Inuyasha sneered at Sesshoumaru even as he continued with his attack on Naraku. Together the two brothers attacked Naraku with a renewed ferocity. The rest of them pulled themselves to the side, nursing their injuries, leaving their trust in the hanyou and youkai to kill Naraku. Kagome lost count of the number of Kaze no Kizu performed by Inuyasha or the number of times Naraku managed to block Sesshoumaru's blows. The battle was long, hard and bloody. But in the end, even their combined powers were not enough and both hanyou and youkai stood gasping for breath. Inuyasha clutched his stomach tightly trying to slow the flow of blood from his wound, even more injured than before. Sesshoumaru also stood although not as injured, he was holding his shoulder carefully. A blow from Naraku that had disintegrated his armor had also dislocated his shoulder. Naraku was physically impregnable and they were at a loss as to how the monster could be destroyed. Naraku cackled at the pitiful sight before him. It was time to obtain what was his. Ignoring the injured brothers standing before him he turned his full attention towards Kagome.
Kagome stiffened in shock at Naraku suddenly veering towards her, intent on killing her. As the tentacles whipped viciously across the space between her and Naraku she found herself unable to move a muscle. Every instinct she held urged her to run but her mind told her that there was no chance that she could escape the coming blow. Almost as though time had slowed, Kagome saw everything happen in slow motion. She saw that Kikyo was not going to make any move to help her. Indeed, the undead miko had a satisfied twist to her mouth. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru faces registered a look of horror and she thought at that moment how alike the two brothers were. With that she came to a sudden realization of how each felt for her. Kagome knew without a doubt that Sesshoumaru loved her. It was true that he had never said the words, had only claimed her as his lifemate. She did not need him to say the words aloud to know what Sesshoumaru felt for her as his actions showed what he felt. Sesshoumaru had also said that he belonged to her, indubitably that also included his heart.
Inuyasha's face mirrored Sesshoumaru's and Kagome knew that despite all her doubts about Inuyasha and Kikyo, Inuyasha loved her. It was funny how she would discover his feelings now, when it no longer mattered. Kagome remembered clearly what she had felt when she had seen Inuyasha and Kikyo holding each other in the forest that day. She remembered every word uttered by Inuyasha and every action. Inuyasha loved Kikyo. Kagome didn't understand how one person could love two different people in the same way because she couldn't. Maybe Inuyasha didn't know it himself, but deep down he probably viewed her and Kikyo as one person. Different parts of one person, perhaps he was hoping that there was some way to combine them again, but Inuyasha saw them as one entity. Maybe, before she had met Sesshoumaru she would have felt a suffocating loss of self at that realization. But the person she was today, Kagome knew that she was her own person and not just a reincarnation of Kikyo. I am me and no one else.
Kagome stared unblinking at the hideous entity that was before her the physical appearance of it seeming to fade away before her eyes. As the physical was stripped away by from eyes she saw the essence that was Naraku. Naraku, a powerful foul presence that controlled the weak soul and the evil youkai that made up the being before her. Onigumo! Kagome did not recognize the face but somehow she knew, without a doubt that that weak soul was Onigumo. The thief's soul seemed to alternately cower and beat upon his prison inside the beast that was Naraku. Kagome pitied the poor soul and somehow knew that the only thing that had been sustaining Onigumo all these years was Kikyo. First it had been angrily pulsing hatred for Naraku, for destroying the only thing the thief had loved in this world. Then, when Kikyo had been resurrected Onigumo's lust to possess the undead miko had kept him in existence. At that moment, Onigumo's spirit raised his eyes to stare into Kagome's. Shock rippled through her body as she somehow received a sense of his feelings. There was great pain and weariness from his struggle with Naraku but there was also great love, for Kikyo. His eyes pleaded desperately to Kagome to destroy him and the despairing hope in that look filled her with determination. She wanted to free the soul that had been entrapped for so many years because of his foolish greed that had him give his soul to the entity known as Naraku. No more. She would let Naraku destroy no more.
Sesshoumaru felt fear, the kind of pure undiluted fear that he had never before in his life felt. His lifemate was in mortal danger and there was nothing that he could do. Never had he felt so vulnerable and so lacking. He closed his eyes briefly, gathering his remaining strength to make a last desperate bid to save Kagome's life. He opened his eyes to a blue angel. Black tresses flowed gently in the air and pink lips moved soundlessly. Never in his many years of existence had Sesshoumaru ever seen the like. His lifemate was suspended in the air with her arms before her and hands cupped. A blue aura surrounded her completely and the tentacles Naraku had unleashed upon her were destroyed upon meeting that barrier. With a roar of rage, Naraku continued to attack by charging with his transformed body. In a flare of blue the beast was repelled, unable to even approach the floating girl. Unable to hold his transformation, Naraku returned to his human form. Sensing, with some kind of survival instinct that he was about to be destroyed Naraku turned to Kikyo.
Kikyo screamed in terror and rage as Naraku's tentacles soon tightly entwined her. In the time it took for a breath, she was dragged towards Naraku and caught in his hold. Naraku held Kikyo close even as a great orb of blue light formed in Kagome's cupped hands. Inuyasha poised ready to run to Kikyo side but was stopped by Sesshoumaru's arm held before him. Sesshoumaru didn't bother to look at the hanyou, keeping watchful eyes on his lifemate's glowing form. Kagome wasn't completely herself and he didn't doubt that if Inuyasha were to rush forward when the blast came, the hanyou would also be killed. He refused to admit it was due to any care for the hanyou but for Kagome's grief if she had killed someone she cared for. As if to give substance to Sesshoumaru's thoughts Kagome's eyes snapped open. Her eyes showed neither pupil nor whites, instead they glowed luminous blue. The blue orb left Kagome's hands and streaked towards the two before her with inescapable speed. In a brilliant flare of blue light that seemed to take an eternity to fade there was none who could say what exactly happened to Naraku and Kikyo. Only Kagome saw Onigumo's gently smiling soul giving her a low bow of thanks eyes lingering sadly on her. At that moment, Kagome felt a sudden sense of completion as though a part of her had returned at last. Of the evil that was Naraku there was no more, completely purified by the cleansing power of the light. To the others, quite simply, the two had seized to exist.
* * * * * *