InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wounds Heal, Scars Remain ❯ Ch14-Aishiteru ( Chapter 14 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: TearsOfTwilight 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.23.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 353 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.23.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 353 | Status: Work In Progress
Well this is the last chapter of my little tale. I never thought I'd become so attached to this story or the
people who took time in reading it. So here's my Reviewers Thankyou List-
Sakura Fubuki, YoukaiObsessed, Golden, Dante, ichie-chan, Inu, Eye of Ra, evilkitten20, tinyteeth,
Kiyunaray, T, Yamimi, yaoi_obsessed, Keith Barron, DarklordNaraku, bob, FireKitty, dai_yaoi_lover,
and anyone else who took the time to read WHSR. (if there's anyone I forgot I'm truly sorry)
I'd especially like to thank Sakura Fubuki for her Lesson for Yaoi Writers. It helped me immensly when it
came to incorporating bits of Japanese into my work.
Alright, here we go.(By the way, there will be an epilogue)
Chapter 14- Aishiteru
(Finalle)
~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~ ***
Sesshoumaru prepared to strike, talons glowing a venomous green against the paleness of his skin.
Rin lay sprawled out before him. Her eyes were shut and her body terribly still. To Inuyasha the little
girl already looked dead.
"Sesshoumaru! Brother! Stop this! Onegai, you DON'T want to kill her!"
Naraku dug his elbow viciously into the hanyou's back, eliciting a small cry of pain. "He is MINE mutt!
How many times must I beat it into your brain that you have no control over him whatsoever?" Despite
this, Inuyasha continued to plead with his elder brother, daring to hope that Sesshoumaru would be
able to hear him through the kumo's web of magic and lies.
"You don't have to kill her! No matter what he says, Naraku is NOT your master! The Sesshoumaru I
know would never kill a helpless child!"
For the briefness of a second, the inu's terrifying claws hesitated, their poison momentarilly
extinguished. Perhaps he imagined it, but Inuyasha was almost certain he saw a ghost of emotion
illuminate Sesshoumaru's hollow eyes. However, this phantom of defiance, if it was really there at all,
quickly vanished as Naraku spoke.
"How dare you even consider heeding the words of another, slave? OBEY ME!"
Sesshoumaru's claws flared green once again, the color of emeralds mixed with the bite of a snake. His
resolution horrified Inuyasha. He had known rescuing his elder brother would be difficult, that Naraku
no doubt had some plan of keeping the youkai with him, but the hanyou hadn't expected this. In a
million years he would have never believed that anything could quell Sesshoumaru's stubborn spirit.
He'd always been the strong one, the impregnable mountain of independance and fiersome pride.
This made him unbearably cruel at times, but Inuyasha loved him for it. He loved the demon with all
of his heart. It eclipsed even that which he had felt for his mother. Nothing was so noble, so lovely,
so beautifully sad as the man standing before him, and Inuyasha felt this more acutely than ever
before.
"Aishiteru, Sesshoumaru."
Three things happened at once. On hearing these words Sesshoumaru stopped, turning to stare in
wonder and confusion at the hanyou. Naraku, seeing this, let out a terrible yowl of rage and
lunged at his rebellious pet, and Rin, who had up till now remained unconscious, opened her eyes.
"WORTHLESS BITCH! YOU HAVE DEFIED ME FOR THE LAST TIME!" There was a nasty crunching sound as
Naraku slammed into the smaller youkai. Sesshoumaru didn't struggle. He simply lay there as his body
was dashed repeatedly against the floor. His right shoulderblade had been shattered by the force of
the kumo's first blow, and Inuyasha could smell the blood where fragments of bone had pierced
through his skin. Desperate to save his brother, the hanyou lept into the fray. He snarled like a hell
born monster, burying his inch-long claws deep into Naraku's back. The kumo gasped in pain and upon
smelling his own blood, went from an angry man to a mad one. Inuyasha was flung across the room as
tentacles burst from the small of the youkai's back. With the hanyou momentarily distracted, Naraku
turned back to his slave. A ripping sound filled the air as the kumo sank his fangs into Sesshoumaru's
cheek. He slashed with unbridled passion at the inu's face and chest, both teeth and claws leaving
bloody gashes on the once so creamy soft skin.
Rin saw the blood and screamed, screamed as if the end of the world had come. How could anyone be
so evil? Her young mind, untainted and innocent as it was, was simply unable to comprehend the scene
before her. Sesshoumaru looked like a side of meat, mutilated beyond repair by the malicious butcher.
Everywhere Inuyasha looked there was nothing but masses of writhing limbs. He cut through the
apendages with the strength of desperation, following the scent of his brother's blood and Rin's
screams.
"I'm coming Sesshoumaru!" But he wasn't getting any closer. For every tentacle the hanyou brought
down, three more took its place. He didn't even think Naraku was controlling them. They just came,
wanting only to strangle and kill. Brackish purple slime from the severed limbs gnawed at Inuyasha's
skin and clothing, filling his nose with the putrid scent of his own burning flesh. He had never
experienced pain like this. Hell, being RAPED beat having every inch of his body covered in acidic
sludge! Finally with a fustrated hiss, the hanyou lept into the air. Naraku's tentacles reached up after
him, but he was too quick. Using the full extent of his youkai blood, Inuyasha dodged the striving
apendages. Even Naraku turned to watch as the hanyou flew through the air with all the grace and
balance of a full demon. Gazing past the blood that clouded his vision, Sesshoumaru felt strangely
enraptured by his brother's dance across the field of demon arms. He was like an angel, given both
wings and light so that he might save the one he loved.
"Inuyasha," he murmered softly. The youkai suddenly felt as if he had woken from a deep yet restless
sleep.
Having caught Naraku by surprise, Inuyasha took his chance. For the first time the kumo was exposed,
a clear shot. Whatever thoughts of caution he may have harbored disappeared as the hanyou cannoned
into Naraku's chest.
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEELER!" Naraku didn't even see it coming. There was a flash of red sparks, and
the kumo was thrown headlong into the bathroom door. For a moment, he looked as if he might
rise, but then Naraku's body began to sway, and he fell to the ground. Inuyasha looked in disgust at
his sprawled out form. The way the kumo lay in the splintered ruins of the door, it was as if he were
seeing a darker, more sinister version of his own father. The hanyou gave an almost satisfied shudder.
'Last time Sesshoumaru saved me. Now I can finally return the favor.' Tearing his gaze away from the
black-hearted youkai, Inuyasha shifted his attention to his brother.
"Sess," Inuyasha murmured. "Oh Sess, please don't die. I'd never forgive myself if you did that." He
could feel the tears streaming once again down his face, but Inuyasha no longer cared. The whole
world could see him crying if only his brother's pain would end.
Sesshoumaru's breath hitched as he tried to speak. It was just like his dream. Every word, every minute
syllable, simply stayed trapped in his throat. Knitting his brows in fustration, the youkai drew in another
agonizing breath, but merely succeeded in choking on his own blood. Hearing the rattling of his
brother's broken chest was more than Inuyasha could stand. With a heartwrenching sob he buried his
face into Sesshoumaru's now lank and filthy hair.
"Its alright. Don't say anything at all. Just having you with me is enough."
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, but tears still spilled from beneath their lids. Inuyasha gently wiped
them away. The hanyou's claws were sticky with blood, but to Sesshoumaru it was the touch of a
long awaited savior. 'Please don't stop,' he thought. 'Stay with me forever.'
Inuyasha stroked the youkai's torn and bloody cheaks. He felt an immense relief. Sesshoumaru was
safe, away from the curse that was Naraku. He looked over the inu's body, noting the extent to which
it had been ravaged. Not only was he covered with all manner of cuts and lacerations, but the skin
surrounding Sesshoumaru's entrance was especially damaged. The gashes ran from the base of his
shaft all the way down his inner thighs. Despite the youkai's healing powers, they would most likely
leave lasting scars. Not that he cared. No matter how disfigured, how deformed and horribly marred
Sesshoumaru became, to Inuyasha he would always be the most stunning creature alive. The
inu seemed to know this, for he snuggled closer to the heat of his brother's body, bliss written
all over his brutally beaten features.
Suddenly the youkai's eyes snapped open, expressing without words a terror so complete that it
caused Inuyasha to tremble. "Sesshoumaru! What's wrong? Wha....." His words were cut short as
a searing pain tore into the hanyou's abdomen. He looked down, dumbstruck to see one
of Naraku's tentacles protruding right through his belly. Sesshoumaru tumbled from his lap as
Inuyasha was lifted into the air by the grotesque limb. He looked about wildly until
his gaze finally found that of the red-eyed kumo.
"You're not...dead?"
Naraku shook his head and smiled. "No, mutt. As you can see I am not dead. Did you really think that
such a trivial attack could destroy someone as powerful as myself?"
In one split second, the hanyou's world came crashing down around him. Not dead! No, that ment...
"Yes, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru will remain with me. You on the other hand must die!" The hanyou
screamed in agony as the tentacle that held him began to expand. It pressed against his flesh,
stretching and burning as it went. He could hear Naraku's laughter, Sesshouamaru's labored breathing,
and Rin's sobs. They all mixed together with the hanyou's pain until his world was nothing more than a
cacophany of confusion and blood.
Naraku thought he would burst. Nothing could interfere with his plans. Once Inuyasha was out of the
picture, Sesshoumaru would be his forever. He listened to the hanyou scream. It was invigorating. He
really was kind of cute, considering his human blood. If Inuyasha hadn't tried the kumo's nerves so
much, he might have even kept him as another pet. No, he was being greedy. The elder of the two
brothers was certainly enough.
"Naraku..." The kumo's head shot up, eyes widened in surprise. It was Sesshoumaru. The inu had
somehow managed to get to his feet and stood, staring fixedly at the kumo. His face was perfectly
calm, all but his eyes which glowed with all the blazing fury of a thousand hells. There was not even
the twitch of an eyebrow. It was not needed. Without other expression these lovely, terrible orbs
betrayed all the hatred, all the contempt and bitterness he held towards this dark-haired monster.
"Sesshoumaru..." He never got to finish, never got to deliver that final insult. There was a choking
sound, the snap of a fractured neck, and it was all over. A playwrite would have thought it most
anticlimatic, but that is how it was. Perhaps it was for the best. Naraku was far to evil to even deserve something so gratifying as a dramatic death. Sesshoumaru simply broke his spine, and that was the end. No words, no screams, not even a flinch. He was alive one moment, dead the next.
The tentacle collapsed, and Inuyasha was free. For a moment he stared dumbly at the kumo's
body, almost expecting it to move. Of course it remained stationary. Sesshoumaru stood in the middle
of the floor, also gazing at Naraku's corpse. He'd done it. He'd broke free of Naraku's spell. All
because of Inuyasha, because the youkai's love for him was stronger than any petty magic. He looked
over at the astonished hanyou, muttered a few incoherent words, and fell to the floor.
"SESSHOUMARU!" Inuyasha was imediatly at the youkai's side. He suddenly had a terrible feeling, much
worse than anything he'd felt before. It was as if the hanyou were about to lose something of greatest
value and could do nothing. It was inevitable, a cruel yet unchangable twist of fate. He did not touch
his brother, simply gazed at the inu's sprawled out form. He was radiant. All the blood, filth, and
countless wounds on Sesshoumaru's body were rendered obsolete. At that moment his loveliness was unrivaled. Inuyasha fought to speak, but was left speachless. It was as if all the suffering the youkai was put through had granted him a ethereal, almost divine brilliance. His eyes, once again the color of molten gold, seemed to be looking up past the hanyou into an infinate abyss that he alone could see.
Sesshoumaru stood at the gate of death, and instead of being frightened, he was dazzled by its
brilliance. It is hard to be certain what went on in the youkai's mind as he stared over the brink into the
fathoms of eternity. Perhaps he thought of his father burning in hell, or his short, bitter sweet life
that was now drawing to a close. Maybe he was simply reflecting on all that he had loved, though
nothing can be confirmed. The thoughts of the dying are always a mystery, and so they should
remain. However there is one clue, one instant in time which may shed light on these speculations.
Sesshoumaru's last words, no more than a whisper but meaningful none the less.
"Aishiteru, Inuyasha."
~~***~~***~~***~~***~~
Inuyasha watched the sun rising over the web of highrises and roaring cars. Despite all the bustle
below, this great fiery orb rose slowly and majestically, shrouded in its own sanguine radiance. Allowing
the morning breeze to ruffle his bangs, the hanyou leaned out over the balcony. It had been five hours
since his brother's death, five hours of being utterly alone. He supposed he should feel somewhat
relieved. After all, everyone had come out of it safely, everyone that is except Sesshoumaru. At first
Inuyasha hadn't allowed them to take away the youkai's body. He stood over it, fangs bared, until Miroku
finally talked him into letting the police do their job. Still, it hurt to think that in just a few days, the
only lover he'd ever had would be festering under six feet of dirt and rocks. 'Maybe I should have him
cremated.' The hanyou almost laughed. Here he was, contemplating how best to deal with his brother's
corpse, when the answer was there all along.
Reaching into his pocket, Inuyasha pulled out what appeared to be the chain of a pocketwatch.
However, instead of being attached to a clock, the silver lengths held a much more curious item. It was
a jewel, and not just any jewel. The Shikon no Tama shimmered like the dust of a fairy's kiss, its violet
depths glowing the same color as Shiori's eyes, only much brighter. He held it up to the sun, admiring
the stone's perfect surface. He had taken it from the top of Naraku's dresser before leaving. It was
almost funny. The very thing that had indirectly destroyed everything the hanyou ever loved could
bring it all back again. Inuyasha closed his eyes, thinking of how best to make his wish.
Izayoi's words stirred the recesses of Inuyasha's tired brain. 'The Shikon no Tama is said to have the
power to grant any wish, but remember, with each wish comes a terrible curse. The jewel can grant
limitless power, bring unrivalled wealth, cure any ailment. It can even bring back the dead, but always
at a price. For the Shikon's magic is a magic born of pain and death. With such forces inside it, nothing
pure will ever come of the jewel of four souls.'
Inuyasha laughed. She was right of course. Look at Naraku. He couldn't have always been evil, but
when the Shikon no Tama turned him into a demon, the kumo's soul as well as his physical form had
been horribly altered. No. He couldn't use this to resurrect Sesshoumaru. It would never be the same.
Reluctantly he set down the jewel and turned back to the rising sun. 'I will never see him again.' It
was a horrible thought. Still, a little voice in the back of Inuyasha's mind would not accept it. 'There is
another way. There is always another way.' The hanyou's eyes remained fixed on the sky. It was quite
beautiful, almost as beautiful as his brother's eyes. Inuyasha wondered what it would be like to fall
into those infinint eyes. He had to find out. 'Almost there, brother....'
~~***~~***~~***~~
When they found the hanyou's body, he looked as if he'd been run over by a small train. His skull was
caved in, and blood had poured from his mouth, nose, and ears. Everyone simply stared, unable
to believe that Inuyasha had actually done it. Then again, it wasn't that remarkable. Why wait alone in
this world when the love of your life is just a small jump away? Kagome had whispered something about
it being the ultimate sin, but Kagura shook her head.
"What manner of Heaven would deny two people who have been through so much for eachother the
bliss of being reunited? Everyone has one person in their lives whome the cannot live without. For
Inuyasha it was Sesshoumaru. I do not believe they will be parted for long."
Despite herself, Kagome hoped the sorceress was correct. They didn't deserve hell. Not those two.
As the sirens died away, the little group just stood there, unwilling to leave the place of the hanyou's
death. Miroku was the first to break the silence.
"I....I guess I'll being going now. Gotta....you know.......tell Kikyou."
Kouga nodded. "..y-yeah, me too. Well....goodbye."
Each left in turn until Kagura and her two chilren alone remained. Shiori looked up at her mother
questioningly. "Does this mean we won't see them again?"
The woman sighed. "Yes dear. I'm afraid it does."
"You're wrong." They turned to look at Kanna, whose gaze had not left the smear where Inuyasha's
body had once lay. "When people love eachother," she began. "They form a bond, and no matter what
it can't be broken, not even by death. We'll see them again one day."
Kagura smiled at her daughter's words. "Who knows, Kanna. You may be right"
~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~
-TOT
people who took time in reading it. So here's my Reviewers Thankyou List-
Sakura Fubuki, YoukaiObsessed, Golden, Dante, ichie-chan, Inu, Eye of Ra, evilkitten20, tinyteeth,
Kiyunaray, T, Yamimi, yaoi_obsessed, Keith Barron, DarklordNaraku, bob, FireKitty, dai_yaoi_lover,
and anyone else who took the time to read WHSR. (if there's anyone I forgot I'm truly sorry)
I'd especially like to thank Sakura Fubuki for her Lesson for Yaoi Writers. It helped me immensly when it
came to incorporating bits of Japanese into my work.
Alright, here we go.(By the way, there will be an epilogue)
Chapter 14- Aishiteru
(Finalle)
~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~ ***
Sesshoumaru prepared to strike, talons glowing a venomous green against the paleness of his skin.
Rin lay sprawled out before him. Her eyes were shut and her body terribly still. To Inuyasha the little
girl already looked dead.
"Sesshoumaru! Brother! Stop this! Onegai, you DON'T want to kill her!"
Naraku dug his elbow viciously into the hanyou's back, eliciting a small cry of pain. "He is MINE mutt!
How many times must I beat it into your brain that you have no control over him whatsoever?" Despite
this, Inuyasha continued to plead with his elder brother, daring to hope that Sesshoumaru would be
able to hear him through the kumo's web of magic and lies.
"You don't have to kill her! No matter what he says, Naraku is NOT your master! The Sesshoumaru I
know would never kill a helpless child!"
For the briefness of a second, the inu's terrifying claws hesitated, their poison momentarilly
extinguished. Perhaps he imagined it, but Inuyasha was almost certain he saw a ghost of emotion
illuminate Sesshoumaru's hollow eyes. However, this phantom of defiance, if it was really there at all,
quickly vanished as Naraku spoke.
"How dare you even consider heeding the words of another, slave? OBEY ME!"
Sesshoumaru's claws flared green once again, the color of emeralds mixed with the bite of a snake. His
resolution horrified Inuyasha. He had known rescuing his elder brother would be difficult, that Naraku
no doubt had some plan of keeping the youkai with him, but the hanyou hadn't expected this. In a
million years he would have never believed that anything could quell Sesshoumaru's stubborn spirit.
He'd always been the strong one, the impregnable mountain of independance and fiersome pride.
This made him unbearably cruel at times, but Inuyasha loved him for it. He loved the demon with all
of his heart. It eclipsed even that which he had felt for his mother. Nothing was so noble, so lovely,
so beautifully sad as the man standing before him, and Inuyasha felt this more acutely than ever
before.
"Aishiteru, Sesshoumaru."
Three things happened at once. On hearing these words Sesshoumaru stopped, turning to stare in
wonder and confusion at the hanyou. Naraku, seeing this, let out a terrible yowl of rage and
lunged at his rebellious pet, and Rin, who had up till now remained unconscious, opened her eyes.
"WORTHLESS BITCH! YOU HAVE DEFIED ME FOR THE LAST TIME!" There was a nasty crunching sound as
Naraku slammed into the smaller youkai. Sesshoumaru didn't struggle. He simply lay there as his body
was dashed repeatedly against the floor. His right shoulderblade had been shattered by the force of
the kumo's first blow, and Inuyasha could smell the blood where fragments of bone had pierced
through his skin. Desperate to save his brother, the hanyou lept into the fray. He snarled like a hell
born monster, burying his inch-long claws deep into Naraku's back. The kumo gasped in pain and upon
smelling his own blood, went from an angry man to a mad one. Inuyasha was flung across the room as
tentacles burst from the small of the youkai's back. With the hanyou momentarily distracted, Naraku
turned back to his slave. A ripping sound filled the air as the kumo sank his fangs into Sesshoumaru's
cheek. He slashed with unbridled passion at the inu's face and chest, both teeth and claws leaving
bloody gashes on the once so creamy soft skin.
Rin saw the blood and screamed, screamed as if the end of the world had come. How could anyone be
so evil? Her young mind, untainted and innocent as it was, was simply unable to comprehend the scene
before her. Sesshoumaru looked like a side of meat, mutilated beyond repair by the malicious butcher.
Everywhere Inuyasha looked there was nothing but masses of writhing limbs. He cut through the
apendages with the strength of desperation, following the scent of his brother's blood and Rin's
screams.
"I'm coming Sesshoumaru!" But he wasn't getting any closer. For every tentacle the hanyou brought
down, three more took its place. He didn't even think Naraku was controlling them. They just came,
wanting only to strangle and kill. Brackish purple slime from the severed limbs gnawed at Inuyasha's
skin and clothing, filling his nose with the putrid scent of his own burning flesh. He had never
experienced pain like this. Hell, being RAPED beat having every inch of his body covered in acidic
sludge! Finally with a fustrated hiss, the hanyou lept into the air. Naraku's tentacles reached up after
him, but he was too quick. Using the full extent of his youkai blood, Inuyasha dodged the striving
apendages. Even Naraku turned to watch as the hanyou flew through the air with all the grace and
balance of a full demon. Gazing past the blood that clouded his vision, Sesshoumaru felt strangely
enraptured by his brother's dance across the field of demon arms. He was like an angel, given both
wings and light so that he might save the one he loved.
"Inuyasha," he murmered softly. The youkai suddenly felt as if he had woken from a deep yet restless
sleep.
Having caught Naraku by surprise, Inuyasha took his chance. For the first time the kumo was exposed,
a clear shot. Whatever thoughts of caution he may have harbored disappeared as the hanyou cannoned
into Naraku's chest.
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEELER!" Naraku didn't even see it coming. There was a flash of red sparks, and
the kumo was thrown headlong into the bathroom door. For a moment, he looked as if he might
rise, but then Naraku's body began to sway, and he fell to the ground. Inuyasha looked in disgust at
his sprawled out form. The way the kumo lay in the splintered ruins of the door, it was as if he were
seeing a darker, more sinister version of his own father. The hanyou gave an almost satisfied shudder.
'Last time Sesshoumaru saved me. Now I can finally return the favor.' Tearing his gaze away from the
black-hearted youkai, Inuyasha shifted his attention to his brother.
"Sess," Inuyasha murmured. "Oh Sess, please don't die. I'd never forgive myself if you did that." He
could feel the tears streaming once again down his face, but Inuyasha no longer cared. The whole
world could see him crying if only his brother's pain would end.
Sesshoumaru's breath hitched as he tried to speak. It was just like his dream. Every word, every minute
syllable, simply stayed trapped in his throat. Knitting his brows in fustration, the youkai drew in another
agonizing breath, but merely succeeded in choking on his own blood. Hearing the rattling of his
brother's broken chest was more than Inuyasha could stand. With a heartwrenching sob he buried his
face into Sesshoumaru's now lank and filthy hair.
"Its alright. Don't say anything at all. Just having you with me is enough."
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, but tears still spilled from beneath their lids. Inuyasha gently wiped
them away. The hanyou's claws were sticky with blood, but to Sesshoumaru it was the touch of a
long awaited savior. 'Please don't stop,' he thought. 'Stay with me forever.'
Inuyasha stroked the youkai's torn and bloody cheaks. He felt an immense relief. Sesshoumaru was
safe, away from the curse that was Naraku. He looked over the inu's body, noting the extent to which
it had been ravaged. Not only was he covered with all manner of cuts and lacerations, but the skin
surrounding Sesshoumaru's entrance was especially damaged. The gashes ran from the base of his
shaft all the way down his inner thighs. Despite the youkai's healing powers, they would most likely
leave lasting scars. Not that he cared. No matter how disfigured, how deformed and horribly marred
Sesshoumaru became, to Inuyasha he would always be the most stunning creature alive. The
inu seemed to know this, for he snuggled closer to the heat of his brother's body, bliss written
all over his brutally beaten features.
Suddenly the youkai's eyes snapped open, expressing without words a terror so complete that it
caused Inuyasha to tremble. "Sesshoumaru! What's wrong? Wha....." His words were cut short as
a searing pain tore into the hanyou's abdomen. He looked down, dumbstruck to see one
of Naraku's tentacles protruding right through his belly. Sesshoumaru tumbled from his lap as
Inuyasha was lifted into the air by the grotesque limb. He looked about wildly until
his gaze finally found that of the red-eyed kumo.
"You're not...dead?"
Naraku shook his head and smiled. "No, mutt. As you can see I am not dead. Did you really think that
such a trivial attack could destroy someone as powerful as myself?"
In one split second, the hanyou's world came crashing down around him. Not dead! No, that ment...
"Yes, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru will remain with me. You on the other hand must die!" The hanyou
screamed in agony as the tentacle that held him began to expand. It pressed against his flesh,
stretching and burning as it went. He could hear Naraku's laughter, Sesshouamaru's labored breathing,
and Rin's sobs. They all mixed together with the hanyou's pain until his world was nothing more than a
cacophany of confusion and blood.
Naraku thought he would burst. Nothing could interfere with his plans. Once Inuyasha was out of the
picture, Sesshoumaru would be his forever. He listened to the hanyou scream. It was invigorating. He
really was kind of cute, considering his human blood. If Inuyasha hadn't tried the kumo's nerves so
much, he might have even kept him as another pet. No, he was being greedy. The elder of the two
brothers was certainly enough.
"Naraku..." The kumo's head shot up, eyes widened in surprise. It was Sesshoumaru. The inu had
somehow managed to get to his feet and stood, staring fixedly at the kumo. His face was perfectly
calm, all but his eyes which glowed with all the blazing fury of a thousand hells. There was not even
the twitch of an eyebrow. It was not needed. Without other expression these lovely, terrible orbs
betrayed all the hatred, all the contempt and bitterness he held towards this dark-haired monster.
"Sesshoumaru..." He never got to finish, never got to deliver that final insult. There was a choking
sound, the snap of a fractured neck, and it was all over. A playwrite would have thought it most
anticlimatic, but that is how it was. Perhaps it was for the best. Naraku was far to evil to even deserve something so gratifying as a dramatic death. Sesshoumaru simply broke his spine, and that was the end. No words, no screams, not even a flinch. He was alive one moment, dead the next.
The tentacle collapsed, and Inuyasha was free. For a moment he stared dumbly at the kumo's
body, almost expecting it to move. Of course it remained stationary. Sesshoumaru stood in the middle
of the floor, also gazing at Naraku's corpse. He'd done it. He'd broke free of Naraku's spell. All
because of Inuyasha, because the youkai's love for him was stronger than any petty magic. He looked
over at the astonished hanyou, muttered a few incoherent words, and fell to the floor.
"SESSHOUMARU!" Inuyasha was imediatly at the youkai's side. He suddenly had a terrible feeling, much
worse than anything he'd felt before. It was as if the hanyou were about to lose something of greatest
value and could do nothing. It was inevitable, a cruel yet unchangable twist of fate. He did not touch
his brother, simply gazed at the inu's sprawled out form. He was radiant. All the blood, filth, and
countless wounds on Sesshoumaru's body were rendered obsolete. At that moment his loveliness was unrivaled. Inuyasha fought to speak, but was left speachless. It was as if all the suffering the youkai was put through had granted him a ethereal, almost divine brilliance. His eyes, once again the color of molten gold, seemed to be looking up past the hanyou into an infinate abyss that he alone could see.
Sesshoumaru stood at the gate of death, and instead of being frightened, he was dazzled by its
brilliance. It is hard to be certain what went on in the youkai's mind as he stared over the brink into the
fathoms of eternity. Perhaps he thought of his father burning in hell, or his short, bitter sweet life
that was now drawing to a close. Maybe he was simply reflecting on all that he had loved, though
nothing can be confirmed. The thoughts of the dying are always a mystery, and so they should
remain. However there is one clue, one instant in time which may shed light on these speculations.
Sesshoumaru's last words, no more than a whisper but meaningful none the less.
"Aishiteru, Inuyasha."
~~***~~***~~***~~***~~
Inuyasha watched the sun rising over the web of highrises and roaring cars. Despite all the bustle
below, this great fiery orb rose slowly and majestically, shrouded in its own sanguine radiance. Allowing
the morning breeze to ruffle his bangs, the hanyou leaned out over the balcony. It had been five hours
since his brother's death, five hours of being utterly alone. He supposed he should feel somewhat
relieved. After all, everyone had come out of it safely, everyone that is except Sesshoumaru. At first
Inuyasha hadn't allowed them to take away the youkai's body. He stood over it, fangs bared, until Miroku
finally talked him into letting the police do their job. Still, it hurt to think that in just a few days, the
only lover he'd ever had would be festering under six feet of dirt and rocks. 'Maybe I should have him
cremated.' The hanyou almost laughed. Here he was, contemplating how best to deal with his brother's
corpse, when the answer was there all along.
Reaching into his pocket, Inuyasha pulled out what appeared to be the chain of a pocketwatch.
However, instead of being attached to a clock, the silver lengths held a much more curious item. It was
a jewel, and not just any jewel. The Shikon no Tama shimmered like the dust of a fairy's kiss, its violet
depths glowing the same color as Shiori's eyes, only much brighter. He held it up to the sun, admiring
the stone's perfect surface. He had taken it from the top of Naraku's dresser before leaving. It was
almost funny. The very thing that had indirectly destroyed everything the hanyou ever loved could
bring it all back again. Inuyasha closed his eyes, thinking of how best to make his wish.
Izayoi's words stirred the recesses of Inuyasha's tired brain. 'The Shikon no Tama is said to have the
power to grant any wish, but remember, with each wish comes a terrible curse. The jewel can grant
limitless power, bring unrivalled wealth, cure any ailment. It can even bring back the dead, but always
at a price. For the Shikon's magic is a magic born of pain and death. With such forces inside it, nothing
pure will ever come of the jewel of four souls.'
Inuyasha laughed. She was right of course. Look at Naraku. He couldn't have always been evil, but
when the Shikon no Tama turned him into a demon, the kumo's soul as well as his physical form had
been horribly altered. No. He couldn't use this to resurrect Sesshoumaru. It would never be the same.
Reluctantly he set down the jewel and turned back to the rising sun. 'I will never see him again.' It
was a horrible thought. Still, a little voice in the back of Inuyasha's mind would not accept it. 'There is
another way. There is always another way.' The hanyou's eyes remained fixed on the sky. It was quite
beautiful, almost as beautiful as his brother's eyes. Inuyasha wondered what it would be like to fall
into those infinint eyes. He had to find out. 'Almost there, brother....'
~~***~~***~~***~~
When they found the hanyou's body, he looked as if he'd been run over by a small train. His skull was
caved in, and blood had poured from his mouth, nose, and ears. Everyone simply stared, unable
to believe that Inuyasha had actually done it. Then again, it wasn't that remarkable. Why wait alone in
this world when the love of your life is just a small jump away? Kagome had whispered something about
it being the ultimate sin, but Kagura shook her head.
"What manner of Heaven would deny two people who have been through so much for eachother the
bliss of being reunited? Everyone has one person in their lives whome the cannot live without. For
Inuyasha it was Sesshoumaru. I do not believe they will be parted for long."
Despite herself, Kagome hoped the sorceress was correct. They didn't deserve hell. Not those two.
As the sirens died away, the little group just stood there, unwilling to leave the place of the hanyou's
death. Miroku was the first to break the silence.
"I....I guess I'll being going now. Gotta....you know.......tell Kikyou."
Kouga nodded. "..y-yeah, me too. Well....goodbye."
Each left in turn until Kagura and her two chilren alone remained. Shiori looked up at her mother
questioningly. "Does this mean we won't see them again?"
The woman sighed. "Yes dear. I'm afraid it does."
"You're wrong." They turned to look at Kanna, whose gaze had not left the smear where Inuyasha's
body had once lay. "When people love eachother," she began. "They form a bond, and no matter what
it can't be broken, not even by death. We'll see them again one day."
Kagura smiled at her daughter's words. "Who knows, Kanna. You may be right"
~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~
-TOT