Word Count: 1,283 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter:  Burning in the Skies by Linkin Park

The battleground was quiet for the first time that day.  The near silence was almost deafening, compared to the yells and screams of the combatants.

It had been a surprise attack that morning, in fact Kagome is still in her shorts and t-shirt from sleeping.  Now they are ripped into strips, barely covering her as she collapses where she is.  She is panting, having at the end been forced to make decisions that she would hate to have to do ever again.  There had just not been enough arrows for her to protect anyone.

In fact, if it hadn’t been for a…kami, a miracle happening, the battle would have been still going on.

Inuyasha had abandoned her to protect Kikyo when she had appeared at the attack.  Nothing new there.  Kagome had given up on him.  She had to, or suffer her heart being ripped apart each time he would leave her to go to the dead priestess.  It had been hard on her, but she had cut Inuyasha from her life, even going so far as to yank his beads off.

After she had done that, the well wouldn’t work for him.  And didn’t that piss him off.  He tried everything to get her to forgive him, but she finally asked him point blank. “Me or Kikyo?”

He had stared at her, then he looked away his ears on top of his head flattening.  She demanded a new oath from him, to protect her to the best of his ability.  And until he had meant the promise, Tessaiga would not transform for him.

When his sword refused to work, Inuyasha had thrown a fit of epic proportions. He was later told not only by Totosai, but Bokuseno as well, that until he means the vow, the sword won’t work for him.  The only thing that it did was control his demon blood.  But that the sword itself was Kagome’s because she pulled it out.

Kagome had ended up leaving, and actually traveled for a couple months with Inuyasha’s brother, Sesshomaru, in order to complete the shards.  She had never known why the demon lord had appeared in camp when Inuyasha had been threatening her, and simply asked if she would like to travel with him until her hanyou could be trusted again.

Needless to say, after that blow up, she had gone with Sesshomaru.  He had been quiet, but had battled alongside her, and even taught her some defensive moves so that she can survive if an enemy would come closer.

When the group had met up months ago, Sesshomaru had sent Rin back to his stronghold with Jaken.  He had commanded that Ah-Un return, and had sat Kagome on the dragon when he returned.  And walked by her side from then on.

No matter how much Sango and Miroku had asked what had happened, Kagome had kept mum on it.  Mostly because she herself had and still is confused on what is going on.

Thus had they continued until this morning.  Sesshomaru had brought to her, her weapons, and then defended her until she told him to go.

The fight had continued until the late evening, one by one, Naraku’s incarnations being brought down by the group.  Anyone standing outside the fight would have been amazed that the actions of eight individuals had managed to not only survive, but to defeat thousands of lesser youkai along with the incarnations.

But at the end, Inuyasha had been on the other side of the field, but he had thrown the strike that breaks barriers, and Sesshomaru had been coming after the strike with his own sword, Bakusaiga to end the evil spider hanyou. But Naraku had anticipated that and had been using his tentacles to impale the demon lord.

Kagome had been watching and realizing that her new protector was about to be killed, she had screamed and instinctively drawn back her bow, which snapped as she did, and ended up using an arrow of pure miko powers.

This arrow purified the field on its way to Naraku, and landed where his portion of the jewel was, purifying it immediately.

Before he react to that, Sesshomaru had been there, and laid the final strike against the hanyou that had caused such despair in Japan.

Now the field was ankle deep in blood soaked mud, making it hard to move through.  The exhaustion had struck most of the party, and she can see most of the group collapsing where they are standing.  Kagome watches as Inuyasha tenderly cares for Kikyo, her eyes cold to him.

Then she feels the arrival of Sesshomaru and looks up at him.  His golden eyes watch her carefully, then he holds out to her the remainder of the jewel.

Staring at him, she takes hold of the necklace on her neck that held the jewel shards and yanks it off, then opens the jar to pour them out into her hand.  Her eyes never leaving his, she takes the remainder of the jewel and puts them together, a flash of light taking over the field when they are joined.

When the flash is gone, Kagome is hanging in the air in a pink bubble.  As the group yells her name, they are all held in their places.  Sesshomaru’s eyes flashing red as he fights the stasis that has overtaken him.

In the pink bubble, Kagome is locked in her mind, and she is having a shock as the Warrior Priestess tells her, “Your wish is unselfish enough to disperse the jewel, but the Kami’s are warring about the results.”

Kagome stares at the woman in front of her as she shakes her head, “I worked hard in figuring out a wish that would free you from the jewel!”

The woman cups the chin of the girl in front of her. “And you have.  I am warning you, the results of the wish are far flung, reaching to the very edges of the universe.  The Kamis have advised that if it does, you will be called forth to fix this.”

Then she smiles at her reincarnation. “If this does happen, no worries, my little one.  I will help you, and your reward will be more than you could ever wish.  Just be prepared.  And know this is none of your fault, the wish you have, is pure.  It is the wishers that possibly will corrupt your pure intentions.”

She smiles at the small priestess, and asks her, “Are you ready?”

Kagome looks down and says softly, “I’m not to be given chance to say goodbye am I?”

The small shake of the woman standing in front of her tells her the answer.  She looks back at the field, then takes a deep breath.  She nods.

The group is released, but before any of them can move, a voice is heard. “Kagome’s wish has been deemed unselfish and worthy.  The jewel of the four souls is no more.  Choose wisely, you have been given one wish from the Kami’s.”

And with that, the group stares at the spot where Kagome is, as it flashes again and then in a flash, disintegrates into tiny particles.

The roar that came from the Lord of the West deafens the group and sends the whole of Japan in a flurry to hide from the pain of the Youkai Lord.

Final Count: words (for when I go back and Edit)

Fairfarren~Wendy

All spellings are per: http://inuyasha.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_InuYasha_characters