Evolution of a Taiyoukai

By Danyealle

(FanFiction/MF/angst)

Chapter 15

Once Naraku’s ‘troops’ vacated the field, Sesshomaru took off towards Kagome as fast as he could.  Kneeling down, he checked her for any signs of life even though he knew she was already gone.  Automatically, he stood up and pulled tensiega.  There was no way in hell he was going to let his onna leave him if he could at all help it!  Standing there, he expected to see the messengers from the underworld but there weren’t any.  With a snarl, he swiped across her body with the katana but, as he expected, it didn’t work.  Doing it a few more times, hoping against hope, nothing happened.  Tossing the sword aside, he fell to his knees and scooped her up and held her cradled to his chest then let out a howl of pure pain and anguish.  Burying his face in her blood-soaked hair, he rocked back and forth, holding her tightly.  Eyes squeezed shut, he could feel them burn as it fully sunk in that she was gone.  His Kagome had been taken from him.  By that point he could sense and feel the others gathering around and smell their tears but he didn’t care.  He was also pretty sure he wouldn’t care about anything ever again. 

The pain had settled in his chest then radiated throughout his whole body.  He was sure that this hurt worse than any physical injury he had ever sustained in his life.  It seemed to encompass him both mentally and physically.  Honestly, with the way he felt, he wanted to join her.  They had only been together a short time but she was such a part of him now that he felt as though he was missing part of himself. 

When he sensed Inuyasha come over, he lifted his head and glared at him.  Though he could feel the pain and remorse rolling off the boy and see the tears in his eyes he didn’t care.  He and Naraku had taken her away from him and they would both pay for it with their lives.  “You’re dead.”  He hissed in a voice as cold as a frosty winter wind, eyes reflecting both his rage and pain.

Falling to his knees in front of where his half-brother was holding Kagome’s body, Inuyasha fell forward then wrapped his arms around her body and began to sob, burying his face in her stomach.  She was gone, the best friend he had ever had and the one true love of his life was gone and it was him that had unleashed what had killed her.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Kagome!  Please forgive me!”  He sobbed, hoping like hell she could hear him wherever she was.  Yet again he had failed her and broken the promise he had made.  He could hear everyone else around him sobbing and crying in pain and anguish but none of it mattered.  Nothing mattered anymore.

At that point he wished that Sesshomaru would kill him.  Not only would it end his pain but it was the only fitting retribution for what he had done.

~~~~~@~~~~~

From a comfortable room in his stolen palace, Naraku watched the whole scene in Kanna’s mirror with a grin on his face.  Perfect, simply perfect!  Not only had he gotten rid of the troublesome miko but he had all but destroyed the beings that were hunting him.  The hanyou’s pack was broken and it was doubtful that the taiyoukai would allow Inuyasha to walk off the field alive.  Yes, Kouga would probably still come after him but he never considered the ookami any kind of serious threat.  He would leave Kouga’s disposal up to Kagura.  Without the hanyou’s pack to come to his rescue he should be easy to dispose of.

That left Sesshomaru.  Of all of them left the mighty demon lord was the only one that concerned him.  Wounded and hurting, Sesshomaru was going to be deadly.  Already he wanted revenge on him for other things, now he was sure the demon lord would stop at nothing to get to him.  But one pissed and hurt taiyoukai would be easier to deal than all of them combined. 

Watching for a while, all but feeding on the pain he had observed, he then sent Kanna away.  He needed time alone to ponder what was coming and how to deal with it.

~~~~~@~~~~~

Struggling in her grandmother’s arms, Kagome kept screaming Sesshomaru’s name over and over, reaching out for his image on the panorama.  The only thing she could think about was finding a way to get back to him.  She could feel his heart-wrenching pain and couldn’t stand to see him suffer that way.  Yes, she cold see the pain of her friends but her taiyoukai was all she could focus on.

Holding her granddaughter tightly, the older woman tried to sooth her the best she could.  “Calm down Kagome!  Just calm down, everything will be fine.”  She told her gently.

“I can’t!  I have to get back to him!  Let me go!”  She screamed, tears coursing down her face, sobbing between words.

“You can’t, there’s no way to get back.”  She told the sobbing girl gently.

“No!”  Kagome screamed, breaking into hysterical sobs, body slumping.

“Shh…” the older miko told her.  “Just calm down and let me explain what’s going on, alright?”

“I can’t get back!”  The little miko cried, legs giving out.

Sinking down to the ground with her grandchild, the woman held her, rocking her gently, stroking her hair.  “It’s going to be alright.  Calm down and I’ll explain what’s going on.”

“If I can’t go back then nothing is going to be alright!”  Kagome sobbed as she watched Sesshomaru cradle her body.

“Let me explain and then you’ll understand everything.”

Through tears streaming down her face as her eyes stayed glued to the panoramic scene playing out and her breath hitched, Kagome quieted down so she could listen.

Stroking her hair, her grandmother waited until she was sure the heartbroken young woman was calm enough then started.  “Kagome, this had to happen, it was predestined since before your birth.  It’s been planned since Kikyo’s death.

“When you went through the well the first time you were powerful, on level with Kikyo but you were capable of so much more.  There was more power locked away inside of you but some things had to happen first before it could be unleashed.

“First, you had to gain control over what you had.  As you are well aware, your power could be very chaotic and you had little control over it.  Yes, it could be troublesome but it wasn’t out and out dangerous.  If you had your full power you would have been a danger to everyone around you, human or otherwise, so some of your powers had been locked away since birth, waiting for the right trigger to set them free.”

Leaning against her grandma, she listened distractedly to what was being said while she watched her friends and mate mourn.  Nothing so far explained why she was here or why she had to leave the ‘man’ she loved after such a short time.

“When that demon brought Kikyo back she set in motion the plan the fates had for you.  Even with the power you had at the time, you were very capable of pulling back your whole soul but it was determined that a small piece of it was to remain with Kikyo.  Another being was going to have to hold part of you on the earthly plane so when the time came that the fates played out what they needed to you would be able to return.”

It was those last five words that drew Kagome’s full attention.  “I can go back?”  She whispered.

“Not now, no.  Right now there is no means for you to return.”

“When?  When can I go back?”  She asked, sitting up and swiping away her tears, a bloom of hope in her chest.

“Soon.  When the bridge reappears you can return.  First your brain needs to be fully shut down.  That will act like a computer rebooting so it resets things and unleashes all your hidden power.  Then, when that happens, your soul will know to return to your body and the bridge will reappear and you can return.  Right now it’s in a safe place just waiting for that. “

“Where is it?  Isn’t it here?”  Kagome asked, looking around.

“No dear.  Kikyo holds it for you and will willingly release it when the time comes.”  Gesturing around the lush scenery, she said, “This is just somewhere for you to wait is all.  The place was chosen because it was something you would enjoy and be comfortable in.”

“I’ll be going back?”  Kagome asked again, almost not believing what she was hearing.

“Yes dear, very soon.”  The smiling woman replied.

“How?  How will I do that?”

“When your soul returns you will pull power from your mate through the bond you have and it will enable you to return.  Be aware you will still be badly hurt and in pain but you’ll heal.

“In pulling his power, and he has plenty of it for you to do that with, you’ll also be completing your mating bond.  Yes, you’ll physically change a bit-you’ll end up a hanyou, but it will allow you to draw power from one another and he’ll be able to help you control your powers until you learn to yourself.”

Stopping, the old woman pointed to the panorama.  It had changed slightly and was like a split screen shot on TV.  One side showed the battlefield and the other where Kikyo was sitting in the woods.  The dead miko was suddenly surrounded by a bright pink light.  “I believe the time is coming.”  She told Kagome.

Watching intently, Kagome saw a pink object the size of a small pearl leave Kikyo’s body then instantly disappear into her lifeless one.  When that happened the first hazy outline of the bridge she had crossed began to appear.

Instantly, she was on her feet, ready to leave, heart hammering in her chest.  All she could focus on was getting back to Sesshomaru.

As the bridge began to solidify, the older woman stood and pulled her grandchild into a tight hug.  “I love you Kagome.  It’s time.  Now, go back to him.”

“I love you too grandma.”  The little miko said, hugging her tightly. When she broke it off she tore off across the bridge as fast as her legs would carry her.

~~~~~@~~~~~

Holding her body tightly, Sesshomaru was sure that soon he wouldn’t be able to stop the tears that were threatening to fall.  The only thing he seemed to be able to focus on was the almost overwhelming pain he was feeling.  Nothing else seemed to be able to filter through it.  Suddenly, he was jerked out of it by a strange feeling.  He wasn’t sure what it was but it seemed to be coming from Kagome.  Opening his eyes, he looked down at her body.  It looked the same but he was now positive that there was something different about her. 

Then, out of the blue, it seemed to vibrate with a kind of invisible energy.  Inuyasha, who was still clutching onto her- sobbing-, was hurled backwards, landing a couple meters away, stunned.  Then he felt something pulling energy from him.  That joke necklace he had made for her began to glow with a swirling pink and blue light so bright it made him squint and his eyes water.

A bloom of hope erupted in his chest and he alternated between silently praying to any Kami that would listen and begging her to come back to him.  While doing that he poured every bit of his power towards the source that was pulling it from him.  IF it was her trying to come back to him then he would give her everything he had and would find more if he needed to. 

Wide-eyed, he stared down at her bloody, cut up face, watching for any sign that she was returning.  Heart hammering so hard in his chest so hard he was sure it would explode, he waited, saying nothing.  Then, suddenly, he swore he could feel her chest move, as though she had taken a soft, almost not there breath.  Holding his own, he waited to see if it would happen again or if it was just wishful thinking on his end.

After what seemed like an eternity he felt it again.  With it he could also hear a single beat of her heart.  Not caring who heard, he muttered, “Come on Kagome, you can do it again!  Come back to me!”

That statement seemed to filter through everyone’s grief and silence spread over the filed.  Rubbing his chest, Inuyasha crouched down and looked at her, wide-eyed.

Just when Sesshomaru thought it wasn’t going to happen again or that it was all in his mind and was just wishful thinking, she took a deep breath and her heart began to beat in a regular rhythm.  Unwilling to just believe his ears, he put two fingers on her neck to check if there was a pulse.  When he felt it, it was weak but steady; he almost lost control of himself.  Instead, he pulled her up into a slightly sitting position and held her to his chest.  “Kagome?  Can you hear me?”  He asked softly.

“Sess’maru…”  She said softly then began to cough harshly, eyes fluttering open slightly.

Quickly, he sat her up all the way to ease the coughing.  That seemed to help a bit because her breathing seemed to even out a bit though it sounded a bit wheezy to him.  She was back his mind screamed loudly.  She had come back to him!  Holding her close, he ran his claws through her blood-matted hair.  “You came back to me.”  He whispered to her softly, eyes burning once more.

“It would take more than that to keep me away.”  She whispered back.  Her body felt ripped to shreds and she was in absolute agony but she slipped one arm around him and gave him the tightest squeeze her wounded body would allow.

~~~~~@~~~~~

Face buried in her hands, Kikyo felt the tears still dripping down her face.  The pain the futuristic miko felt at leaving Sesshomaru was almost too much to bear.  Then, suddenly, it stopped cold.  Like a ball of energy so powerful it would have made the night sky look like daylight, the part of Kagome’s soul she was holding for her left her body and streaked away to find its rightful home.

Relaxing, she smiled.  Her reincarnation was on her way back and would be here shortly.  She just hoped in the time she was gone Sesshomaru hadn’t done anything foolish.  Shutting her eyes, she leaned back against a tree.  She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally.  Holding something that powerful was draining.  Until the moment it rested in her body, she had no idea just how powerful Kagome was.  But the power she felt when it left was almost mind-boggling!  She doubted that once Kagome had full control over what she now possessed that there was much that would be able to stop her.  She had to be on equal footing with Sesshomaru now.  Combine those two and the word devastating would be a drastic understatement!  They would be all but unstoppable.

Sighing, she shifted around to get comfortable then sent her soul collectors out to do their jobs.  As she well knew there was now much that had to be considered.  One of those things was now what her place on this plane was.  From what she had read she knew that her purpose for being here was over.  That one act, holding Kagome’s soul, was done.  That was the only reason she still walked and now it was gone.  What would that mean for her now?  Would her end be coming soon?  Or would she be forced to make that choice herself?  She was sure that she would no longer be needed to help defeat Naraku.  Kagome was more powerful than she had ever been, even when she was alive.  So that left really no purpose for her..  All this left her with so many questions and so few answers.

Sighing deeply, she rubbed her dry eyes with her palms.  She was too tired right now to delve into the whole thing any more deeply.  Sleep, she needed sleep.  Maybe the answers she wanted and needed would come to her in a dream like they had done so many times.  Relaxing, she let herself drift away while her soul collectors flitted in and out of the small cove she was in, dropping their precious load then sailing off to collect some more.

~~~~~@~~~~~

Bug-eyed, Inuyasha’s eyes were locked on Kagome.  From where he was perched he could smell her blood flowing and hear both her heart beat and breathing.  His brain couldn’t quite wrap its self around what was happening.  There was no doubt that she had been dead but now she wasn’t.  He couldn’t make sense of that.  Of course the question of how the hell did that happen crowded to the forefront of his thoughts but it was beat back into the ‘to be answered later’ pile by an almost overwhelming euphoria and happiness.  Like had happened in the past, tears once more welled up in his eyes. 

Relief flooded his body and he felt the urge to throw himself on her to prove to himself she indeed was back but restrained himself.  It was obvious that she was badly wounded and she was in her mates arms.  One didn’t touch the wounded mate of a youkai without asking first.  No matter how well you knew them you risked being attacked because of their protection instincts.

Inching closer, he looked at her face and saw her eyes open a bit.  “Is she really alive?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.

“Yes.”  Sesshomaru replied shortly, voice slightly uneven.

Slowly, he crept closer.  For a minute he was mesmerized by the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest.  Once he was convinced what he was seeing was real, he focused on what he could see of her injuries.  What he could see told him that she was still badly hurt.  Bouncing to his feet, he looked back at the rest of his pack and Kouga’s.  The looks on all their faces read the same kind of emotions, grief and stunned disbelief in various mixtures.  Both Sango and Shippo were openly crying but there was a wide-eyed look of disbelief there as well.  Even all the other males had tears in their eyes.

Like any good leader, Inuyasha knew he had to snap them out of it and get them focused.  If they had something to do it would force them to pull out of it and focus so he began barking out orders.  “Someone find her pack and get her first aid kit!  She’s hurt and her wounds need tended to!”  Looking at the ookami and his two underlings, he told them.  “Find some water.  We need to get her cleaned up so we can see how badly she’s hurt!”

That had the desired effect.  Almost instantly everyone was up and on the move.

It even jarred Sesshomaru back out of his almost daze.  The boy was right; she was hurt and needed attending to right away.  From what he could see of her injuries she was going to need a lot more than just the basics the pack could do.  She needed a real healer.  He had just got her back from death’s grasp; no way he was going to risk losing her again!  Quickly, he did a mental debate of Edo vs. his fortress.  Edo won.  Not only was the village closer the elderly miko was a great healer and used to treating humans.  The healers at his fortress only dealt with youkai.

Scrambling to his feet, he held her close to his chest. “No.  I’ll take her to Edo.  Grab Ah-Un and follow.”  He stated gruffly.  Then his blue light formed around them and he streaked to the tiny village as fast as he could.