InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Anticlimax: Sweet Nothingness ❯ The Anticlimax: Sweet Nothingness ( One-Shot )

The Anticlimax: Sweet Nothingness

by

Nin Tendo

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, this story might actually become canon. And then you would all want to kill me. Though, you may want to, anyway. (Runs the hell away.)

Notes: Ahh, my first (posted) Inuyasha fanfic. I have a few others in various stages of completion, but due to work and college, I'm having a hard time actually sitting down to write. For all of you waiting for the end of my GW fanfic, Pet Peeve, I'm really sorry. Maybe writing and posting this will grant me enough inspiration to get back into the right mood. Seriously, this fic has nearly the same atmosphere, which will probably help me a lot...

Anyway, I'm going to attempt to prepare you readers for the following story. You see, I've read quite a lot of Inuyasha fanfics detailing the final battle with Naraku, or looking back on it as a flashback. However, with the morbid brain I carry, I start asking myself certain questions. I can't really reveal those questions to you without giving everything away, but you can be certain that this fanfic answers a lot of them. Treat it as a game of Jeopardy, if you want. Just don't ask for a sequel, because this was only ever meant to be an one-shot.

Please forgive the run-on sentences in the beginning--they're there to help portray urgency and nervousness.

Also, if you've never read any of my fanfiction, I suppose I should warn you--I tend to cover a full spectrum of emotion. Just because it starts off rather dismal doesn't mean that there isn't enough room for a happy ending. (shmirk)

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It was an urgency previously unheard of that fueled the group for the last seven days, although the rising sense of dread had been present for nearly a month passed, upon the realization that their reluctant allies in the quest for Naraku's destruction had become conspicuously absent from their lives. But, they rationalized, it wasn't anything to worry about, as encounters had gradually become more and more infrequent over time. It wasn't until a week ago, the day they'd lost their last remaining jewel shard, that the fear set in, and, while some buried it deeper than others, it was undoubtedly present in all, as young Shippou discovered when it was decided that it would be best to leave him with Kaede for a while.

Normally, the fox demon child would have protested this decision and demanded to stay with the group, but this time found he could not say a word in argument, even as they turned to leave. He and Kaede wove those last moments deep into memory, and could not form a word in response to their awkward conventional phrases, as they feared opening their mouths might betray their grave misgivings. This departure was very different from all the rest. They stood in silence until their friends were at last swallowed up by the curves of hills and shadows of trees. With feelings of great dread, they entered the hut and sat sullenly for a time before allowing the familiar oblivious buzz of village life to occupy them and take their minds away from their troubles. Of course they would return. Of course they would see them again one day. They were just being silly.

And so, it was the small group of five that carried on with their desperate mission. Kagome hadn't been able to sense any jewel shards in weeks other than the one Naraku had recently stolen from them. She had felt it move farther and farther away until it had faded completly from her mind. The presense of the jewel had always reminded Kagome of a beating heart, and, now that she could no longer hear it, her thoughts were filled with death. Kagome routinely shook herself out of such horrifying sentiments and forced herself to focus on the steady twitching of Inuyasha's canine ears, only to fall back into morbidity moments later.

In this heightened sense of danger, the demon blood in Inuyasha and Kirara boiled in anticipation. Taking the lead at Inuyasha's right, the transformed firecat maintained a low, steady growl as she scanned the horizon for any sign of threat or suspicious activity. She was very careful not to upset her mistress or the other two humans with the sound, keeping her voice low enough for only other demons to hear. Along with her intimidating appearance, it would keep petty battles from occurring, but would do little to prevent attacks from stronger demons. Luckily, their travels had taken them to a field where only short grass and the occasional small tree was able to grow, so any sort of ambush was very unlikely. However, she was not about to lower her guard. In the event of an attack, the malice would be detected quickly, through the use of her and Inuyasha's combined senses, but they would need every available moment to prepare, for only a strong demon would be confident enough to risk attacking in such an open space. It was for this reason that she chose to remain transformed, yet refusing to carry the others upon her back. As vulnerable as they were on the ground, it would be so much more foolhardy to take the higher road during such threatening times.

Thinking similarly, Inuyasha refused to offer Kagome his back, weathering her half-hearted complaints whenever they stopped for a break. He had developed the habit of keeping one hand upon Tetsusaiga's hilt at all times, and focused all his excess energy on his senses of smell and hearing. The others could, if interested, plainly see his ears twitch at every small sound, from the steady breathing and footfalls of his comrades, to the rhythmic chime of Miroku's staff, to the gentle whisper of wind against the leaves and branches of the sparse trees, constantly, bitterly reminding them of the fallen. Finding it hard to even breathe, fearing a grave distraction, not one of them could summon the courage to raise their voices in the simple conversation which had always come so naturally before, even during times of great stress. Now, it was as if all they could do was worry.

As always, Inuyasha feared for Kikyo, but now found himself pondering the fate of his elder half-brother and those who travelled with him. He had to admit, in these dark days, that he did, in a way, appreciate all his help in the ongoing conflict with Naraku. It seemed as if their mutual hatred for the puppet-master had nurtured a strange sort of bond between the two. Sesshomaru hadn't tried to kill his younger brother for quite some time now, or vice versa, and Inuyasha caught himself hoping that they would both live to fight beside each other once more.

Following behind the two of demon descent, Kagome and Sango were the two most open with their terror, but also the two least affected by it, as they put their faith in the higher senses of Inuyasha and Kirara to detect danger. While they did occassionally allow their gazes to scan the landscape, they spent most of their time reading the mannerisms of the two before them, a habit that had become easier with time. Their unchanging demeanors offered them comfort.

When not thinking of the danger, Kagome worried about Shippou, Kaede, and the long absent Kouga. She wondered if it had been the right decision to leave the young fox demon with the elderly priestess. Would Naraku attack in their absence, if only to laugh at the looks on their faces when they realized what he had done? She wondered if Kouga and his clan were all right. Because Naraku could have easily slaughtered the rest of the wolf clan and stripped Kouga of his shards, intentionally leaving their corpses in their path to be discovered tomorrow or the next day, simply to cause them more grief, as his grudge had only increased in intensity over the last fifty years... Kagome forcefully pulled her thoughts away from death and began counting Inuyasha's ear tweaks, hoping it to be more effective at dispelling horror than counting sheep while seeking sleep in an uncomfortable bed roll.

Likewise, Sango knew that by allowing her mind to wander, she would only come to question Kohaku's fate. Instead, she focused on the comforting jangle of the monk's staff behind her, wondering if he was staring at her again, and, if he was, if she should do anything about it. The truth was, even if he had been entranced by her softly swaying bottom for the entire trek, she found herself unable to summon the proper level of anger. Even if he quickened his pace and reached forward to delicately trace the curve of her buttock, she doubted in her ability to punish him. She had caught sight of him staring at his hand again last night. She didn't dare turn to see him cast his troubled gaze upon the barely contained abyss that awaited him instead of catching him once again in his usual hobby of peeking around the edges of Hiraikotsu with such a smug grin.

She was wrong on both counts, for the monk's eye rested upon neither his greatest torment nor his greatest lust. Miroku, staff resting on his shoulder, head slightly inclined to the right, sought only a glimpse of her face from behind the few free tendrils dancing in the slight breeze. He wanted her to turn to catch him staring so he could grin at her blush, inviting her to offer the soft, hesitant, embarrassed smile he often dreamed may be sent his way. He didn't know what would come of the exchange, but did know that it would bring about a small taste of happiness, something that they could both use more of, after it had been so cruelly torn from them by the target of their vengeance.

But the monk also knew something much more dire, and so intentionally focused his thoughts toward Sango. It wasn't something concrete--just the weight of a terrible sadness upon his soul, telling him that there simply just wasn't enough time. He regretted a lot of things, but nothing as much as all the time he had wasted, but such a feeling would not change anything, and it just made him so... sad... and he wanted nothing more than to see Sango smile, just once, with honesty, before he was torn away. However, while Miroku was quite talented at inspiring Sango's vengeful faces, he did not have much experience in bringing a smile to her lips, and so, his confidence, usually so easily summoned, did not surface, and he found himself unable to do anything more than stare at her neck and hope for her to turn and grant his final, deepest wish, but, at the same time, accepting it as something that could not be.

So, the five continued their pace, minds on the oncoming change. Inuyasha and Kagome began to think about each other, wondering if they were ready for the imminent fight. If they were prepared for the worst. If they could risk their lives and the lives of their friends to kill Naraku. If happiness awaited them afterwards. How would their lives change? Their relationships? It would never be the same, regardless of the outcome, and they became preoccupied with wondering if they would be able to handle it, even if the unthinkable happened, and only loss awaited them.

The wind began to pick up, and the two carrying the blood of demons turned to study a tree, far beyond and to the left, thrashing wildly amid the violence of natural forces. A moment later, the gust reached their party and tore at their hair and clothes with shocking force, bringing them all to a sudden stop.

For a moment, their senses were dulled as the wind howled in their ears and stole the scents from their noses. But, a half-second later, the gust had passed, and Inuyasha and Kirara were able to recover quickly. The half-dog-demon was able to take one full step before a stark sense of wrongness settled deep in his stomach. An absence of a source of comfort, although he was at a loss for what, exactly, had ceased to be. He bent his ears backward to listen for the other three, and derived his answer a moment later.

The subtle difference, the small comfort of the timed chime of Miroku's staff sounding at each step, had also become synchronized with the monk's steady breathing pattern, but Inuyasha heard none of this, because Miroku's step had slowed to a stop and his breath had become lodged in his throat. He had only experienced such a potent sort of panic once before in his lifetime, and he desperately tried to convince himself that it was nothing but acute, irrational fear that stilled his limbs. The wind had not resonated with the core of his existance, it had only awakened the poorly hidden, buried terror he felt in regards to his fate and the fates of his forefathers.

But, his hopes failed him as a sudden pain enveloped his right hard, so intense that he lost the strength in both arms and legs. His Shakujo crashed to the ground, synchronized with an explosive gasp of air and the disturbing crack of his knees against the earth. His eyes remained locked on Sango's form until he saw Inuyasha, in the corner of his vision, whirl around at the sudden noise, upon which he brought his eyelids together firmly and attempted to summon strength to his legs with a desperation even more powerful than his fear of death. He had to run away. Get away before he could see that terrible image or hear that terrible sound of Sango's anguish. He had witnessed it several times before, always in regards to Kohaku, and, if he could not see her smile just once more, he prayed that he wouldn't live long enough to witness her heartbreak directed at him. But his legs would not respond and nothing could block out that terrible sound of Sango's scream.

Hiraikotsu fell to the earth, forgotten, as Sango cried out and rushed toward the monk with reckless abandon. The consequences of such an action did not even enter her mind as she saw the monk on his knees, in obvious pain, clutching his sealed hand against his chest with his left.

However, Inuyasha reacted quickly, and violently pushed Sango away before she could reach the monk's side. Kirara jumped into action and caught her mistress in gentle jaws, not allowing her to hit the ground or aquire any injuries due to her loss of balance. The firecat then proceeded to drag her screaming, struggling form a few meters away to relative safety, ready to move farther if the monk's curse proved even more deadly than estimated.

Inuyasha hurried to Miroku, cursing with every step, awkwardly forcing Tetsusaiga from its sheath as he ran. He hadn't thought he would ever have such trouble doing something he'd done hundreds of times before, but now he struggled with even the most basic of things, from unsheathing Tetsusaiga to enveloping it with demonic energy. Finally, he was able to succeed, upon which he shouted at the very pale, hyperventilating monk, "Miroku! Hold out your hand! Hold out your fucking hand!" There was no other way. Inuyasha pulled back his sword in preparation, but the monk either didn't hear or wasn't able to respond, forcing Inuyasha to repeat himself again and again, profanity increasing exponentially with every breath.

Throughout all this, Kagome hadn't even turned to see the events behind her, focusing on other things entirely. For the first time in nearly seven days, she had sensed a jewel shard. For the first time in nearly a year, she had sensed the entire jewel, completely whole. And then it was gone. Gone...

"Wait!" Kagome cried out. "Inuyasha, wait!"

Her sudden shout interrupted Inuyasha, about to forcefully take Miroku's arm as the monk still hadn't relinquished his hold on his cursed hand. He was then startled into stillness when Kagome flew by him to kneel next to the monk to gently prod his cloth-covered palm. "Kagome!" Inuyasha barked, once he recovered. "What the hell are you doing?!"

She did not answer immediately, but before long, turned back to Inuyasha, holding up bloodied hands. "I-Inuyasha. It's not the curse. I'm going to need the first-aid kit in my bag."

For the first time since the adrenaline began pumping through his veins, Inuyasha noticed that the air was still. On a very basic level, he understood, but higher cognitive regions refused to believe it. He turned to retrieve Kagome's fallen bag, returning Tetsusaiga to its sheath.

Sango finally managed to wrestle free from the firecat and dropped down beside Kagome with labored breath and tear-stricken eyes. Following Kagome's lead, she helped to coax the groaning, heavily sweating monk to lie down completely. "He's in shock," Kagome explained, relatively clear-headed. "It's best if we lay him down, keep him warm, and... something about keeping his legs elevated? Oh, thank God that I didn't miss that PE class..."

Inuyasha returned with the bag and Kagome removed the kit and a blanket, using the rest of the bag and its contents to prop up Miroku's feet. The three of them combined their efforts to cover him with the blanket, tucking it under his armpits and toes. Kirara returned and lied down on the monk's left to aid their efforts. The next part would be the hardest.

"Miroku-sama? Miroku-sama?" Kagome inquired.

"Y-you've all got to...g-get away from me..." he responded, weakly. It hadn't taken long for his strength to evaporate completely, leaving him nearly unconscious. The other four hadn't noticed it earlier, but his previously slight shivers had become substantially more violent, shaking his entire form. It was a disturbing side effect, but at least his naturally-occurring pain-killers were dealing with the pain in his hand.

"It's okay, Miroku-sama. It's going to be all right. Please, let me take a look at your hand."

"N-no!" he cried out. "Get away!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered softly.

Understanding, Inuyasha squeezed himself between the two girls, taking hold of the monk's wrists and forcing them apart gently yet firmly. Miroku struggled against the half-demon's strength, and, while his weakened protests weren't enough to free his hands, they proved a large obstacle to the process of medical treatment.

Sango, from her position above Miroku's head, reached out and took his struggling left hand in both her own. His grip was surprisingly strong for one in his condition, and so she squeezed back just as hard in her best attempt to provide him with emotional support, thinking of all the times he had held her so gently in her own times of need.

Inuyasha released Miroku's left wrist to using his now free hand to pin down the monk's torso. Miroku had calmed down somewhat, but Inuyasha wasn't about to take any chances, what with Kagome so close. Men, like animals, were at their most dangerous when cornered or injured, and Miroku currently fit both conditions. There was no telling what he'd do if he were given the room to act unrestrained.

Kagome opened the first-aid kit and removed all the bandages she could find along with some disinfectant and a cloth. Then, taking a deep breath, reached out to grasp Miroku's right hand, and carefully removed the prayer beads along with the blood-soaked fabric sealing his curse.

Really, it wasn't as bad as she'd expected. All the bone and muscular tissue remained intact. There was a perfectly circular section of skin missing, the approximate size of a large coin, but it wasn't bleeding as much as she had previously feared. The extent of damage wasn't much of a surprise, however, considering that Miroku had been able to move his hand normally for his entire life. If the void had eaten away at the muscle tissue and bone, the hand would have been completely useless. However, the monk's palm was still a very gruesome sight, causing Inuyasha to swear openly and Sango to refuse to even look upon it.

Using the cloth to wipe away the excess blood, Kagome announced, "Miroku-sama, this is probably going to hurt a little," before spraying the disinfectant on his open wound. There was no way she was about to chance an infection.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Miroku only hissed in response to the stinging sensation, too far gone to do much more. Sango reached down to mop the sweat from his face with her left hand and the help of her apron. The scent of her clothing soothed him and he was finally able to rest, but even as the monk's left hand grew limp, Sango did not take her hand from his. Inuyasha waited a moment, then released the monk's wrist and torso when the steady breathing pattern confirmed him to be asleep. He then proceeded to pull the blanket up to his chin, so only his face and arms were uncovered, before backing away. The shivering had lessened, but hadn't stopped completely.

The hard part was over, and Kagome was easily able to finish the job, wrapping Miroku's hand with so many bandages that it resembled a cast in both appearance and intention. Kagome didn't know how long such a wound took to heal, or even if he would ever fully recover, but until she spoke to Kaede about how it should be treated, Kagome didn't want Miroku moving that hand at all.

Tying the bandages securely in place, Kagome leaned back, at a loss for what to do next. Silence enveloped the small group, until finally, Inuyasha's patience ran thin.

"Kagome. What the hell just happened here?"

She took a deep breath. "Miroku-sama's curse has been lifted. The jewel is gone--forever, this time. I felt it cease to be. Tell me, Inuyasha--what do you think happened? I thought it would be kind of obvious right now."

A dark growl formed in Inuyasha's throat, and he forced himself to stand and take out his anger on a nearby tree. His cursing, however, was loud enough for the others to hear clearly.

They listened to him for a while before Sango was able to speak.

"He's really... gone, isn't he?"

"He has to be," Kagome confirmed, reluctantly. "It's the only explanation."

"Who did it, I wonder? Who beat us to it? Kouga? Sesshomaru? Kikyo?" Sango pondered.

Kagome winced a little at the thought of Kikyo. "It could have been someone else entirely. Maybe Kohaku-kun did it, somehow."

Sango looked troubled. "Do you think he's all right, Kagome-chan? You said that the jewel was gone. What could have happened to him?"

"I want to be hopeful, Sango-chan, but I just don't know."

Sango pondered the possible scenarios, but could only actually believe the possibilities ending with tragedy. She forced herself to accept it--nothing short of a miracle could have saved Kohaku's life. She knew this. However, she was able to take a small comfort--her little brother's tormented soul would have finally been laid to rest. But, either way, she could not be so selfish as to look for him, dead or alive, at the moment, as she clutched the limp hand of the wounded monk. She had to help the one before her, the one whose fate was not a complete uncertainty. Kohaku was strong--he could care for himself while she was away.

"What is to be done about Houshi-sama?" Sango asked, outright.

"I'm not sure, exactly. I mean, I was taught how to treat someone in shock, but at this point, I was told to call an expert for help. Kaede-baa-chan is all I can think of, but she's over half a day away. I think the best thing we can do now is let him rest. I mean, he's not in any immediate danger. I think we should set up camp here and head out tomorrow morning. I have some pain-killers for him, and he might be well enough to walk by then. It's just, my God, he must have been so scared..." Kagome trailed off, trying to imagine how frightening such an experience must have been to the monk.

"Yes," Sango agreed, looking down at Miroku's face, hoping he was dreaming of more pleasant things than pain and death.

Kagome carefully placed Miroku's bandaged hand underneath the blanket, hoping for a full recovery. Hoping that circumstances would not cause a need to remove the appendage completely.

Please let him be all right, they prayed to the heavens.

##########

The next morning, besides a shaky beginning, wasn't so different from any other. Miroku had woken first, very confused to find himself with his back against the earth, rather than a rock or tree, and immediately noticed that the others were sleeping much closer to him than usual, not to mention Kirara laying to his left, fully transformed. Someone, blocked from his vision by the firecat, was lightly holding his left hand, and he removed it in surprise. He tried to sit up to see who had taken hold of him in the night, but only succeeded in crying out when he put too much weight on his right hand. He laid back down, worried for a moment, but then caught sight of the bandages and remembered a little of the day before. "I'm... alive...?"

Miroku's shout had woken Inuyasha, who had also, strangely enough, slept on the ground, close by. "Like an insect after narrowly escaping a foot," he answered, pushing the monk upright. He was in a bad mood, but Inuyasha had decided to keep his rage hidden for once. Possibly because his favorite punching bag was half a day away alongside Kaede. Possibly because he had already acknowledged that no one present was responsible for the deed arousing his anger. Perhaps he chose to wait and find out who had robbed him of his vengeance.

"But... my curse..." Miroku stated, unable to believe what his senses told him.

"Don't even fucking talk to me about it," Inuyasha snapped. Never mind--there was the dog demon they all knew and loved.

The rest of the morning melted into memory, as Kagome, Sango, and Kirara woke, a small breakfast was prepared, and other business was taken care of. Kagome gave Miroku some pills to take away the returning pain, checked his hand, which showed no sign of infection, re-bandaged it, and hastily put together a sling, repeatedly telling him that she didn't want him to use that hand for anything, under any circumstance, until Kaede told him otherwise. The monk could only nod to her assertion--it hurt too much to use anyway, and the sling would prevent him from accidently bumping it into something.

Thus, after Miroku promised several times that he would tell the others if he started to feel ill or weak, the group began the long trek back to Kaede's village.

While they had decided the morning before that riding Kirara would have been too dangerous, now that the situation had changed, there was no reason not to, and perhaps a few reasons that they should. However, Miroku had noticed how tired the firecat seemed, after staying in her transformed state for such a long period of time, thinking to keep him warm throughout the night, and made up excuses, such as his preference to walk at first so he could think about a few things instead of struggling to keep his balance upon her back with only one useable arm. The others hesitantly agreed, knowing that they required their own time for personal thoughts before deciding on their next course of action. They all wanted to know what had happened in their absence, and if there were any loose ends needed to be taken care of.

So, once again, Inuyasha took the lead, Sango and Kagome walked beside each other, and Miroku lagged behind.

A different type of stress weighed them down this time. Inuyasha still thought of Kikyo and Sesshomaru, Kagome still thought of Kouga, Kaede, and Shippou, and Sango still thought of Kohaku, but the urgency had diminished. If they could have done anything to help, their chance had passed, and, really, they would all be able to take care of themselves for the time being now that their most powerful enemy was gone, anyway. There was no need to worry for their allies any longer.

Instead, they all focused their concern on Miroku, who seemed to be intentionally lagging behind. Inuyasha's ears had swiveled back to listen carefully. Despite a few grunts of pain, however, he could not detect anything wrong enough with him to satisfy the excuse of a rest stop. Kagome, holding the napping firecat, missing the weight of Shippou on her shoulder, turned back to check on him occassionally to make sure that he wasn't falling too far behind. Sango was torn. She wanted to be able to turn and check up on him as easily as Kagome, but found she had a hard time actually doing it. She wasn't worried about what she would catch him doing, unless he was in great pain, because she was afraid for him, but she was a little apprehensive about how their relationship would change, especially if he caught her staring.

Sango clenched her fists. Now was not the time to worry about the consequences! The monk was injured, and she had a duty to check up on him! If he was in pain, she would bring him medication! If he was fine, she would continue walking and check again later!

She built up her courage, and turned to look at him. There he was, trailing behind, staring at his hand, deep in thought. Well, she couldn't really blame him for that, could she? He didn't appear to be in any pain, so she righted herself and continued on. She didn't notice the deep flush spreading across her neck and face or Kagome smiling at her, who had witnessed the entire thing.

Miroku had been staring at his hand, accustoming himself to the fact that he would probably live a much longer life than he had planned for, and that he hadn't been able to avenge the untimely deaths of his father and grandfather, when a slight movement ahead of him startled him from his thoughts. He looked up to see Sango with her back turned to him. She had fastened his Shakujo to her Hiraikotsu that morning, bracing the combined weight on her left shoulder, and the sight happily occupied him for a moment until he noticed her hair fluttering in a windless atmosphere and the slight redness of the exposed skin of her neck.

No way. There was no way. Miroku's step slowed to a stop. She had turned to look at him, and he had completely missed it. Just yesterday, he had been praying for the chance to make her smile--had planned out the entire exchange--and now, he had missed the greatest opportunity to execute that same plan. He would probably never get another chance as perfect as that. But... but...

Before the other three could turn to investigate the mysterious absence of the monk's footfalls, Miroku continued on, this time quickening his pace to catch up. Now it was Sango's turn to freeze, as the sudden change stirred up a certain thought from the day before. He wouldn't... would he? By now, both Inuyasha and Kagome had turned to look and see what had caused their companion's sudden strange behavior.

Miroku caught up, reached forward with his left hand, and...

...Took Sango's hand in his own.

Yes, this was the hand that had held him that morning.

Startled at the unpredicted contact, Sango turned her head toward the monk, only to come face to face with his token grin. Unbidden, a small, awkward smile rose to her lips in response. His smile grew brighter, and she had to hang her head in embarrassment as she reacted similarly.

"You know," began the monk, "if that's all I have to do to make you smile, you can be sure that I'll make you happy for the rest of your life."

Sango's blush grew ever deeper, but her voice did not fail her and she was able to quickly reply, "Yes. Though, I'm sure that I'll have it even easier. I didn't have to anything at all to make you smile."

The comment surprised Miroku into a light laughter, and the infectious sound of it forced Sango to attempt to hide her own mirth behind her growing smile, which wasn't very successful. The two of them then reestablished their pace, continuing their friendly banter, passing by an intensely happy Kagome and a dumbfounded Inuyasha, completely oblivious to their companions' reactions.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha, who openly stared at the other two with his mouth hanging open in disbelief. She giggled at the sight, and, unable to resist, rushed forward to capture the boy's hand, catching him by surprise. Before he had time to respond, she spoke first. "Well, come on, Inuyasha. Do you want to be left behind?" The sight of Kagome staring up at him with such mischievous eyes, holding Kirara close to her chest with her free arm, was enough to get the half-demon to react in embarrassment, moving on ahead quickly, practically dragging Kagome along so she couldn't see his face.

Kagome laughed again. "What's the matter, Inuyasha? You can't even answer? What, are you mad because you don't have anything up your sleeve to out-flirt Miroku-sama with? Inuyasha? Inuyasha?"

He snapped. "Look, we'll talk about it when we get back to the village, all right?!"

"All right," Kagome replied, satisfied, letting him pull her along. She would leave him alone and let him brainstorm sweet nothings to his heart's content. She needed time to think, too, anyway. Feeling somber for a moment, she wondered how on earth she would be able to break the news to Inuyasha. She had felt it--the remaining portion of her missing soul slowly fill her once more. His priestess had returned to the earth.

All of a sudden, Inuyasha cursed, slapping his neck. "Long time no see, Myouga-jiji."

"Urgh."

##########

! END ! (aka "Holy crap, I actually finished a fanfic")

...Sango, you flirt... XD

Thus ends the most disappointing final battle you will ever see in this fandom. (bwahahahahaha...)

Of course, I could've also written something along the lines of:

Miroku: KAZAANAAAAAA~~!!! (accidently sucks in the sacred jewel)

Naraku: ...

Miroku: ... (seals hand)

Naraku: ...

Miroku: ...

Naraku: ...FUCK!

XD

I've been watching/reading too much Vizified Inuyasha, and, for the life of me, I couldn't remember all the name suffixes the characters use! I had to look it up on the Internet...

...Please let me know if I made a mistake anywhere... I am so ashamed. ;_;