InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Transformations ❯ The Final Battle III ( Chapter 55 )

Her Burning Arrows were weak and often missed the huge target that Naraku made. Her Spirit Slash wouldn't work at all, no matter how many times she tried. Her barriers were choppy at best, hardly able to hold back a fly.

In a word, she was drained. Physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally. They were all feeling the same way, down to the ever unmovable Sesshomaru. Even Hojo, who was just trying to knock them out of the way, was getting tired.

And there Naraku stood, immortal.

**Fifty Five**

Looking back, I have no idea how I did it. Just that I did. Somehow, I used it. The Jewel. Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls. It helped me. So did Midoriko. I could feel her with me, guiding me, empowering me. 'Me' in particular. She didn't help Inuyasha, or Sesshomaru, or Kagura or Miroku or Sango or any of the others that lived to see me call forth the Jewel.

And it was such a rush of raw, endless power. . .

It seemed impossible that I survived its use. Just as much as it seemed impossible to defeat Naraku at long last, it seemed impossible to control all that power and use it for the good of everyone.

Impossible. But it happened. And I'll never forget it.

I hope no one else does, either.

~*~ The fight, where it left off last chapter ~*~

It was a stand off, if you could call it that. No one was moving, but all for different reasons.

Inuyasha was catching his breath. Kagome was trying to tap into some extra power, some extra will to fight and win. Sesshomaru was forming a plan in his head. Kagura was knocked out, off to the side. Koga was nursing a broken leg. Sango was too weak to move. Miroku was chanting, trying to empower them all or weaken Naraku somehow. Kirara was flying, Hojo on her back and keeping him a safe distance away. Gar was leaning against Kure and a tree, stamina run dry. Sana and Kure were both nursing wounds as well.

Koga's pack wasn't there anymore. Most had run off, and those that hadn't had died, one by one.

And Naraku was savoring victory. Grinning down at them with at least three dozen teeth all crowded into his mouth, newly sprouted bat wings that did little more than swat at the fighters, tail split into four now.

The harsh truth was, he was right. "Strong as you are, fast as you are, powerful as you are, and none of you have harmed me," he had said. And later, while they were gasping for breath and still putting up a weakened defense, "You cannot defeat me! Me! An immortal! The gods themselves have bowed before me!"

Perhaps not all true, but the parts that were doomed them.

Kagome would have believed it, if not for the knowledge in her mind. History class clearly stated that no immortal demons or half demons had seized control of the country. It was the only thing that kept her going, kept her fighting. Kept her aiming her arrows and praying that this time he would fall by them.

After all, she promised him a thousand eternities in hell, and she always came through with her promises.

And then the scale tipped in their favor. A few others showed up, some fully energized allies that wanted Naraku to die as much as they did.

Ashira led the group, apparently having gone to get them. Hime was second in line, along with what looked to be the entire able-bodied group of the Gold Pack, and lastly, Jinenji.

Hime attacked first, weaving a web around Naraku and securely catching him. The threads were laced with acid, but it wouldn't hold forever. So Ashira leapt up and slashed at Naraku's face. The huge head simply continued grinning so unnervingly at them all, and then he showed another trick.

Tentacles. They emerged from his forehead, as before they had been from his chest and back, and caught Ashira. They tightened around her to the point where she cried out in pain, wrapped in those tentacles completely, just as Naraku was caught by Hime's web.

Kirara flew down, tired as the others, and bit and tore at the tentacles, only to get herself and Hojo caught in the same way.

It was so hard for Kagome to get up, so hard that she couldn't. Instead all she could do was let someone lift her and set down elsewhere, farther from the fight. Soon she was laying next to all her fallen warriors: Inuyasha, Koga, Gar, Sesshomaru, Kagura, Sango and Miroku, Kanna and Kure and Sana. . .

And the gold pack was taking their place in the fight. She watched, eyes half open and begging her to sleep, as they attacked. All sorts of dogs helped them; wolves, foxes, domesticated dogs and basically lots of assortments that Kagome could swear weren't in Japan in this era.

She noted their abilities fairly quickly. They weren't as fast as her pack, but faster than Koga's. They were stronger than her pack, but weaker than Sesshomaru. They all had fire mixed in with their attacks, which turned out to be the best way to fight Naraku. None of them seemed to have dog or wolf forms, but a few had gold, white, brown or grey skin. Those that did seemed to be the best fighters.

Kagome tried to warn them of what Naraku could do. She tried to tell them that he regenerated, that his tails could split, that he sacrificed over a hundred arms during their fight, only to have each regenerate faster than any of her pack could keep up with. She tried telling them that he had tentacles, and that they could extend from any point on his body. She tried. . .but she couldn't use her voice.

Eventually her eyes closed and her mind drifted away, letting sleep hold her prisoner.

~*~ Dreaming~*~

Dad. . .Dad, I need you. . .Mama. . .

"Kagome!"

Eyes opening, Kagome looked around. "Daddy!" she cried, running to him.

"What in the world is happening?" he asked, sharply, catching her.

Kagome hugged him as hard as she could. "Naraku attacked," she began, sobbing. "We've been fighting him and I can't - I can't fight anymore. I want to sleep and dream and just go home. . ." She sniffed, pausing only to let more tears fall. "Daddy, Daddy. . ." She'd never felt so young before.

Rare was panicking just as much as Kagome was crying. "Kagome, listen to me. You have to wake up. Get up. Now."

"I don't - want to. . .I can't. . .Don't make me!" she cried, clinging to him tighter.

"Now, Kagome!" he urged, pushing her back and looking in her eyes. "This is dangerous, sleeping. You have to get up. I don't want to lose you!"

"Daddy, no," she went on, tears still falling thickly. "I don't want to! I don't want to! I don't want to! Don't make me!"

"They need you!" Rare returned sharply, nearly shouting in his haste. "What do you think is going to happen to everyone if you stay here, sleeping?! They'll die, Kagome! Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Shippou, everyone!!" He shook her. "Get up!! Get up, now! You're the key, now get up!"

"Daddy!" Kagome screamed, grabbing at him. The dream was fading, her father disappearing and loosing structure. "Daddy, no!! No!! Don't leave me!!"

~*~ Reality~*~

With a gasp and a jerk, Kagome was sitting up, tears falling freely. "Daddy!!" she screamed, a heartbroken sound. Hardly anybody noticed, being too busy just trying to fight Naraku.

But there were a pair of arms around her. She cried harshly, dropping her face into her hands. She didn't look up when she heard Sango scream. She didn't twitch a muscle when she heard Hime and Koga cry out in the same moment. She didn't acknowledge her senses picking out the wind, or the screams, or the scent of blood and fire and ash and smoke. She didn't look up to see where she was. She didn't glance at who was holding her, to see who it was. She didn't hear the words whispered to her, trying to calm and comfort her. She didn't feel with her miko sense who was still alive, who was still fighting, who had died.

She cried.

For her past, for not knowing who and what she really was for so long. For Inuyasha, and everything he had to go through in his life. For all her friends' pains and sufferings. For the father she never knew until it was too late to be taught. For her own fears and pains. For the horrible things Naraku had done to so many people. For Kikyo, dying in hate, resurrecting in hate, dying a second time in hate. For Kaede, losing her sister so young. For the baby Inuyasha wanted so badly that had turned out to be a parasite. For everything the jewel had done to people's lives. For Midoriko, who had forged the jewel with her own heart and ripped it from her own chest. Even for the demons that had died in that moment, trying to kill Midoriko and in turn getting trapped in the Jewel along with her. For the Gods and Devils. For lost souls and damned souls.

For everyone and everything that had ever been hurt or wronged, be it good, evil or both.

"Kagome!" someone gasped, sharply.

She heard that. Kagome looked up briefly as saw that it was Hojo that had come to her and tried to comfort her. And inappropriately, he was looking at her chest.

But his face was shocked.

Looking down, the first thing she noticed was a light. Like sometime had turned on a high-powered flashlight and was shining it directly into her face. But then the light dimmed, and she saw what was glowing. Her father's fang.

The light on the fang went away, and suddenly, so sharply it nearly hurt, all of her powers returned. Her wounds all healed, her strength and stamina replenished. . .

She stood up, staring at the fang. She looked up with a tear-streaked, puffy, red face, and saw all the damage that the fight brought.

Everything looked like it'd been knocked down, thrown off to the side, broken, upturned, or lit on fire. Everyone was fighting, mangled, panting, weak and hardly moving. Naraku's skin had been burned over, keeping him from regenerating, as well as making him wince at every swipe, kick and sweep.

Presently, Hime was grabbed and - Kagome winced at the sight - ripped in half with a bloodcurdling shriek. Her human upper body landed heavily on the dirt, a dozen feet from her spider half.

More tears fell from Kagome's eyes. . .

Inuyasha yelped as he was thrown back, hitting the ground harshly and skidding nearly twenty feet. He didn't get up again.

She gave a sob. . .

Miroku hit a tree and his hands flew up to his neck, which was nearly pouring blood.

Her hands lifted to her mouth. . .

Ashira was thrown directly to the ground, hitting hard and thrown back up at impact, yelling, blood flying from her open mouth.

Her eyes began blurring. . .

Kirara roared, caught between Naraku's teeth.

She started shaking. . . . .

Gar gurgled on his blood, wobbling forward and holding his stomach, which adorned a hold the size of his skull and was nearly gushing.

Her tears fell thicker. . . . . .

Sango was thrown into Koga and both hit a tree, snapping it in half and getting trapped under the full weight.

Words crowded her throat, screams, trying to claw their way out. . . . . . . . .

Jinenji was thrown directly up into the air and swatted when he came back down, going over the horizon of trees and out of Kagome's sight.

Murmurs began escaping her mouth, forming words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sesshomaru was rapidly clawed at and fell, blood falling from every part of his body, his armor gone and royal clothes shredded almost to nothing.

She screamed.

All of Kagome's pain came rushing out in one great scream for justice, for relief. Her entire being was behind it, drawing everyone's attention and making Hojo step back. Tears continued to fall. The sky darkened, covering in clouds. A circle of energy began around her feet and spread, white in the center of the ring and blue at the top and bottom parts. The grass glowed under the light and her eyes shut.

Wind began blowing, lifting Kagome's hair and swirling it around her shoulders. The violet strip around her forehead whipped off. Her left hand clawed, right hand clenched, mouth opened impossibly and body tensed. Her star glowed brightly and a sphere of light began at the center, blue around the outer edge and pearly white in the center.

The Jewel lifted and broke off from her neck. . .

Her tears glistened, nearly glowing themselves. Three thin black stripes streaked their way across her cheeks. Her ears wavered, shifted, then dropped, changing form to become humanlike with a thin point on each. Her tears dripped from her chin down to her feet, each drop creating the ripple of white/blue light shiver and grow larger.

The Jewel glowed with pure power, lavender fading to become white. . .

Kagome's scream ended and she gasped. Her eyes opened and she stared in front of her briefly. Then she inhaled deeply, let out another scream and shut her eyes.

Missing shards tore from their masters and to the jewel, two tiny ones forming a ticker shard. . .

This scream was much shorter. At the end her star glowed brighter still, the ball of light expanding under her power, fully unleashed. And then it sparked, throwing Kagome's head back and lifting her feet off the ground. She was floating.

The Jewel came to her chest and floated just above her. The pure white power got brighter and expended greatly, covering Kagome's body with that ethereal light. All at once her clothes dissolved, that light becoming her only guard from views.

Naraku took a step back. . .

That light spread out, causing everyone to flinch, look away or shade their eyes. It retracted again and became solid, wrapping around Kagome, layer after layer. It faded slowly, excruciatingly so, and set her on her feet again. The Jewel drew closer to her chest and drifting inside, melding with her heart and imparting her with its strength, beauty and power.

It faded completely, revealing a new Kagome, one no one recognized. This was, in fact, not Kagome. With the face, the clothes, the coloring - it couldn't be.

But it was.

Her hair had lengthened, becoming roughly the length of Midoriko's. The star on her forehead was still white, only now it was bigger and lower. Three stripes still adorned each cheek. A tiny blue diamond was at the corner of either eye. Her black lips had turned violet, shining in both ruby and white, and thicker than they had been. Her bangs looked as though they'd been clipped, leveled. Her forelocks had been cut as well, leveled at her chin. Her ears remained pointed, although not quite so much as normal demons.

And that was just for her head.

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Picture: Kagome's transformation. Swirling hair, tears, screaming mouth, blue/white power at her feet, glowing star. (Should be) already uploaded at deviant art. Check my bio for the link if you haven't already.

DL-sama