InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Short Tails ❯ The Mark ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimed:  I do not own nor do I make money from the use of these characters.  They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and any entity she may have sold the rights to.

Warnings:  This little drabble draws heavily from Chapters 462 and 463 of the manga.  If you haven't read that far yet, this would be considered spoilery.  Also: There are two, maybe three, lines quoted directly from Chapter 463.  Those don't belong to me either.

Written for the LJ community iyissekiwa's fire theme, this was my interpretation. It also received third place for that week. It was originally posted to there on August 5, 2007.

 

 

The Mark

 

Kagome watched as her friends fought a desperate battle, her newly-won bow held suspended from the action. Why had Kikyo insisted that she wait? Did she not wish to be saved after all? As she pondered, Kagome searched frantically for the Jewel; but Naraku no longer held it.

Help me out here, Kikyo, she thought. You know more than you're letting on, I know it! You have to help me! Kagome's gaze came to rest on the supine form of the fallen priestess, and she gasped, shocked. She had found the Jewel where she least expected; inside Kikyo.

It's black and tainted. How does she think she's going to purify it? Her answer came in the form of the shinidama-chuu and the souls they carried. As they soared toward their mistress, Kikyo met Kagome's anxious stare and understanding passed between them.

You want me to do it now? Taking a breath, she pulled back her bowstring and channeled her power -- Use my strength, Kikyo -- and then screamed as the cliff crumbled beneath her. Knowing that Inuyasha was too far away to save her, Kagome braced herself for impact with the unforgiving ground.

She squeaked in surprise as the soul-stealers wound around her, holding her up and stopping her headlong tumble. Naraku used her fall to his advantage, though, his sharpened tentacle speeding toward the Jewel. Determined not to let the evil hanyou win, Kagome drew back her arrow and followed Kikyo's last command. "Now, Kagome! Fire!"

 

Word count: 250