InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Fire Bearer ❯ Chapter 14

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

She spread her arms... and jumped.

The others screamed behind her, darting forward to catch her as before she was too far gone, but they were too late. The demons below looked up and started howling again as they saw her dropping to the ground, ready for their next meal, but quickly filled with fear. The fire grew around her body fast, the miko energy flowing free around it as her eyes stayed locked on the ground below her. Her body trembled, every muscle tense. The demons started to screech in pain as she got closer and closer, the miko energy burning them as they fought to get out of the hole again. But they never escaped.

"KAGOME!" InuYasha screamed as she hit the bottom, but they never saw her body hit. Fire erupted in a blinding flash, spreading out like a ripple across the gorge, killing all of the demons instantly with the blast. All that were left was Naraku and Kagura, who had been above them on her feather the whole time.

Naraku looked through the fire in surprise. She had killed them, all of them. But where was she? "Show yourself!" he howled to the fire, the entire gorge full of fire to the brim, pink swirling in it, making them all back up a bit. "You can't be dead yet! WHERE ARE YOU FIRE BEARER!"

A cry come from the fire as some came flying out of it, as large as Naraku in his dragon form, straight at him with dangerous speed and accuracy. Naraku cried out as the creature slammed straight into his chest, knocking him off balance. A sizzling noise came from him as his flesh burned on his chest, from fire and miko energy. The creature dug its talons into Naraku's sides and started dragging it backwards, flapping its amazingly gigantic wings. He cried out again as it finally got him to the edge, turning its body fast, knocking him off balance again and straight into the gorge, full of fire, but the fire didn't burn him.

They got a good look at the creature as it finally turned around, opening its mouth to cry out again. It was a giant bird, with a wing span of hundreds of feet. The creature had feathers of orange, red, and pink mixed together, fire coming off of its tail and the tip of its wings. The eyes were blood red, and it only took them a moment to realize this was Kagome. She was a giant phoenix.

"You bitch!" Naraku screamed, lunging forward and slashing her across her chest. She cried out in agony, opening her beak again and shooting fire at him, almost as though she were the dragon. He cried out and attacked at her again, but she grabbed his arms, digging her talons into his wrists, flapping her wings as fast and strong as she could, creating a huge, strong gust that put out a good amount of the fire. Slowly, he started to drag upwards as she pulled him, digging her talons farther and farther into his flesh until they scraped bone.

Naraku screamed out again, opening his mouth and letting miasma blow out of it, like a huge torrent of fire, hitting her straight in the face. She cried out, letting him go and being knocked back against the wall of the gorge. She cried out again as her wings flapped furiously, aiming at her face as though to clean it off. Her eyes were closed as they stung from the pain of the miasma, the poison burning them. Naraku used this to his advantage and shot forward again, grabbing her wings and pushing the against the wall, holding them there with his claws, piercing straight through her wings to the rocks.

She cried out in pain, fighting furiously to get away from him. She wouldn't let him win, not now. She was so close! If only she could... Finally, she was able to lift her legs enough and shove him off of her, digging into the burn wound on his chest. She opened her eyes, hardly being able to see from the direct contact with miasma, making her practically blind. Her wings were killing her, hurting worse then she imagined. She flapped them, but was hardly able to move them without excruciating pain stopping her. How could she fly now? She closed her eyes, screaming out again in angst as she didn't know what to do.

Her eyes opened again as she heard a cry from above. She was barely able to see, but she could see the distinct yellow energy fly through the sky at Naraku. It could only have come from the Wind Scar. If she could smile, she would have, remembering that her friends and loved ones were still there with her. Naraku gasped lightly, being knocked forward, having forgotten they were there as well. He growled before chuckling lightly and turning towards the cliff they stood on. "DIE!" he screamed, shooting towards them. Kagome gasped, she couldn't let them get hurt!

She pushed aside the screaming pain of her wings, and took off after him at top speed. She flew as fast as she could, fire and dirt shooting past her as her eyes squinted, trying to keep the wind out of them and keep focused on her target. The others sent their weapons and attacks at him, but she knew it would have no effect, and it didn't. He just continued at them. Seconds away from them, Naraku and Kagome collided in a fury of orange and purple. She sent both of them straight into the dirt and rock wall, making the above cliff crumble.

"Kirara!" Sango screamed as the cat took into the sky, Sango and Miroku jumping on its back as InuYasha and Sesshomaru jumped into the surrounding trees to avoid falling to the gorge's floor, crushed by rubble.

InuYasha's eyes darted across the gorge, with everyone else. They didn't see any movement. Where were they? Were they still alive? Slowly, a large pile of debris started to move. They all held their breath, wondering who it was emerging from the rocks.

They all let their breathe out in relief as they saw Kagome's orange form emerge slowly from the rock. However, she was not in good shape in any sense of the word. One of her eyes was closed and swollen, she was bloody and dirty everywhere, one of her talons seemed to be missing and her left wing seemed to be twisted the wrong way. Sango's eyes watered, and she had to turn from the sight, unable to watch her friend suffer so much.
The other's did not turn their eyes however, unable to do so. They were glad she was still standing, but they had a feeling it was not over. And they were right.

A minute later, another area of the rock started to shake and move until Naraku's own hideous form emerged. He was in no better shape then Kagome, but his feet were still moving. He could attack while she was renderred nearly helpless, just standing there. He smirked as he looked her over, realizing this for himself. "Helpless are we now, Fire Bearer?" he asked, his eyes gleaming evilly as her good one glared at him. She merely snorted at him, her nostrils flaring in fury as the fire started to grow around her again, miko energy also returning to as strong as it had been, and growing.

"Oh, do calm down. I promise that this wont hurt... much!" he added at the last moment, shooting out at her, his body practically dissapearing as it neared her. Her eye shone lightly before she closed it, and spread her wings as much as she could, her head tilting back.

"What is she doing?" InuYasha cried, looking from her to the others. Miroku exchanged him a glance, but didn't say anything. Sesshomaru, however, never took his eyes from the scene, staring intently with his hand grasping the hilt of Tokejin tightly.

Just as Naraku was about to hit her, her body disappeared. He slid to a halt in surprise and looked around, not sure what happened. He turned around a few times, looking for her, but couldn't find her. A cry came from above him, and as all their eyes shifted up, a blurry orangish-red creature shot down from the sky, faster then most of them could keep their eyes up with. Naraku's eyes widened and he screamed as the blur collided with him. They didn't see it though, as they creature burst into flame and miko energy as soon as it hit him.

They knew it was Kagome and gasped, their eyes widening as they saw the scene unfold. The same thing as when she jumped from the cliff happened, fire and miko energy shooting out in all directions, rippling across the ground and up the walls of the canyons. InuYasha and Sesshomaru had to jump back again to not be burned from the pure energy, Kirara, flying higher into the air as well.

Naraku screamed in the torrent of fire, but they couldn't see neither him nor Kagome. After long moments, the screaming stopped, and no noise was left but the crackling of fire against the miko energy. They stood there for a long while, their eyes shifting over the fire for any sign of either Naraku or Kagome.

Finally, the fire started to dissipate, and the miko energy died down enough for them to move to the edge of the gorge again. They stood there as the fire continued to slowly blow out until two distinct figures could be seen. One was Naraku's, charred and burned. Evidently dead.

They had no time to celebrate this however, for they all made their way into the gorge as soon as possible to the other figure. Kagome lay on the ground, her body wounded, bloody, and dirty. But she was no longer a phoenix, but the human formed Kagome.
"Kagome!" InuYasha screamed as he made it to her. He was singed by the pure aura around her, but he didn't care, pushing straight through the pain and kneeling next to her. She lay on her side, one arm behind her back and the other's hand clenched intoa very tight fist.

Her eye slowly opened, not able to open the other one, swollen and bloody. "Inu-" she started, but couldn't finish as she coughed, blood spewing from her mouth as she did.
"Shhh..." InuYasha said, rubbing her side and running his hand over her hair. "Don't talk, you're going to be fine."

She smiled lightly through the coughing, her lips coated in blood. "We'd like to think, wouldn't we?" she asked, her voice cracked and pained as she opened her eye again to look at him. "I'm sorry InuYasha, I failed you."

"No... no you didn't," he told her, his voice pained and shaky. "Naraku's dead! You killed him Kagome, it's all over now."

"No.. n-not that..." she said quietly, and opened her clenched fist, showing him a half finished Sacred Jewel. "I wasn't able to finish the jewel... like I was-" she paused, coughing again. "L-like I w-was supposed..." she didn't finish as her eye closed, her hand still layed open.

"No!" he yelled, slamming his hands on the ground as he looked at her. "Kagome! Come on, keep yourself awake! You'll be fine!" he voice trembled as his shoulders started to shake.

Sango bit her lip, fighting her sobs as she turned around, Miroku catching her. She wrapped her arms around him, sobbing silently into his shoulder, unable to watch. Sesshomaru just stood there, his eyes soft, but face and stance as stoic as ever.

"I... I-I'm sorry... I-InuYasha..." she said, her voice barely audible. She didn't move after that, she didn't breath, and she didn't speak. Her body burst to flame before they could do anything, and once the flames died down, nothing was left but her ashes. She finally found her peace, her heart finally stopped beating, and she was finally dead.