InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Darkangel ❯ Purification ( Chapter 16 )

Kagome looked up and around her. Thirteen golden maidens stood around her with broad grins on their faces. Their features were faint but one could easily tell that they were once very beautiful women. She looked at them hesitantly.

"You are--were the wraiths...from before?"

They all nodded. "But now that our souls have been returned to us, we remember everything that we've forgotten."

Each of the twelve maidens introduced themselves and how the vampyre captured him. Renko smiled and nudged Kagome with her shoulder. "We're all very grateful for what you did. I can't say I'm not jealous of your fortitude."

Kagome looked away. "What fortitude?"

One of the spirits, Eiko, stepped forward. "When you came to us, you stayed. While no one dared to look at us, you stared at straight in the eye. If you were ever frightened, you didn't show it. You held you chin high and took every step forward."

"And did you not look for the icarus to avenge me when my own family did not? What you did was out of the loyalty of a friend, not a slave." Renko remarked. "When we were emaciated women, you couldn't tell which was me. So you loved us all for my sake."

"You've conquered the vampyre and returned us our souls," said Mimiko, another spirit.

The spirit, Akiko, next to Mimiko nodded. "Thirteen stars will burn bright in heaven for you, Kagome."

Slowly, they rose. Golden lights trailed up to the night sky until they became golden patches of light.

"So...no one came looking for me? Only you?"

Kagome jumped, startled. She turned to see Renko sitting behind her, looking as if she had never moved. She looked up at the night sky and back at Renko again. Why wasn't Renko up with the others?

"No," Kagome answered.

Renko snorted and rolled her eyes. "What a lame excuse of a family..."

Kagome patted Renko's back with consolation. As she did, Charter marks sprang wildly from the spot she had touched. "So why are you here and not with the other spirits up in the sky? Not that I'm not happy that you didn't go too..."

Renko smiled. "I have special privileges." Before Kagome could ask anymore, Renko continued. "So it seems your plan worked, eh?"

Kagome nodded, deciding that she could ask questions later. "It seems that the poison worked."

Renko shook her head, still smiling. "That wasn't poison, Kagome. It was life - or health or the Charter or whatever you want to call it. It's what flows through everything and makes it live - wait, so that would make it the Charter...okay, it was a Charter potion of life. There we go. Even in that Dead Lake of the lorelai has some little water of life. Even she is a little alive." Renko looked pointingly at the vampyre. "Even him. But most of him is dead and Free Magic, and that's what rejects the vigor of that potion."

Renko looked around the room, her eyes roaming over the heaps of ash and dust on the floor. "Well you've freed us wraiths...now there's only one more thing to do." Her eyes averted to the fallen vampyre on the floor.

Kagome silently followed Renko's gaze and stared at the vampyre. She drew out the chain that she had held around her neck and the sheathed sword grew to its true length at will.

She knew completely that killing him was something that must be done. But now, she felt a sense of pity for him, for his present helplessness. She didn't deny that he was savage and cold, but he listened to her when he could've of ignored her pleads. Didn't that show that he had some goodness in him? But now they were going to destroy him, as he had meant to do to the wraiths, her, and the rest of the world. Yet the memories haunted her. The memories of him listening amusingly to her tales. Those times were the only times that she had heard him genuinely laugh. Those were the only times when she actually had his full attention even though he didn't show it. Those were the memories that haunted her.

Kagome dropped the sheathed sword to her lap. "I can't do it."

"No one else can," Renko replied, her expression now grave. "I can't. My spirit's is still newly formed so and I can't wield anything like a sword. Only you can do this right now. You have to."

"But I--"

"Kill him, Kagome. Pierce his heart now while you still have the chance."

Kagome looked up at her companion. Her voice held no rancor or malice. But her eyes were dark and cold. They were serious and rimmed with hate for the vampyre. But nonetheless, Kagome knew she had to obey Renko's words.

Kagome raised the naked blade above the vampyre's chest and tried to close her eyes. She knew she could have done it. She told herself profusely, "For Renko," or "It's not really killing since he's already a dead thing," or "This isn't the darkangel; this is someone you don't know." But she couldn't move. The blade clattered onto the floor and Kagome buried her face in her hands.

"I can't. I just can't."

Renko said nothing. She watched the trembling girl before her in silence. Her eyes averted back to the vampyre's cold face. Her loathing of him was greater than any hate she had for anyone. She wanted him gone and banished from the world of life. What he did to her and the twelve other maidens was something she couldn't find herself to forgive. Although she held no value to her life, he destroyed twelve others. Twelve innocent lives were destroyed by him. Dreams and desires were taken away and left in the cold. How could she forgive anyone for such actions? How could she not hate him? But his fate did not lie in her hands. She did not have the right to say whether he could stay in the world of living or be send through the Nine Gates of Death.

"What do you plan to do?" asked Renko, breaking the silence.

"I...I want to free him. Like I freed the other wraiths. I want to free him from lorelai," Kagome responded, her breath ragged.

Renko cocked an eyebrow. "Even after all he has done? You don't think he deserves death?" Her voice was emotionless now, almost dead-like.

Kagome looked up at Renko, her eyes desperate. "I know he's evil and monstrous," she cried. "But his soul is still his and I know that there's still some good in him. I just know it!"

Renko shrugged indifferently. "Well, he wasn't always this way. Icari aren't born, Kagome. They're made."

Kagome's eyes were wide, finally realizing. "That means...he can be saved, then? We can uplift his curse, then?!"

Renko looked away. "I suppose so."

Kagome looked around wildly. She could save him! She could hardly believe it. She could save his soul and his life. But how? She knew no magic or any methods to save someone in this kind of situation.

"Renko!" Kagome cried. Renko turned her head towards Kagome. "How can I save him?"

Renko opened her mouth, about to answer,and then she closed her mouth and bit her lip. Instead, she answered bluntly, "I don't know."

Kagome's shoulders slumped. She obviously didn't know and Renko didn't know. So where did that put her now?

She looked down at the vampyre. He was breathing only lightly. His bloodless skin looked smooth but waxy. Wait, bloodless...heart...She had it! The lorelai had not taken his heart yet, only harden it. But how could she save his heart? It wasn't like she could conjure a new heart out of thin air. Where could she find one?

Her hand flew to her chest over her own heart. She had found one.

Kagome gazed at the handsome face before her. His entire life had been taken away from him and replaced with one horrid and terrible. Instead of learning love and kindness, he learned malice and evil. Instead of becoming modest and gentle, he was boastful and rough. When he could have had a life of happiness and company, he had one of sadness and loneliness. Even though he didn't show it, Kagome knew that he was grateful for her company. The way he laughed and, though rarely, smiled during her storytelling, she knew he enjoyed it. After giving him a taste of the life he could have, she knew it was possible for him to change; even though others couldn't see it.

Now she wanted to give him his life back. She wanted to give him back the years he had lost in the new life she was willing to give him.

Kagome grasped the fallen sword and held it before her.

"What are you doing?" Renko asked sharply.

Without looking at Renko, Kagome answered. "I'm going to save him."

Without hesitation, Kagome pressed the sword's edge into her chest. But instead of burying itself deep into her body, the rusted blade slid off of her. Kagome blinked. She tried again but the blade, again, just slid off. Kagome dropped the blade onto her lap. What was wrong? Was this sword not the Great Fang of the Inu kings? Didn't Myouga tell her that this sword could cut through anything? Why could it not pierce her skin?

Kagome sighed heavily. Maybe this was fate's way of telling her that there was no way to save the vampyre. That the vampyre's only path led to final death. That there was no hope. A tear slid down Kagome's cheek.

Was this the way things always had to be? Just when she thought she could save someone, truth would hit back at her like a hard punch in the face. Truth that she couldn't save anyone; that she was too powerless to do anything right.

The sword clattered to the ground as Kagome leaned forward and buried her face in the vampyre's chest as she cried. Coldness devoured her, but she ignored it. Despair and hopelessness washed over her like a tidal wave as she sobbed. She hated feeling powerless. Why couldn't she do anything? Why couldn't she save the ones she cared about?

Renko watched silently, never moving to comfort Kagome with soothing words. Her heart ached for her to go but her mind reminded her that it was not yet her place to do so. All she could do was wait and watch. She watched as Kagome's tears streamed down her wet cheeks onto the vampyre's clothes. Yet slowly, the tears reddened as they escape her eyes. They reddened to the color of blood and dissolved once they touched the vampyre's skin. Gradually the vampyre's paleness disappeared and his skin looked healthier and fuller.

Kagome's hands were on the vampyre's chest. A golden glow appeared around them and Charter marks started to appear. They swirled around the vampyre's heart and Kagome's. Then a faint outline of an heart rose from the vampyre's chest and Kagome's. They rose and floated towards each other. Just when they were about to past one another, they stopped. The Charter marks swirled more wildly, trying to continue the spell as Kagome's sobs ceased, along with her breathing.

Kagome felt strange. Her chest felt somehow empty. Her eyes seemed too tired to cry anymore and instead, they felt heavy. The cold that was numbing her earlier was no longer there. Instead, an unusual warmth replaced it. It was strange, but comforting in a way she couldn't describe in words. Kagome curled her body against this strange warmth and closed her eyes to sleep.

Renko blinked. Well, she had to say that what Kagome had done was really unexpected. Renko shook her head. Of all the charges she could have gotten, she got the self-sacrificing one. Renko smiled slightly and kneel down beside the sleeping Kagome. There wasn't any rule that said that she couldn't finish her charge's spell. As her hands hovered over the faint outlines of the two floating hearts, Renko gently closed her eyes. She drew Charter marks of finishing and transferring in her mind and cast them out through her fingertips.

As she did so, the hearts started to move again with the other Charter marks pushing and urging them through. Kagome's heart disappeared into the vampyre's chest and just as the vampyre's heart was about to disappear into Kagome's chest, Renko stopped it. She opened her eyes again and placed one hand above it.

Marks for melting and relinquishing burst from Renko's fingertips, supported by the fiery spells of Free Magic. They wrapped themselves around the leaden heart and slowly, the heart grew soft out of its hard, lead shell. The melted lead dripped from the heart and evaporated once it made contact with the ground. Finally the heart was flesh again and Renko pushed it into Kagome chest with Charter marks.

She felt Kagome's breath regulate and her pulse quicken. As she stood, Renko heard the soft padding of footsteps behind her. When she turned, she saw a tiny man burst into the room, huffing and puffing whilst holding a small lantern.

"I (pant) heard a (pant) scream (more panting)," breathed the tiny man.

"It's alright for now, Myouga-jisan." Renko smiled. "Yet I must comment on your timing. I'm pretty sure you would have heard that scream some time ago."

Myouga coughed. "Um, yes. Ah! Renko-sama!" The tiny man's beady eyes widen with genuine surprise. "I haven't seen you in years! Centuries, to be exact! My, it's good to see once again."

Renko nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's good to see you too. It's quite unfortunate to meet in such a dreary place though."

"Yes, yes," Myouga responded. "But, I can't say I'm not surprised to see you. The last time I saw you, you were Lord Inu's Guardian. What brings you here?"

Renko looked pointingly at the still sleeping Kagome.

Myouga blinked, surprised, but immediately started to chuckle. "Well, I guess I should have figured she would have a Guardian. That girl was special from the start."

Renko gazed at Kagome. "She has extraordinary powers." She turned back to Myouga. "She cast spells without even knowing it," Renko said.

Myouga nodded as if he had suspected it. "Her will is quite a powerful one." His gaze slid back to Renko. "I don't suppose your hate towards the vampyre has passed?"

Renko's eyes hardened, but she did not respond.

Myouga clasped his tiny hands behind his back. "I think you should rethink about your situation with him. You may be blaming him for the wrong crime. You never know what may happen in the far future."

Renko opened her mouth to refute but was cut off by light chimes of a bell. She looked up and twelve bright stars caught her eye. "They're calling me," she murmured.

"Go, then," urged Myouga. "If you stay here any longer, you may upset the Ancients. Follow your twelve companions, Renko-sama."

Renko looked worriedly back at Kagome. Myouga pushed Renko slightly. "Don't worry," he assured her. "Your time will come."

Renko nodded reluctantly. She knelt by Kagome's curled form and kissed the crown of her head. "Be good, you little squirt." She turned to Myouga. "Oh, and also, I don't think she's ready to know about her magical abilities, so if she asks..."

Myouga nodded. "I know."

Renko looked up towards the sky and started to ascend towards it until she disappeared as a golden patch in the night sky.

When Kagome opened her eyes, she saw Myouga sitting beside her, nodding off to sleep. She struggled to sit up, waking the little man in the process. Kagome rubbed her eyes tiredly. "What happened?" she asked.

"I'm not sure myself," Myouga replied. "When I came, it appears that you and the vampyre had switched hearts. I'm not sure how myself."

Kagome looked around the empty room. "Where's Renko?" she asked.

"Renko has left, Kagome-sama. How are you feeling?"

Kagome rubbed her chest gently. "I've been better. The darkangel," she said. "Is he okay?"

Myouga nodded. "He will be. But he is no longer a darkangel. He is free. You have freed him."

Kagome looked down at the one in front of her. He no longer had any wings; only feathers that lay scattered around him. The slashes on his face and shoulder were closed up and were now pale scars. But what surprised her was how young he looked. He looked no older than seventeen.

His face was still fair to look at, much fairer, she realized, than the vampyre. His skin was light and his hair was glossy white as pure snow. Her eyes froze at his ears, which were placed neatly on the top of his head. They were furry...like dog ears. Her eyes trailed down to him hands and saw the sharp talons on his fingertips.

Kagome fought the urge to jump away. Instead, she turned to Myouga with a questioningly gaze. "Myouga? He doesn't look...human."

Myouga nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes. That's because he's a youkai. Well, half of a youkai, really."

"You mean...a hanyou, then."

Kagome remembered what the Pendarlon had told her about youkai. They were what remained after the creation of the Charter. Most fell to the seducing power of Free Magic, but a few rare others joined with the Charter. But whether the youkai was a Free Magic creature or Charter being depended on the youkai itself. She guessed from the ears that he was an Inu Youkai.

"Is he with the Charter?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"I don't doubt it," Myouga answered. "But there's only one way to make sure." Myouga reached over and pressed one of his tiny hands onto the young man's forehead. A Charter mark glowed under Myouga's fingers, showing its purity and incorruption. "Hm, it's uncorrupted," Kagome heard Myouga murmur.

As Myouga withdrew his hand, the boy stirred and his eyes fluttered, revealing beautiful amber orbs. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes with his curled hands.

"What the hell..." he groaned as he rubbed his temples. He caught sight of Kagome and frowned. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Kagome." Her eyes gazed at him with mild curiosity.

His eyes trailed from her to the tiny man beside her. "Myouga-jiji..." he said in surprise.

Myouga grinned. "Ah! Inu-Yasha-sama! It's about time you awoken."

"What the hell are you doing in my room?"

"Ah, we came to slay the darkangel, Inu-Yasha-sama."

Kagome's eyes widened marginally. "Wait...You're Inu-Yasha? Prince Inu-Yasha? Then, then this castle must be...Inuoujou, the Great Castle of Inu!"

"Well, duh. How can you come here and not where you are?" Inu-Yasha asked with a snort.

"I didn't exactly come here willingly," Kagome snapped.

Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to retort but closed it with a frown. "You look familiar...It's as if I've seen you before." He suddenly looked up at her with wide eyes. "You were in my dream!"

Kagome blinked. "What?"

"My dream!" he exclaimed. "The damn dream I just woke up from!"

Myouga stepped in. "And what did you dream, Inu-Yasha-sama?"

Inu-Yasha gave a disbelieving stare before turning to Myouga. He started from the beginning from where he was going to a pilgrimage with his mother, the queen. Kagome gaped at Inu-Yasha. No way.

Inu-Yasha's whole dream, the one that he spoke of now, was exactly the same with the tale that Chiyako had told her and she told to Inu-Yasha when he was a darkangel. It was true. It was all true!

Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha with disbelieving eyes. Now everything made sense. Why the jackals were pursuing her and wanted the immortal hoof.

"The lorelai found me and brought me to her place," Inu-Yasha continued with downcast eyes. "She cast a spell over me. Made me forget my name, everything. She told me that she'd care for me and in my dream, I believed her. Then she told me when I was old enough, she would make me a vampyre and I'd join my six brothers to conquer the world." His eyes grew sadder and his voice more strained. "After ten years, she drank my blood and turned my heart in lead. Gave a dozen wings and told me to go and find a kingdom. She told me to return to her in fourteen years with fourteen souls.

"So I came here and I stole thirteen souls. But the last one. She poisoned me." He turned to Kagome. "She looked like you. You were her, weren't you?"

Kagome didn't reply. She couldn't. She didn't know how to.

Inu-Yasha's eyes wandered around the room. Spotting the piles of dust, the necklace, and black feathers. "And all of it was real, wasn't it?" he whispered. His back stiffened. "I murdered--" He swallowed hard. "worse than murdered thirteen girls." He looked back to Kagome. "I could have killed you."

"But you aren't the darkangel anymore," she whispered back. Her eyes gazed gently at him. "It wasn't your fault. You shouldn't be too hard on yourself."

"I don't get it," he looked down at his empty hands. "Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?"

"I could ask the same. There were so many times that you could have killed me. But you didn't. That told me that you still had some good in you. That you still had your soul. I didn't think you deserved to die."

Inu-Yasha turned away.

Myouga cleared his throat. "Yes, well I think we have some matters that need to be dealt with."

"The lorelai," growled Inu-Yasha, harsh with hatred.

"What will she do?" asked Kagome.

"She'll steal another baby," said Inu-Yasha through clenched teeth. "And turn him into another damn vampyre once she finds out about me."

Myouga nodded. "Which must not happen. If the icari number becomes seven, they will be invincible."

Kagome picked up the fallen sword from the ground. "What about the Tetsusaiga?"

Inu-Yasha eyed it, but did not reach for it. "I can probably wield it and use it against them."

"And how do you plan to fight them from the ground? You will need a mount with wings," said Myouga.

Inu-Yasha's face fell. "The starhorse's dead. I drove him to Pendar to die."

Kagome frowned. "Wait. When the starhorse died, its body crumbled - everything but the hoof. The lyon called it the 'immortal hoof.'"

Myouga smiled. "Yes. If you take it to Esternesse, the scholars there may be able to revive the starhorse, along with the help of the mikos and monks there. I believe in about a year, the starhorse will be born again and you will be able to ride him against the icari."

"Esternesse," Inu-Yasha murmured. "Mom's in Esternesse."

"And you want to meet her, don't you?" asked Kagome.

He looked up at her in surprise. "I--yeah, I guess I do." He turned to the dark feathers that were scattered around on the floor. "We can use my feathers and weave them together. I know a little weather magic, so I think we can get us there."

Kagome nodded and turned to the duarough. "Will you come with us?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Myouga answered. "I have to return these to the witch." He tucked the necklace inside his sleeve. His eyes danced merrily. "Someone must bear her the news. And I'm sure she pretty thirsty for souls right about now."

"But the vials are empty," said Kagome.

"Yes, well, I still have some of the potion left. It's not enough to kill her or hurt her, but it'll give her a nice bitter taste in the mouth."

"She'll kill you," Inu-Yasha bluntly stated.

"Not if I'm careful." Myouga started to shuffle away. "Well, I'm off. Good luck to the both of you." Before any of them could do anything, he left.

Inu-Yasha and Kagome pushed the large feather canopy towards the end of the cliff. They both climbed upon it and settled down in the middle. Inu-Yasha cleared his throat and whistled a long high note. Kagome noted the Charter marks glowing faintly in his throat as the whistle spread far and long. A strong wind picked up and swept the canopy up into the air.

Kagome glanced at Inu-Yasha. Ever since Myouga had left, neither of them had talked much. Every time Kagome asked questions in attempt to start conversation, he would answer in one word answers, which did not help her at all. Kagome sighed. She didn't really want anything from him. Was wanting to be friends too much?

Just as they crossed the plain and over into the sea, a hideous cry echoed far in the distance behind them. Inu-Yasha and Kagome both turned to glance behind them.

"The witch," he said. "I guess she found out about me from Myouga-jiji."

"Myouga," Kagome said, listening to the furious scream. "I hope he's alright."

Inu-Yasha shrugged. "He escaped my dad's wrath a couple times. I'm pretty sure this is nothing for him."

Kagome sighed. Inu-Yasha's words really held no comfort whatsoever. He probably didn't mean any anyways.

"Stop sighing. It's annoying," Inu-Yasha abruptly said.

Kagome blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry. What?"

"I said stop sighing. It's getting fucking annoying," he said in irritation.

"Well, sorry, but I feel a little depressed."

Inu-Yasha stared at her for a moment. "What's to be depressed about? We're going to Esternesse. We're going to a place where there's free food, combat tournaments, nice big comfy beds to sleep in, and other craploads of stuff. What you being sad for?"

Kagome blinked then shook her head in disgust. She folded her arms across her chest. She didn't like where this was going.

"And now you're mad. Why are you so determined to make this trip miserable?"

Kagome glared at him. "Why are you so determined to irk me?" she spat.

"Irk? What kind of word is that?" Inu-Yasha narrowed his eyes. "You're just making up words so you can try and confuse me, huh?"

Kagome didn't answer. Instead, she smiled wryly at him and turned away. She now wished she know weather magic so she could speed up the wind and make this trip as short as possible. She sighed as she drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around them. She leaned her head on her knees. She could feel in her gut that this would be a very long journey.

"See? Now you're sighing again? What's wrong with you?"

A very long journey.

AN: Well, that's it folks! That's the end of "Darkangel." Well, summer's coming up soon so I'll probably have time to start up on the sequel, "The Gathering of the Lons." I think that some parts in this chapter may of been a bit confusing, like the relationship between Renko and Myouga and Renko being a Guardian and she being centuries years old. Well, all of it will be explained in future stories. So, yeah.

Of course, while you wait, you could always be kind souls and check out my new story, "Double Life." ^_^ (please do!)

Thanks everyone for reading this story to its end. I also thank everyone who's been kind enough to review, too. Your reviews have been very encouraging. I hope you guys continue to read my other stories! ^^

Bye bye for now!

~Renko-chan ^_^