentle fall of his snowy locks. His strong black brows meet low, protecting his intense amber eyes. He is so much to me.

And I will not be able to say goodbye.

My fall slows till it seems as though the world has frozen about me. I have imagined our final parting millions of times, but never has it ended like this. I was not supposed to die like this. Words are beyond me. Time has fled, leaving me these final seconds grace. Seconds that last an eternity, yet pass in the fall of a tear.

The only thing I ever wanted was to say goodbye. I knew we would part. All that I asked was that last, simple parting. But now, now all there is the silence and the encroaching dark.

Time begins to move faster now, my fall slowly resuming its inevitable course. The moment is fading; the breath escapes from my lungs, and it is unwilling to return. What happened to my happy ever after! When did I lose the radiant girl I once was to this blood-stained past?!

Now they turn, and their happy looks fade into varying degrees of horror. I don't want that. I never wanted that. I just wanted to say goodbye. Can't I have anything?! Anything?

My heartbeat echoes louder as I see their mouths form my name. Slowly, as though they move through air that has turned to molasses, they rush to my side. But fate is against us all. God has turned his back and the sun has hidden his face. My consciousness begins to fade, and I lose focus. Things begin to blur and I can no longer recall why I am falling. I am puzzled, but then I remember.

Naraku. He would not let it end easily. He had wounded me, but in the heat of the battle it went unnoticed. Now, now it became clear that I would never be happy. He had in truth triumphed, if only over me. Through the haze that begins to creep over my vision and my mind, I see Inuyasha turn, a look of unutterable grief permeating his features. Finally he realizes his mistake; the dawning fear clouds his gorgeous eyes.

Behind him, Kikyou stands forgotten. Upon her face there lies a sadness so deep that I feel my heart tear.

I cannot think now. The lone thought that makes itself know through the now thunderous pounding of my heart is that they are all sad. Even Kikyou, the woman I once considered my rival and embodiment of all that I could never achieve. Once I die, my soul will return to the only container left on this earth. Inuyasha needs to be loved. She will be the one to do so. I vaguely hope that now that I am gone she will finally find true happiness - happiness that is being denied me.

I numbly recognize that I shall never again feel my beloved's strong arms enfolding me. Memories superimpose themselves upon the present; moments long past filter through the gray of my vision. My heartbeat… it's gone. There is only the silence. And then, my lashes sweep shut as I finally finish the fall that began so many months ago.

All is darkness and silence. My body impacts with the dirt, pushing out what little air remains in a huge whoosh. My eyes open wide, seeing everything through a multitude of blinding stars. I can't…

Air drags into my lungs, a feeble attempt to continue existing. It's useless. I'm fading. I'm past. But fate allows me a final sound, as close to a farewell as I shall ever come.

Inuyasha screams to me, begging. His heart is breaking in those words, telling me the truth. Kikyou may be the alpha and omega of his love, but for a brief instant I am all that there was, is, and will ever be.

"Inuyasha…" my voice slips out, "I… love you. Please," My breathe rattles in my lungs, "Do not wish… "

His voice calls to me, the last sensation I have before I fall forever into the welcoming darkness.

A/N~ Eh heh heh heh… ^_^; Mercy?