Chapter Text
The whistling tune of the Soul Piper's call enveloped Kohaku when he regained some manner of corporeality and consciousness. He opened his eyes slowly, knowing all too well what its presence meant, prepared, deep in his heart, to obey that call, no matter if he was full of regrets, no matter if over the past months he had found himself truly wishing to live out his life as best as possible, in a world at peace, with those he treasured…
But he wasn't alone in that dark, spiritual space where the Piper's music echoed beautifully.
Kohaku gasped: Sesshomaru seemed to glow underneath ethereal spiritual lights with Tenseiga, the sword he seldom wielded, clasped firmly in his sole hand.
"You will not claim the boy's soul," his voice echoed firmly: Kohaku gasped again, raising a hand towards his stalwart protector.
"Lord Sesshomaru…!" he gasped.
"Stay back, Kohaku," Sesshomaru said: the words were harsh, but the tone of his voice was not unkind. Kohaku froze where he hovered, in the midst of that vast darkness.
The sword in Sesshomaru's hold seemed to shine: Kohaku frowned, identifying the source of that glow as… spiritual powers? How was that possible, in the hands of a demon lord like him…?
It wasn't just any spiritual power: it was the very same power that had purified the shard that no longer resided in the nape of Kohaku's neck. Lady Kikyo… what had she done?
Tenseiga continued to glow threateningly, and Sesshomaru raised the weapon towards the Soul Piper. It continued to play its flute, its eyes opening slowly… until they didn't.
The tune drifted into nothingness, and the spiritual energy pulsating from Tenseiga seemed to demand for Sesshomaru to take action in a new way, even as the Soul Piper drifted back into nothingness. Kohaku blinked, utterly perplexed by Sesshomaru's intervention… by whatever the demon lord's choice would mean, going forward.
"Lord Sesshomaru…" Kohaku said, shivering. "I didn't mean to burden you, or Lady Kikyo. I…"
Sesshomaru frowned as he drifted closer to Kohaku: he raised Tenseiga in Kohaku's direction and Kohaku briefly thought he had lost his patience, and that he'd chosen to cut Kohaku down himself.
The blade swung down upon him.
Kohaku awoke suddenly, in the very same cabin Sesshomaru and Kikyo had brought him to a few days ago, in order to remove the Jewel's shard for good.
"Kohaku!" Rin's voice broke the silence, and Kikyo's hand touched his cheek delicately.
"You've returned to us," she said, kindly. "It seems he was successful."
"W-what… what happened?" Kohaku asked, pushing himself up nervously: his hand moved towards his neck… where an unwanted, unsettling presence had once dwelled. He had noticed its absence when his soul had dwelled in that odd, spiritual plane: the shard was no longer there. "Lord Sesshomaru came to me, he… he scared the Soul Piper away! Lady Kikyo…!"
"That man is full of surprises," Kikyo smiled fondly at Kohaku as he sat up properly. "Over the past weeks we devised a way to preserve your life. As for the shard…"
She raised it: it was pristine, so much it almost seemed white rather than pink. Kohaku let out a soft laugh, a nervous one, as his eyes shifted towards the beaming, joyful Rin.
"Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kikyo saved you!" she exclaimed, rushing in to hug Kohaku: for once, the boy didn't seem to hesitate to hug her back. "You're safe, Kohaku! You are!"
"T-thank you. Thank you…" Kohaku said, gazing at Kikyo with helpless, tearful eyes. She smiled fondly at him, nodding her head in his direction.
"If even I have found this life of mine may be worth living, after all… your soul, as well, deserved to be saved from a fate that was forced upon you," Kikyo said, earnestly. "The purity of preserving a life is far greater than the one in sacrificing it for the alleged right reasons, Kohaku."
"I… I don't know if I understand, but…" Kohaku admitted, hugging Rin still. "Thank you, Lady Kikyo. And Lord… Lord Sesshomaru?"
The demon lord was not present in the room just yet, and only then did Kohaku realize he had returned to this plane of existence far faster than Sesshomaru had. Kikyo smiled, shaking her head reassuringly.
"Tenseiga led him on a mysterious path to find you, but he will return to us when…"
It had only been five minutes since the shard's removal, if even that. Yet, in that moment, Sesshomaru's protection had faded from the world of the living while he traveled across lands of the dead to save Kohaku's soul. Kikyo had poured some of her spiritual powers into Tenseiga, and Sesshomaru had found greater potential in the weapon than ever before: no longer was it relegated to saving souls moments after their demise… but he could contest the souls that would be claimed by spirits, both wicked and good-natured alike: Kohaku, being a child, had been sought by the Soul Piper, and Sesshomaru, wielder of the sword of the Netherworld, had the power to ensure Kohaku's soul would be spared.
At the very beginning of their efforts to save Kohaku, the purified shard had been removed from the boy's neck. It rested in Kikyo's hand now… and as pure as it was, as distant from dark, evil thoughts as it might be, it still served as an unintentional beacon for the rest of the Jewel, in Naraku's possession.
The small hut suddenly was overcome by a suffocating miasma, its source unsurprising and utterly predictable. Kohaku fished for his face mask in his pocket, intending to offer it to Rin… only for the miasma to stop short of reaching them, once Kikyo rose to her feet.
"L-lady Kikyo! Lady Kikyo!" Jaken screeched and coughed, yanking the door of the hut open and sneaking inside it. "Outside, it's…!"
"He has come for the final shard," Kikyo said, serene and stern, her brow furrowed: the powers she wielded seemed revitalized somehow, Kohaku realized, for she kept the miasma at bay while betraying absolutely no effort to do so. "I had hoped Sesshomaru would have returned before this moment… but I may need to confront Naraku myself."
"Lady Kikyo…!" Kohaku gasped. Jaken winced, too.
"D-do not be reckless! Lord Sesshomaru will be cross if you jump into danger…!" Jaken squeaked. Despite herself, Kikyo smiled at the imp.
"You needn't worry for my safety, Jaken. Not today," Kikyo stated, closing her eyes:
She could feel the bond between them as Sesshomaru's sword guided him through the pathways beyond this world. He would return soon… but even if he didn't, he carried a part of her with him, the power she had infused his sword with. Just so, she carried him with her, in the emotions he had woken within her very soul, in the purpose he had granted her, in the strength she had found in his companionship.
He was with her, and she was with him. Together, they were everything Naraku had hoped to be and never would. Together, their power far outdid that of a Sacred Jewel.
Together, they would protect these children… their family.
Thus, she stepped forward, powering her barrier further and chasing away the dark energies Naraku had unleashed upon the small cabin.
She pushed the door open anew, finding Naraku's typical army of lesser demons waiting in the large plains before them, ready to attack. His newest creation, Byakuya, hovered near the very source of the festering demonic corruption, Naraku himself. The smug smirk that ever decorated his face was a most unpleasant sight… but Kikyo certainly hoped it would be the last time she would ever glimpse it.
"I see you have finally removed the shard from Kohaku's neck, Kikyo," Naraku said. "Yet his soul has not been claimed. Saving his life was a valiant effort… but one that is ultimately meaningless. I will take that shard today."
"You certainly shall," Kikyo declared, raising her bow and nocking an arrow to threaten Naraku away from her protegees.
"You cannot hope to maintain that barrier forever," Naraku declared. "Even one as powerful as you, Kikyo, would lose their strength over time. Is it you hope to recreate the past? The great priestess Midoriko and the demon that hunted her certainly created something beautiful. Is that what you hope to achieve by standing your ground against me today?"
"Trapping myself, and you, in an endless struggle of evil and purity?" Kikyo asked: a slight smirk tugged at the side of her mouth. "What a revolting notion."
Naraku let out a devious chuckle as he hovered closer. Kikyo's arrow gleamed with spiritual power: the fragment in her hand seemed to have a will of its own, wanting its power to infuse the arrow with which she would destroy Naraku… and yet she didn't loosen the arrow. The barrier around them remained as sturdy as ever.
"This is the fate you choose, however. Revolting as you may claim it is, we shall be entwined for eternity if your plan is what I've understood it to be," Naraku said. "A purified shard, is it? You trust the purity will cleanse away the corruption I have poured into the Sacred Jewel? Your arrogance knows no boundaries, Kikyo."
"No one is quite as boastful as you are. Do not pretend to lecture me about my shortcomings when you're smitten with your own," Kikyo snapped. Naraku laughed anew.
"Harsh words won't change the inevitable…"
"Kikyo! Kikyo!"
The familiar voice caused Kikyo's eyebrow to twitch: even so, the barrier didn't shift, although Naraku's attention shifted briefly.
"Ah. I see you've arrived, Inuyasha," Naraku said, smirking down at the half-demon and his entourage.
The half-demon and all his friends rushed into the scene at haste, and it was no surprise that the demon slayer would cry out in anguish upon realizing her younger brother was in danger. Only Kikyo stood between him and Naraku's reach… she didn't realize her brother was alive once again, by his own power, until Kagome gasped, revealing her realization in loudly:
"Kohaku's shard…! Kikyo is holding it!" she exclaimed. Sango, on Kirara's back, paled upon hearing those words. "Sango, Kohaku is still alive!"
"E-eh…?" Sango's lips parted: yes, her brother was there… she could see him, plain and clear, hugging Rin within that cabin. He wasn't dead… the shard was gone. Somehow, Kikyo and Sesshomaru had preserved his life.
At least, he was alive for the time being: Naraku certainly appeared determined to kill everyone here and now, going by the strength of his miasma, as well as the army of demons he commanded callously.
"Kikyo! We'll distract him: get away!" Inuyasha bellowed, drawing his sword and leaping towards Naraku and his minions.
Even so, Kikyo didn't move an inch.
Inuyasha, as ever, battled fiercely against Naraku: his friends took to doing the same thing, but their efforts were futile. Where one monster was slain, three would take its place. Naraku seemed amused, no doubt marveling over the sheer power the Sacred Jewel already granted him… the power he hoped would increase further once he had completed the Jewel. It was only a matter of time…
"Kikyo! Kikyo!" The demon slayer rode towards the barrier, and Kikyo gritted her teeth as she allowed it to weaken slightly, just so the woman could cross its boundaries. Sango leapt off Kirara's back as soon as she could do so, running towards the cabin at haste. "Kagome says…! Kohaku!"
"Sister!" Kohaku exclaimed, rushing up to hug the woman once she reached them. "Lady Kikyo and Lord Sesshomaru… they saved me. They took the shard and I lived anyway…!"
"They… t-they truly saved you?" Sango dropped to her knees, tears of relief pouring from her eyes.
Still hugging her brother, she turned towards Kikyo, whose position didn't change in the slightest so far. The barrier was back to its full power, now protecting Sango and Kirara as well.
"Thank you for what you've done. I can't imagine I could ever repay you for it, but… both Rin and Kohaku should be taken to safety," Sango said. Kikyo's brow furrowed as Jaken protested Sango's words, whether over outrage of her apparent dismissal of Kikyo's ability to protect them… or over believing he, too, should have been part of the group that deserved protection. "I can take them to…"
"It would be of no use. Keeping them in the battlefield is as irresponsible as removing them from our protection," Kikyo stated. "Perhaps the latter is even more so."
"But…! You can't fight as easily if you're protecting them, can you?" Sango said. "You would be of great help, Naraku is…!"
"I will fight him. His final moments are at hand. But first… I must wait."
"W-wait?" Sango repeated, blinking blankly.
Kikyo breathed deeply before a smile graced her smooth features.
"He's coming."
Sango didn't understand what Kikyo's words meant. She knelt where she did, still embracing Kohaku…
She gasped when the blade of a sword slashed across the air, within their barrier.
Slowly, a portal was crafted by that blade. It was similar to the Meido Zangetsuha technique, and yet… it evoked a different sensation. It connected to something else, something beyond most their understanding…
And out of that portal stepped Sesshomaru, his brow lightly furrowed as he sheathed Tenseiga once more.
Kikyo lowered her bow, at last. Her eyes softened as she gazed into those of the demon lord, who raised his sole hand to cup her cheek.
"It is time," Sesshomaru said. Kikyo nodded.
"Naraku has made his appearance. This is the moment to strike," she said. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes before pulling his hand back.
He clasped Tenseiga by the sheath. Kikyo frowned as he placed the blade upon her hands, and the pulsating spiritual energies she had poured into the weapon before engulfed them both.
"Sesshomaru…" Kikyo called him.
"Wield this blade. I will provide the opening you seek," Sesshomaru declared.
He trusted her wholly, fully, as he stepped away and towards the enemy. Jaken, Kohaku and Rin called for him, but no words reached his ears as he dashed forward, into the fray where Inuyasha, Kagome and Miroku battled fiercely so far…
Before their eyes, Sesshomaru's body began to change. Clothes were replaced by fur, the stoic stern demeanor shifted into a wild snarl… and he grew in size abruptly, vastly, outdoing the largest of Naraku's demons, if not Naraku himself.
"Is that…?!" Sango gasped.
"Lord Sesshomaru's beautiful true form! He will not allow that vermin Naraku to get away with this!" Jaken roared fiercely, gazing at Sesshomaru with undeterred reverence.
Kikyo's brow furrowed: this was the final battle, and it would happen on their terms, not Naraku's. Sesshomaru rammed Naraku with his body, knocking him down, poisoning him with another kind of venom, different from Naraku's miasma. The battle between them was fierce and no less chaotic when the other three continued to fight as well, with Miroku reducing the crowd of demons with his wind tunnel, Kagome attacking Byakuya relentlessly, and Inuyasha with his wild, massive attacks with Tessaiga, aimed towards Naraku…
"I cannot take action from here. I… I must reach Naraku," Kikyo frowned, glancing at Sango. "Your nekomata…"
"You need us to get you closer?" Sango asked. Kikyo nodded firmly. Sango swallowed hard. "Can you… keep the children safe?"
It was an easy request to fulfill: she erected a new, static barrier upon the three under her and Sesshomaru's protection before joining Sango on the back of Kirara.
"Lady Kikyo…! Sister!" Kohaku shouted from within the barrier, gritting his teeth. "Go! Defeat Naraku!"
"Lady Kikyo!" Rin shouted too, hoping to encourage her along with Kohaku.
The priestess smiled kindly at the children before focusing on the battle anew: Sesshomaru had taken wounds, but he brushed them off carelessly. Her brow furrowed as they flew closer to the core of the conflict, finding that Inuyasha wasn't holding back his attacks… and neither was Sesshomaru, something that could result in both brothers injuring each other rather than their foe. Kikyo breathed deeply, watching as Kagome shot holy arrows in quick succession at Byakuya, who had taken some damage even if he had dodged most of the projectiles. She had to be pondering the weaknesses of Naraku and his incarnation, wanting to find anything her arrows could destroy that wouldn't regenerate immediately afterwards…
But Kikyo knew that Naraku, as he was now, had no greater weakness than the Sacred Jewel, corrupted and festering, in his grasp.
"And here comes the holy priestess…!" Naraku declared, upon glimpsing Kikyo on the back of Kirara. "The shard… it will be mine!"
"Not for an instant…" Kikyo whispered, drawing an arrow anew and aiming it towards Naraku. "Your rotting, festering evil will not strengthen any further, Naraku!"
"Your powers are no match against mine!" Naraku roared, but Kikyo released the arrow regardless of the monster's boast:
The holy light of her arrow gleamed brightly as it broke past multiple barriers of the demon's defenses. The glowing arrow tore into the corruption and reduced Naraku's strength with that sudden, surprising blast.
"That is…!" Kagome gasped, from the ground: she could sense that Kikyo's arrow had uncovered the Jewel's location if just briefly, and she aimed her next arrow in that direction as well.
Sesshomaru attacked him anew, attempting to tear at the rotting, reforming flesh that once again attempted to cover the weak spot in which the almost-complete Jewel nestled: twisted appendixes of the great demon conjunction continued to swirl around that weakness, and some of them rushed out towards Kikyo.
"You have done well," Kikyo told Sango, who had been steering Kirara away from the many threats that attempted to attack them.
"Hang on…!" Sango exclaimed, tossing her hiraikotsu to destroy the tendrils of evil that reached towards them.
A flash of yellow power cut across Naraku's body, next. The rotting chunks of corrupt beings were sucked away, into a void… and then, a burst of purity struck the area of the Jewel once more. All those attacks at once ensured that the regeneration of Naraku's shields and protections over the Jewel could not be achieved as fast as before. Sesshomaru's large demon form continued to tear and rip into every chunk of demon Naraku's body was comprised by, with no regard towards the miasma or the corruption, immobilizing his foe as best as possible.
"There!" Kagome shouted. "Kikyo, the Jewel…!"
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha roared as well. "Shoot now!"
They spoke with full trust in her abilities while not understanding, not truly, what she intended to do. But Kikyo had no time to explain, not anymore. She leapt off Kirara's back, to Sango's utter astonishment, diving fast, head-first, towards the now cleared spot in Naraku's wretched body, where the corrupted Jewel sought its final shard…
Her eyes closed as her hair came loose in the wind. Her hand, instead of reaching for a holy arrow, clasped the hilt of the beautiful sword Sesshomaru had entrusted to her.
In her control, Tenseiga gleamed brightly. In her grasp, the spirituality inherent to the demon's weapon seemed to burst into life.
It was everything the Sacred Jewel could never be. A perfect balance between demonic forces and spiritual ones.
Its power had been dormant for as long as Sesshomaru had failed to understand what he did now: he had granted Tenseiga to Kikyo willingly, trusting her as his equal, as the partner he had accepted by his side. The enemy he now fought against was no longer vermin to exterminate for the sake of remediating his slighted pride…
Now, Sesshomaru fought to protect those he had grown to care for, from the depths of his demon's heart.
Just so, Kikyo's quest for revenge against the monster responsible for her lifetime's tragedies had lost much of its former importance: she would protect this world, as well as the valuable lives of those she had met in her journey.
Together, they embodied an ideal union of spiritual and demonic. They were true balance, for that was what they had wanted to be. The trust between them bridged their souls together… and through that union, the birth of a new world would be within their reach.
Kikyo dropped the shard: it spun on its way down, drawn towards the Jewel that longed to be complete.
That single shard fell into place, and the pulse of spiritual energy shook Naraku: it would take his every effort to fight back against that purity, to corrupt it before it could purge the Jewel from his influence…
The tip of Tenseiga swung down, connecting with the Jewel on the very spot upon which the pure shard had fallen.
A blast of energies, demonic and pure alike, shot across the land, the oceans, the sky.
Most of those near Naraku were flung off with the power of that blast… most, save for Sesshomaru, whose claws tore across the crumbling body of the wretched being who could no longer sustain his own power… not without the Jewel, a crutch through which he had ensured his survival, constantly, for almost a full year.
He was but the weak, craven, dishonest Naraku once more. A blend of corrupt demons and a human soul even more corrupt than the fiends it had drawn to itself…
The power of Sesshomaru's unyielding fangs and talons, and the spiritual blade Kikyo stabbed into the spot where Onigumo's heart once beat, destroyed every remnant of the demon aberration that was once known as Naraku.
The overwhelming light surrounding her served to help her focus on her own shape, her own soul, once more. Slowly, she seemed to grow aware of the strange, spiritual space in which she drifted… a space that didn't appear all that unfamiliar. She couldn't seem to process what had happened just yet… but when the figure before her formed into a recognizable shape and presence, it became much easier to remember the events that had brought her into this plane of existence.
Before her stood a regal, beautiful priestess clad in armor, wielding a sword much like the one Kikyo had held earlier, in what had felt like moments ago but might have been a lifetime, instead. The priestess's serenity didn't hide the gratitude she felt, and she bowed her head towards Kikyo in a gesture of true respect.
It wasn't only gratitude for having saved the last remnants of her soul after so many years, she knew: it was gratitude for breaking the cycle of relentless violence between humans and demons. She had refused to prolong Midoriko's legacy any further, and Midoriko herself now thanked her for it: Kikyo had found a way to stop Naraku, to break apart his desire to lock himself with her in another endless battle, one where Kikyo's longing for a life of her own would never matter in the least. Their endless battle would have only been about him… his selfishness, his greed, his desperation for her acknowledgement through any means: if that acknowledgement came in the form of utmost hatred, he would welcome it gladly so long as she spared a glance in his direction.
Even now, adrift in that spiritual space, the concept sickened her. That her life could have become nothing but a single speck of goodness battling a sea of corruption, all be it because of that demon's wretched desires…
But she had been freed from such a fate. Another demon, to be precise, had offered her the means to attain actual freedom from those designs.
And in doing so, she had grown to feel something quite unexpected towards that very demon. Something she had never anticipated she would experience at all, not towards one of his kind… and yet the tears that surged in her eyes now could not have any other explanation.
She didn't want to follow Midoriko into ascendence and peace. She had failed to follow her example: she had crafted her own path… a path that had brought Kikyo closer to humanity than any priestess was supposed to be. Just so, the man who had accompanied her on this journey had, as well, drifted closer towards the barrier that was supposed to separate them as entirely different beings. A barrier that was knocked down and destroyed with ease by the blade they shared, by the children they had protected together…
She didn't want to go… not just yet. She knew she was supposed to, she knew her natural lifespan was well and truly spent… but she didn't wish to do so. Being a normal woman had been her dream, her deepmost, muffled wish… and he had told her she was extraordinary by nature. He couldn't understand that she had never felt more like a normal woman, with needs, desires and careless, innocent wishes, than she had while in his arms.
She wanted to be with him. Deep down, she wanted him and their small, odd, perhaps mismatched, family. Rin, Kohaku, Jaken, A-Un… she longed to see all of them again. If just the one more time, if just to say goodbye…
She wanted to go back. She wanted to go back. She wanted to…
"… she's waking up! She is!"
Warmth. A strong, comforting presence… and warmth, powerful, swirling warmth holding her tightly against something soft…
"Lady Kikyo!"
She had been in those arms before. She had heard those voices before.
"Lady Kikyo!"
She drew in a sharp breath, well before opening her eyes.
Her chest rose and fell. She shivered, and the embrace around her tightened further.
"She's… she's breathing!"
"I told you, she's different! Her scent is like… like the old Kikyo!"
That loud voice, terribly familiar, could only have belonged to one person. His words seemed to bounce back and forth within her mind as she struggled to come to terms with reality: she was breathing. She was breathing. She was…
Her heart was beating.
She had a heart, to begin with.
Her eyes opened gradually, taking in the sunlight she was shrouded from under the shade of an old tree. The breeze brushed against her face, the scent of spring drifted by… her stomach churned with hunger. Her joints ached from effort, it seemed. Her breaths kept coming and going, one after the other, in flowing succession…
And once her eyes focused, she found an intense golden stare upon her.
Sesshomaru held her. His stoic expression was unreadable for most, but not for her: he was concerned over her wellbeing. He held her tightly, unconcerned with whoever might see her in his arms. He had nothing to hide, nothing to feel shame for… not when his heart flooded him with emotions he finally had recognized as a source of strength rather than weakness. He held her so tightly…
Kikyo gasped: he held her with both arms.
"S-Sesshomaru…" she said. His eyes softened upon hearing his name from her lips.
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha exclaimed: she knew he was nearby, but she seemed entranced in Sesshomaru's hold, unable and unwilling to tear her eyes away from him.
"You have awoken," Sesshomaru said. How she had grown to recognize the subtleties in his voice, the small sprinkle of happiness that nobody else would be able to sense in his tone…
But she could, for she knew his heart just as well as he knew her newly beating own. She understood him and he understood her: that very mutual understanding had brought them to walk a path together, knowing not where it would lead them, but not needing to know, either: as long as they walked side by side, nothing would deter them, nothing would stand in their way…
Not even Naraku.
"Is he…?" Kikyo blurted out, struggling to regain his bearings. "Naraku, is he…"
"He is no more," Sesshomaru answered. Kikyo might have smiled upon hearing the news, but the shock of her circumstances prevented her from doing as much.
"Kikyo…" Kagome's voice reached her, and Kikyo gritted her teeth as she glanced to the side at last: Inuyasha's most faithful companion knelt beside her, eyes wide with amazement. "You purified him out of existence, somehow. When the light from Tenseiga faded… we only found you and Sesshomaru in the wreckage. The Sacred Jewel is… it's gone."
"Destroyed," Kikyo said, blinking weakly. Kagome nodded.
"And you were human, once more," she said.
Kikyo trembled upon hearing those words. Kagome offered her a tearful smile and a nod as Kikyo glanced at Sesshomaru next. His hands pulled her closer as she shivered, confused, grateful, astonished… the emotions she felt seemed to swell and threaten to burst at the same time. He pressed his brow to hers in a reassuring gesture, and Kikyo closed her eyes as her hand reached out… to touch his left. What hadn't been there, before…
"What happened?" she asked. "Sesshomaru, your arm…"
"When I returned to this form…" Sesshomaru said. Kikyo gazed at him in utmost confusion. "It was part of me once more."
Kikyo let her gaze drift down towards his hip… where a new sword sat, one she had never seen before. Sesshomaru nodded slowly at her perplexity.
"Bakusaiga. A weapon of my own," he explained.
Kikyo smiled slowly, her hand reaching up to his face. Her fingertips ever traced the lines across his cheeks until she cupped his face, in a gesture so intimate she could sense Kagome pulling back ever so slightly, no doubt feeling out of place upon witnessing their exchange. A choked gasp from Inuyasha followed, no matter if he had been aware, not only of the alliance between Sesshomaru and Kikyo for some time now, but of what the nature of their bond had become ever since they had begun searching for the method to save Kohaku's life.
"I… I wanted to return," she admitted. Sesshomaru frowned. "To Kohaku, to Rin… to you. I asked to return…"
She couldn't explain any further before his lips caught hers. Her hand slipped towards the back of his head, fingers sliding across his silver hair, and the passionately beating heart in her chest flooded her with every delightful, blissful emotion that assured her of her humanity, of the success in her strange, mysterious rebirth. She couldn't know what had happened, or how… but his warm breath, his smooth scent, the touch of his hands, the soft friction of their lips, all of it came together to remind her that she was alive… alive, free to live on by his side.
Tears spilled down her cheeks when they parted, as soft laughter left her lips. She pressed her brow to his, delighted to be held closely by his strong embrace: it seemed as though he was as unwilling to let go as she was to pull away…
The land upon which they'd fought against Naraku had been corrupted by his presence, then purified by Kikyo's actions. The beauty in their world suddenly seemed more real than ever before as she gazed around herself, as though seeing everything for what it was, for the very first time…
Rin, Kohaku and Jaken's smiles greeted her as she let her gaze travel across the three of them, sitting right beside them as she languished in Sesshomaru's arms. Both their group and Inuyasha's own had converged at this large tree, underneath which Sesshomaru held her so tightly. Inuyasha and Kagome were the ones standing closest to the tree, while the monk and the demon slayer stood further away, watching over the scene with small smiles: the monk remarked something Kikyo couldn't understand fully, and his companion laughed softly at his words just as the child fox leapt on his shoulder…
Everyone had survived? The Jewel and Naraku were gone. No trace of either of their presences had been left behind… and the world was infinitely better, far more beautiful, for it.
"Lady Kikyo!" Rin exclaimed: she and Kohaku crawled closer towards her once her kiss with Sesshomaru ended.
Even as she turned her head towards the children, Sesshomaru pressed his face to her neck: he breathed her in, so fully focused on her that he seemed not to know or care that he had taken injuries of his own while battling against Naraku. His broken breastplate, the damage upon his tunic… none of it meant anything, for Kikyo lived. It was a new opportunity at life… one where she would finally live for herself rather than to fulfill everyone else's demands and expectations. A life of freedom unlike any she had known before… a life unburdened with the Sacred Jewel's protection, or with Naraku's wretchedness.
"You're alive…" Kohaku smiled between tears, reaching for her hand as Kikyo raised it towards him. "You're alive, Lady Kikyo, I… t-thank you. Thank you. I… I wanted you to live on, and I wanted you to live, too…"
"Kohaku…" Kikyo smiled warmly, squeezing his fingers gently before her gaze drifted towards Rin. Her hand let go of Kohaku so she could caress the child's face delicately. Rin gasped happily upon feeling her warmth, clasping Kikyo's hand with her own.
"You're warm, Lady Kikyo," Rin said, closing her eyes. "Lord Sesshomaru… Lady Kikyo is warm!"
"Indeed she is, Rin," Sesshomaru responded, breathing in one more time as he sat upright, ensuring Kikyo's head would rest comfortably upon his chest.
"The children were safe, Lady Kikyo!" Jaken declared next: he stood between Kohaku and Rin, waving his staff proudly. "Your barrier stood around us until you fell, and by then, I, Jaken…!"
"He screamed and hid behind a rock," Rin giggled. Kikyo's smile warmed as Jaken squeaked, mortified by the girl's declaration.
"W-why you! Don't just spout such nonsense, Rin! I was right there, with you and Kohaku…!"
Kikyo laughed softly, pressing her face against Sesshomaru's collarbone. Their small family had survived the ordeal of Naraku's final battle… they were still here, together, smiling at each other as Jaken reacted explosively to Rin's childish teasing: they lived, and they would continue to do so for many more years, in a peaceful world unlike any they had known before.
Movement to her side revealed that Kohaku was raising something in their direction… Kikyo's eyes focused upon it to find it was Tenseiga, in its proper sheath.
"Your weapon… I picked it up before you woke," Kohaku explained, gazing at Sesshomaru.
Kikyo smiled fondly as Sesshomaru tightened his right arm around her body, using the left to take the weapon wordlessly. Kohaku smiled and bowed his head at Sesshomaru… as the demon lord brought the weapon to rest upon Kikyo's chest.
"Sesshomaru…?" she said, perplexed. He gazed at her as intensely as ever.
"Tenseiga… is our weapon," he said, simply.
Her smile warmed anew, and her hand came to rest upon his own, interlocked upon the blade they had shared. A blade that connected their energies, swirling within it as the ideal balance of spiritual and demonic power that had saved their world.
Kagome let out a happy sigh at the sight of the pair sitting underneath the tree, even if Inuyasha, beside her, twitched with discomfort.
"Inuyasha…" she raised an eyebrow, and he winced, scratching the back of his head.
"I know, I know, I've had time to wrap my head around it, Kagome," he said, grimacing. "But it's still hard to believe that bastard could be with her sometimes, y'know?"
"I'm not sure the Sesshomaru we used to know is… well, the one who's with her right now, if that makes any sense," Kagome said, with a weak smile. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "When you first severed his arm, he wanted to seize one of your father's swords against his designs. He wanted to use Tessaiga to destroy, while you chose to use it to protect a human life. Is it really that unreasonable that Tenseiga's potential only unlocked fully when Sesshomaru finally wanted to protect humans from the depths of his heart, rather than over prideful reasons?"
"You mean… he protected those two before to show everyone how powerful he was?" Inuyasha grimaced. "But ever since he met Kikyo…"
"There's a new purity to his heart that… to be frank, I didn't think was possible in someone like him," Kagome giggled, smiling at Inuyasha. "So… maybe this is for the best, isn't it?"
"Well… Naraku is finally gone," Inuyasha said, smiling much more earnestly. "And Kikyo was the one who did it. The one he wronged the most… I guess it's only fair, eh? Even Sesshomaru believed so."
"And now they get to live on together," Kagome smiled brightly. "She's reclaimed her human life… and their future will be even more beautiful now that Naraku is gone."
"All our futures, I think," Inuyasha said, smiling at Kagome as well. She grinned brightly.
"Yes! I always meant to help defeat Naraku, I did, but I have so many things I wanted to do still, like…!" she exclaimed… before her face's emotions froze over suddenly. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"Kagome? What is it?" he asked. She blinked blankly once, then twice…
"I-Inuyasha…" she said, eyeing him warily. "The Jewel is… gone."
"It is."
"And… we can't get it back, can we?"
"Why would you want it back at all?" Inuyasha said, grimacing. "After all the trouble it caused…! I don't even want to be a full demon anymore, so why would you want to…?"
"Inuyasha, I can't go back to my time without the Sacred Jewel!"
It was his turn to freeze, much as everyone else froze when Kagome's so-far placid demeanor changed into her common, temperamental state. Inuyasha's jaw dropped, as Sango, Miroku and Shippo eyed them warily.
"So… does that mean Kagome gets to stay forever?" Shippo asked. Miroku shrugged.
"Oh, goodness…" Sango sighed, smiling weakly as Kagome and Inuyasha seemed moments away from losing their minds to panic.
"W-we have to…! There has to be a way!" Inuyasha squeaked, eyes shifting towards Sesshomaru and Kikyo. He leapt towards them, landing right behind Kohaku: "Kikyo! Sesshomaru! Use Tenseiga to help Kagome return to her time!"
"M-my high school dreams… I was finally about to start high school…!" Kagome whimpered, dropping on her knees as she stared hopelessly at the sky. Inuyasha winced upon hearing her words, gesturing at her again.
"Come on, Sesshomaru…!"
"Be quiet," Sesshomaru responded, curtly, his eyebrows twitching with plain annoyance.
"I can't be quiet! You have a sword that can do anything! K-Kikyo! Please…!"
"Do not speak to her so crudely. She is no servant you can command so callously," Sesshomaru growled: Kikyo, in his arms, couldn't hold back a soft laugh over her lover's harsh response and defense of her against his younger brother.
"Sesshomaru, you…!" Inuyasha growled, raising a fist in the demon lord's direction.
The others seemed to laugh at the silly exchange between the two siblings. Kagome continued to mourn her high school years, even after Kikyo intervened in the argument to promise to look into what Inuyasha was asking of them…
"It's hard to believe that Sesshomaru ever could become… such a family man, I suppose," Miroku said, smiling as he rubbed his palm gently: the disappearance of the wind tunnel still felt like a dream come true, one he wasn't sure he could give full credit to just yet.
"I suppose they do seem to be quite a big family… including Inuyasha and Kagome?" Sango remarked, laughing softly: Miroku and Shippo joined her laughter as Inuyasha rushed towards the disheartened Kagome, urging her to join him in begging Sesshomaru and Kikyo for their aid to resolve her predicament.
In the midst of all the strange rejoicing over Naraku's demise, a small, childish voice spoke to Jaken with undeniable mischief:
"Lord Jaken… do you think Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kikyo will have more children?"
Jaken winced, and Rin grinned brightly at him. He cleared his throat, flustered visibly as he folded his arms across his chest.
"That… may be within the realm of possibility, but how should I know?! Pesky Rin, Lord Sesshomaru's plans are his, and his alone…!"
"Indeed they are, Jaken," Sesshomaru stated, and Jaken winced: of course he had heard his answer…
Rin giggled again, amused by the imp's flustered reaction. Once more, their small family shared a laugh, even if Sesshomaru hardly seemed amused, as opposed to the others. Kikyo, however, offered him a tender smile that echoed a sentiment he felt, deep in his heart: profound gratitude over the day their paths crossed, and over the peaceful future they had fought for and preserved, for their family's sake.
