In Alignment With Angels
folder
InuYasha › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
7
Views:
1,785
Reviews:
37
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
InuYasha › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
7
Views:
1,785
Reviews:
37
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter Seven
I know it’s been a very, very long while, but I have finally updated with the final installment of In Alignment with Angels. I sincerely hope that this chapter lives up to the rest of the story, and I think that it does. My only concern is that I’ve lost interest in the story to the point that my perspective isn’t as passionate as it was. I’m sure that everyone who is reading this who also writes knows how it goes when you lose interest in a story, in favor of others. But oh well! I did work hard on this chapter, as I thought the end deserved something special, so I really, really hope that you like it!
This is the first story that I’ve actually finished on this site, so I’m really excited!
A reader informed me that this story was nominated for the IY Fanguild Best Drama. I had no clue. Shouldn’t I be informed about these things? Anyway, I’m not sure how to check for myself to see if it’s true, but I have no reason to believe that it isn’t. So anyway, I thought readers would like to know. Oh, and WOW! I totally don’t deserve that. AAAHHH!!! I’m very excited and very honored.
Wow, for once I don’t actually have to say that you must pay attention to the dates. From here on it’s in chronological order. Then again, there’s a time-leap in here, so it would be smart to still keep the dates in mind.
Review time!
Fallenangel7583: Wow, for once I had a twist you didn’t expect! You’re always one step ahead of me, so this feels like quite an accomplishment. Thanks so much for reviewing for every chapter; I really appreciated your input.
Jebus: Do you have any idea how much I LOVE your reviews? They seriously make my day. To think that my writing affects people like this is mind-blowing. Thank you so much for another incredible review!
Kiwichan: It’s such a thrill to hear that readers appreciate the way I chose to set up and write this story; I wasn’t sure about it in the beginning, as it is a pretty peculiar set up, so I’m so glad that I have readers like you! And you’re right, shame on me for leaving a cliffhanger and then not updating for so long. Sorry! Thanks so much for the review; I appreciated it A LOT!
rEd roSe: You really caught in your review what I loved writing about IAWA. I really hope that you’re satisfied with this ending, though I won’t give away whether it’s what you hoped would happen or not. I’m so sorry about not updating for so long, and thanks for all your wonderful reviews!
Bianca: Aaah, I feel so bad! I’m sorry for not updating quickly. Anyway, I love hearing that my story makes people want more, so thanks for the great review!
Aleaha: Yeah, it was mean, but I have a thing for cliffhangers. I’ve discovered that they’re a lot of fun. I hope you weren’t assassinated by the family for reviewing! I would feel bad for getting a reader killed! Haha. Thanks so much for the review!
ScarletRaven1001: I loved your review; it was so great! I’m REALLY relieved that I got across what I was trying to as far as angst goes. I didn’t want it to be annoying, but I wanted it to be frustrating. Your review was wonderful, and I’m truly flattered. Thank you so much!
Caitriona: …. …. My story was nominated for the IY fanguild Best Drama? I had no idea…aren’t I supposed to know about things like that? Anyway, that’s not the point! The point is that I was really flattered by your review, as you seemed to look at it as a serious reader, which I appreciate SO MUCH! Seriously, your review went straight to my head, and it really made me feel good about this story, so thank you, and I hope that this last chapter lives up to the rest!
Well, as I’ve said, this is the last chapter of IAWA, so please read and enjoy. As this is the last chapter, PLEASE review and tell me what you thought, both of this chapter and the story as a whole. Thank you so much to absolutely everyone who read this!
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Right where we left off. Kagome.
Kagome curled into a seat, feeling a little less alone now that Sango was with her. Miroku had dropped her off with barely a word, and Inuyasha hadn’t been with him. She didn’t know what was going on, exactly, and Miroku sure hadn’t been in a talkative mood. He’d only kissed Sango a few times, held her just a few desperate seconds, then spun on his heel and left. Sango had collapsed into a seat, a quivering mass of emotion, and burst into tears. And that’s where they were now.
Sango was fast asleep, having sniffled herself to sleep, as it was around five in the morning, and Kagome was shifting endlessly, wondering if she was sleepy or not. That was actually the least of the things about which she was wondering, but she didn’t care to focus on the others. She folded a hand over her stomach and tucked legs up to her chest. It was amazing how having the knowledge of a child growing there made that specific place on her body so very miraculous, even though there was no visual evidence that a little life was really in there.
Kagome sighed. They would get through this. They had to. She laid her head on the back of the uncomfortable plastic chair and hoped.
~~~
Inuyasha
“I want to make one single thing perfectly clear,” Kouga growled out, gripping the arms of one of the luxurious lounge chairs in his living room. He leaned forward in his seat and glared at Miroku and Inuyasha. “I am not doing this for you.”
Oh, that was all? Inuyasha could have guessed that much himself.
“I am doing this for myself because I am fucking sick of Naraku, and I am doing this for Kagome and Sango, not because I particularly care for them, but because they have the misfortune to be mated to you two.”
The pair in question rolled their eyes. “So I take it you’re in?” Miroku clarified.
Kouga snorted, and his shoulders jumped a little with the effort. “Like you two could do this without me.”
He was right.
~~~
Inuyasha’s arm brushed against Kouga’s as they skittered silently, nearly bent in two from leaning over so far, across the suffocating darkness of the back yard of Naraku’s complex.
“It’ll be in one of those back rooms, I’m sure,” Kouga whispered one final time before they were within hearing range of the youkai inside. “It’ll be hidden well, but it’ll be there.” The wolf youkai glanced to his hanyou teammate. “You’ve got to find it, Inuyasha, or we’ll fail, and that means we’ll die.”
Inuyasha gritted his teeth. “I know.”
Kouga nodded once before holding a finger to his mouth and lightening his footsteps even further.
Inuyasha grimaced in concentration. They had to get this done quickly, precisely, perfectly. The two arrived at the door and stood, silent for a few seconds. Inuyasha nodded, signaling to Kouga, who took one deep breath, and kicked the door in.
The pair raced into the building, moving as swiftly as they ever had. The two of them had never been paired up on a mission before, so they weren’t used to working around the other, but they were getting there. Increasing their speed, adrenaline nearly bringing their blood to a boil, they found the door. It was as if the door hardly existed at all; it was gone so quickly and effortlessly that it might as well have never been there.
The guards lazing about in the room stood quickly, but it seemed to Inuyasha that they were moving in slow motion; this was one of the most important he’d ever done, and he was moving faster and more precisely than he ever had in his life. They came at him, one after another, and he took each one of them out, blinding one and crippling another. It was indiscriminate carnage.
He vaguely picked up Miroku’s voice, shouting, “Kazaana!”
That was his last resort. They had no more time to waste. He fought faster, tried to be stronger. The guards were everywhere, all coming at him at the same time, one on top of another. And Inuyasha only had his claws to save him. It was easy to mask your own smell, but masking the smell of gunpowder was quite another thing. They never would have made it past the perimeter if they’d brought guns in, and they hadn’t had time to acquire any other weapons. They fought only with their hands and their desperation.
The guards were beginning to scream at Kouga’s and Inuyasha’s ministrations. They had run out of time.
“Inuyasha, go!” Kouga hissed.
“That’s not the plan,” he growled back, spinning as he felt a blade carve into his side. He grabbed the attacking alligator youkai around the head and snapped his neck. “If I leave now, and you can’t beat these guys and get in there to fight Naraku, the plan will be worthless.”
“There’s not enough time for you to stay; Miroku won’t be able to handle all of them; he probably didn’t even manage to get all of them outside.”
“All the more reason for me to help you.”
“No, all the more reason to find the stupid thing so we can end this!”
“But-”
“Fucking go, Inuyasha! If you ever want to see the dumb bitch waiting for you at the airport again, you’ll find the goddamn Tetsusaiga!”
Inuyasha swallowed harshly. Kouga was right, but it was hard to run from a fight and leave his friend to fend for himself. Breathless, he turned and sprinted from the room, whipping around the corners Kouga had described to him. Kouga knew the facility better than him, as Naraku was much fonder of Kouga than just about any other assassin, and had him do some of his more personal tasks. That involved knowing the complex better than Inuyasha did. If not for that damn seal that would keep Kouga from touching the Tetsusaiga, he would be the one retrieving Inuyasha’s birthright.
Inuyasha came to the storage rooms and attempted to kick in the door. It didn’t budge an inch. He cursed under his breath and tapped the door. His claws wouldn’t cut through that metal. Inuyasha retreated a few steps and steeled himself.
The reinforced door burst open as he charged it, ramming his shoulder and arm into it. He stumbled, and, just as he was about to get to his feet, the lights cut out. Fuck. One of Naraku’s guards had cut the power.
He staggered blindly in the dark, hearing nothing at all but the screams of youkai and his friends. He couldn’t see a damn thing, but tried to search the room regardless. Fear bubbled in his stomach. In darkness this thick, anyone could be waiting just a few feet in front of him, masking their scent, breath, and heartbeat, ready to take him out.
The room was small and completely empty, save for a safe in the corner, which wasn’t nearly big enough to hold Inuyasha’s sword.
Inuyasha seethed just thinking about it. He’d get it back. Never once in his career had he attempted to regain ownership of the Tetsusaiga. He’d never even seen the damn thing; Naraku had taken it from Inuyasha’s father before he was born. Today was the day it would be returned to their family, and it would never be lost again.
He exited the room and wasn’t comforted to find that it was just as dark in the hallway. With one hand on the wall, he walked cautiously, silently, until his hand came to another doorway. This time there was a doorknob, and the door swung open brokenly at the slightest pressure with a deafening creak. Inuyasha’s heart, which had taken up residence at the bottom of his throat, beat out a rapid rhythm so loud he was scared that he wouldn’t hear anyone who chose to sneak up behind him.
He entered the room. There was something evil here.
He was used to the vague sense of unease he got whenever he was the complex of Naraku’s headquarters, but this was intensified to a point which made him want to throw up or run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He thought of Kagome, waiting for him in the airport. His throat felt thick, he couldn’t swallow, but he took a few shivering steps along the inside wall to his left. The feeling of horror gained pressure and began to suffocate him. Still he advanced, pushing himself along the wall. Something was waiting for him, and it wasn’t his father’s sword.
He could hear ragged breaths, and they weren’t his own. Fear spiked through him. He felt like his own death was looming around him, waiting to claim him. He felt a pain in his heart, and nausea overcame him. He dropped to his knees and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to regain sanity. His breath escaped him, seeping out of his mouth with a will of its own, and it wouldn’t return. The room was killing him. There was something here, and it possessed a soul so corrupt, so terrifying, that it was torture to be near it.
It was coming closer.
Its presence was gaining size, mass, as if it was collecting evil to it. It nearly hissed in the resounding darkness, the terror so vibrant it was almost noisy. It pulsed and came nearer, nearer. There was a pressure at his temples, and he could no longer even struggle for breath. His body wouldn’t take it.
Inuyasha could see Kagome behind his closed eyes. She slept soundly in the airport, curled up and clutching her stomach in one of those horrible plastic seats. A tear escaped the corner of her eye as she dreamt, and then Inuyasha saw it. He recognized the figure by the feeling. It was the same as he was now experiencing, and it was emerging from the shadows, taking the shame of an inhumanly tall man, and advancing on his mate. Inuyasha screamed her name in desperation, wanting to warn her, but then the dark shape had its hands around her neck. And squeezed.
Inuyasha’s eyes flashed open and he scrambled to his feet, half running, half crawling, further along the wall. There were footsteps coming after him, deathly slow. It was in control, and Inuyasha was not. He cowered, reaching blindly along the wall, hoping for something, anything. He could practically feel the creature killing him, could feel his heart in its cold hands. He wondered if it was smiling.
A smell invaded his nose. It hadn’t been there before, but it attacked him now, overwhelming him. It was the smell of death. Kagome’s death.
He screamed, a raw sound, and felt the presence still approaching, faster now. It was coming for him. It would gut him, torture him, and Inuyasha’s only consolation was that the darkness was so thick that he wouldn’t be able to watch his own death. It was coming.
In blindness and rage and unsurpassable panic, he swung out with his claws, slashing empty air again and again. He had left the wall. He didn’t know where he was. He kept attacking, trying frantically to save himself so he could save Kagome. Her name was on his lips. The presence pressed in on him from all sides, as if it was, for a brief moment, everywhere at once, as if the room itself hated him with the same passion as whatever had been sharing the room with him a moment before.
“Kagome!”
Then he realized that the evil creature was no longer in front of him, it was behind.
And with this feeling came that of a jagged piece of metal being thrust into his back.
~~~
Kagome
Kagome blinked a few times, feeling ill at ease, before lifting her head. Someone was approaching her. It was a youkai she had never seen before. Standing taller than any being she had ever seen, the man looked sickly, like he was rotting even though he was very much alive. He was holding both hands behind his back, entirely obscured by long black robes which looked like they were so heavy they could suffocate a person. The smile on his face unnerved her, and she knew then that he had come to kill her.
Inuyasha had failed.
Kagome sat up straight, clutching her seat, as she felt pain beginning to manifest once again inside her heart. No. It couldn’t be true. Inuyasha couldn’t have failed. He wouldn’t ever let that happen!
The creature came to a stop about thirty feet in front of her, and his gaze locked on hers. She felt the perversion of his soul, as if he was fabricated of all the odious feelings in the world.
Slowly, with much delight, the youkai brought his hands in front of him, one at a time, and presented her with his souvenir.
It was nausea and fury and trauma and pain. It was a horror so complete it took over her entire body, and wrenched a scream from her which was so painful, she didn’t think she’d ever speak again.
He was holding in his hands, dripping with blood, the head of her mate. And his eyes stared at her blankly.
~~~
Kagome awoke, shrieking.
She saw nothing as she screamed hysterically, over and over, and she barely felt Sango’s arms coming around her, hardly heard the words her friend said to comfort her.
She screamed Inuyasha’s name, and she screamed out of fear. She screamed of loneliness and terror and the feeling, worse than any other, that she would never see Inuyasha again.
~~~
Inuyasha
Inuyasha growled frantically, spinning and catching his claws on some thick kind of cloth. His eyes widened.
This fucker was real; he wasn’t Death or an embodiment of evil; he wore clothes and used a weapon. Inuyasha could fight him.
As he’d turned, his opponent had held onto the metal, jerking it along Inuaysha’s side, and out of him entirely, and now Inuyasha careened off his feet, coughing in pain and clutching the wound.
He managed to stand, completely unsure of where the bastard was now.
That smell of death returned and his fear increased. This had to be a youkai who possessed the ability to instill fear in him with no physical or visual contact. It must be a skill based on youki and auras. He could still see Kagome’s face, screaming in terror. But his only chance was to hope that it wasn’t real, it was only an illusion made to throw him off base so he would be an easy target.
Inuyasha had just barely gotten his wits about him before the presence pulsed sickeningly, and Inuyasha saw Kagome’s body, bloody and torn and defiled. In his vision, she was alive, writhing in pain and suffering. Inuyasha’s legs buckled and he fell to his hands and knees and waited to throw up. He didn’t, his body was resisting the dark youkai’s attack. He didn’t make a sound.
He tried to sense where the monster was, but every time he tried to pick up on a location, he just got the feeling of overwhelming evil.
He had to be strong! He pressed his arm against his wound, hoping that that would stifle the drops of blood to a point at which the youkai couldn’t hear them dripping down his clothes.
The creature wasn’t that fast; Inuyasha had managed to almost get him with a sloppy swipe, and it had only attacked when Inuyasha had screamed, which meant that it was as blind as he was. Inuyasha had to keep a cool, rational head. He could do this. He had to, or those visions would become a reality. He had to ignore his fear for Kagome in order to keep her safe.
“Fuck,” Inuyasha hissed, and pretended to stumble.
Again, the feeling of dread increased, the only way Inuyasha knew that the creature was approaching. He purposely fell to one knee.
Staying absolutely still, he heard the metal cutting through the air, aimed straight for his neck. The youkai intended to kill him right now.
Inuyasha dropped so his hands pounded the floor and swept out with one leg, catching the youkai behind the knees. The blade went safely over his head, and he followed through with his leg, and heard the massively satisfying sound of the youkai dropping to his back. Inuyasha was on top of his enemy immediately, and wrestling the weapon from his grasp. He punched the youkai over and over, hating it for knowing his weakness and making him see his worst fear. Inuyasha would kill him, and he’d make sure it hurt quite a bit.
Without warning, he was thrown off the youkai and into the air. He crashed into the wall and fell so far after that he knew he must have almost hit the ceiling. He grunted in pain as he landed, barely able to catch himself before his weight was too much for his injured body, and he fell face first onto the ground.
Again, he felt the sting of metal breaking his skin, slicing through his shoulder and pinning him to the ground as the youkai attacked with his twisted sword of broken metal. The youkai grabbed Inuyasha’s hair, pulling his head forcefully off the ground.
Inuyasha felt like he was staring into the face of Death. And maybe he was. His shoulder screamed and his back pulsed, relieving him of his blood.
“I’ve seen your weakness,” the youkai hissed in his ear, and Inuyasha’s anger spiked. He writhed for a position of control, but there was no control to be had.
“She’s a real beauty.”
His breath smelled of decay and Inuyasha flickered in and out of consciousness.
“It’s a shame you won’t be alive to see what I’ll do to her when I find her at the airport, that Kagome of yours.”
With a cry of anger, Inuyasha swung out with his free arm and sank his claws into the youkai’s chest. It screamed in pain and rammed Inuyasha’s face into the floor in retaliation. Inuyasha felt his nose crack and blood spattered across his face and dribbled down his nose when his head was raised again, with a harsh jerk.
“Don’t be so defensive, Inuyasha.” It hissed his name like a curse, and it reminded him of how Kagome had said his name after they lost their son. “She’s no longer yours. She’s mine now.” The youkai grabbed Inuyasha around the neck and gripped so hard that Inuyasha immediately started choking.
“I can feel her throat in my hands, like yours is now. Can you imagine that for her, Inuyasha?”
Inuyasha felt the whisper of breath in his ear, and shuddered, struggling in vain to take in oxygen. “Her life is mine now.”
The darkness surrounding him exploded into abnormal colors in front of his eyes as his body quaked from lack of air. His mind was racing, furious, and aching to tear the youkai’s head off for suggesting such a thing, and his body took control.
Yanking his torso around as far as he could, he grabbed hold of the sword and pulled it out of his shoulder and swung it in a broad arc in one motion.
There was another scream as the metal connected with flesh, and the pressure left Inuyasha’s throat. He gasped in as much air as he could handle and coughed, sputtering even while he levered himself back to his feet.
The horrible fear attacked him in a vicious wave, but Inuyasha wouldn’t let himself succumb to it this time. He had the weapon now, and he had the creature on the run.
He listened, ears attuned to the slightest nuance of shifts of air. Then he heard it.
Inuyasha twisted his body, pulling back the sword, and threw it with all his might.
There was a sickening, wet thud, and a shriek that sounded like all the misery in the world. The sound died and all feelings of fear left him. Without a thought, Inuyasha strode to where he’d heard the sword hit the wall, and found the handle. He grabbed it, pulled the sword from the wall, and heard the body fall to the floor, dead. So much for making sure his death was long. There hadn’t been time for that. At least it had probably been rather painful.
He put a hand to his shoulder and forced himself to keep going. He walked along the wall until he found the rusty old door, and left the room with a shudder.
Inuyasha held his nose, trying to stop the bleeding somehow, and came to the end of the hall. Kouga had told him that the last door was right in front of him, and he found the handle easily enough. It was locked. He could hear Kouga now, fighting Naraku in the main chamber, and Miroku out in the front yard, taking on the guards he had lured from Naraku’s chamber while he and Kouga had been fighting the spare guards in the back room. Fuck. According to the plan, Miroku should have been inside by now, helping Kouga until Inuyasha got there with the Tetsusaiga. He had to find the sword and get out there before both of them got killed.
He barely had enough energy to kick the door in, and stumbled after it. The room was nothing more than a closet. An empty closet. Kouga had made it perfectly clear that these were the only three storage rooms, and that he’d been in every other room of the facility. The sword had to be here somewhere. The room was tiny, only about four by six feet, and made of brick.
He double-checked. He ran his hands over the walls in case the sword was hung on the wall. Nothing.
“Fuck!” he yelled and pounded the wall. There was absolutely nothing there. It was over. There was no chance of success. They would fail.
Inuyasha flung himself from one side of the room to another, hitting the walls and wailing in hopelessness. This was it. There was no way the three of them alone could beat Naraku. They needed the sword. But he couldn’t find it. It just wasn’t here. He’d searched every damn room and there was nothing in any of them. “Goddamn it!” Inuyasha struck the back wall with his foot, and was amazed to find himself flying after it.
He landed in an undignified heap. The brick wall had given way. Inuyasha looked up, expecting to find himself outside, but he was in another room.
Comprehension dawned. Someone had created a wall in between this part of the room and the entranceway, around which he’d been flinging himself.
Inuyasha touched the wall to his right and began to follow it, only to turn a corner to his right, then another a few feet later.
He kept walking, and the wall turned left. He tripped over something big, and landed right on top of it. Scrambling off, Inuyasha found it to be a chest, and, running his hands over it, he found that it was long enough to hold a sword. Inuyasha threw down the twisted sword he’d taken from the fear-youkai and knelt down next to the newfound object.
Inuyasha dug his hands under the edge of the lid, but it was locked. He fumbled for the lock at the front, and tugged. The lock was too solid. He swung his claws and tried kicking in the top of it, and pounded it with his fists, but the damn thing didn’t give. It was made of wood, but it was so thick that he could scrape at it all day and not make any progress.
Inuyasha stood, panting, and dropped once more to his knees, scrambling in the darkness for the sword he’d thrown onto the ground. He found it and gripped it securely in both hands before raising it high above his head. He took a few deep breaths.
“I’m coming, Kagome.”
With a crash, the entire chest splintered as Inuyasha brought the poor excuse for a sword down on top of it.
He sifted frantically through the wood and his hands came upon what he knew had to be Tetsusaiga. He ran his fingers over the length of the sword, and squinted at the light it gave off as the rusty old thing began to transform into a gleaming fang. Finally, he had some light. That sword was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. It was his key back to Kagome. With this, he could keep her safe, as well as set himself and his friends free.
He began to run.
Out of the tiny brick room and down the hall, through one corner and then another, until he was in the back hall, then bursting into the main chamber.
Miroku had now joined Kouga, and the pair was fighting Naraku and the dozen or so of his remaining guards. They appeared ready to collapse, and Naraku looked insane with rage.
“Kouga, move!” Inuyasha screamed, and raised the Tetsusaiga over his shoulder.
Glancing back to him, Kouga jumped out of the way, relief clear on his face.
“Kaze no kizu!” He swung the sword.
Blinding light raced across the marble floor, splitting the thick stone as if it was fog, and found Naraku. With an ungodly shriek, the dark hanyou was torn into thousands of pieces.
“Kazaana!” Miroku tore the beads off his wrist.
For a breathless moment, everyone in the room just watched as the pieces of Naraku became airborne and were sucked into the black hole with which he himself had created as a curse in Miroku’s bloodline. As the pieces disappeared, the hole contracted, and as the last piece was sucked in, Miroku’s curse was no more.
~~~
March 4, 2005. 6:28 AM. Kagome.
It was the single longest moment of Kagome’s life: when she saw Inuyasha sprinting down the spacious hall towards her. She barely even saw that Miroku was with him, barely noticed the blood.
A strangled breath escaped her and she stood automatically, her hands clenched over her mouth. He was here. Relief washed over her like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
Within seconds, she was in his arms. Her feet left the floor as he pulled her to him, ducking his head to press his cheek against her own. She wrapped her arms around his neck in desperate thankfulness, and gripped him tightly. For once, she felt sure that she would never have to let go again.
~~
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A/N: And that was the end of In Alignment with Angels!
I’m incapable of making non-happy endings. This isn’t actually the original ending I had written down. For anyone who is interested, the original ending was just a continuation of this, and it went on to show them boarding the plane and talking about their past and future, then shows them on their third anniversary, about a year and a half later. I decided it was unforgivably sappy and didn’t fit at all with the tone of the rest of the story. Basically, I would never have been able to feel good ending the story with something that sappy when the rest of the story was so serious, so I cut it, and I like this ending MUCH better.
I really hope that you liked my story, and that it was a good one.
Please review and tell me what you think!
Thank you SO much for reading In Alignment with Angels!
~Schrodinger’s Cat
This is the first story that I’ve actually finished on this site, so I’m really excited!
A reader informed me that this story was nominated for the IY Fanguild Best Drama. I had no clue. Shouldn’t I be informed about these things? Anyway, I’m not sure how to check for myself to see if it’s true, but I have no reason to believe that it isn’t. So anyway, I thought readers would like to know. Oh, and WOW! I totally don’t deserve that. AAAHHH!!! I’m very excited and very honored.
Wow, for once I don’t actually have to say that you must pay attention to the dates. From here on it’s in chronological order. Then again, there’s a time-leap in here, so it would be smart to still keep the dates in mind.
Review time!
Fallenangel7583: Wow, for once I had a twist you didn’t expect! You’re always one step ahead of me, so this feels like quite an accomplishment. Thanks so much for reviewing for every chapter; I really appreciated your input.
Jebus: Do you have any idea how much I LOVE your reviews? They seriously make my day. To think that my writing affects people like this is mind-blowing. Thank you so much for another incredible review!
Kiwichan: It’s such a thrill to hear that readers appreciate the way I chose to set up and write this story; I wasn’t sure about it in the beginning, as it is a pretty peculiar set up, so I’m so glad that I have readers like you! And you’re right, shame on me for leaving a cliffhanger and then not updating for so long. Sorry! Thanks so much for the review; I appreciated it A LOT!
rEd roSe: You really caught in your review what I loved writing about IAWA. I really hope that you’re satisfied with this ending, though I won’t give away whether it’s what you hoped would happen or not. I’m so sorry about not updating for so long, and thanks for all your wonderful reviews!
Bianca: Aaah, I feel so bad! I’m sorry for not updating quickly. Anyway, I love hearing that my story makes people want more, so thanks for the great review!
Aleaha: Yeah, it was mean, but I have a thing for cliffhangers. I’ve discovered that they’re a lot of fun. I hope you weren’t assassinated by the family for reviewing! I would feel bad for getting a reader killed! Haha. Thanks so much for the review!
ScarletRaven1001: I loved your review; it was so great! I’m REALLY relieved that I got across what I was trying to as far as angst goes. I didn’t want it to be annoying, but I wanted it to be frustrating. Your review was wonderful, and I’m truly flattered. Thank you so much!
Caitriona: …. …. My story was nominated for the IY fanguild Best Drama? I had no idea…aren’t I supposed to know about things like that? Anyway, that’s not the point! The point is that I was really flattered by your review, as you seemed to look at it as a serious reader, which I appreciate SO MUCH! Seriously, your review went straight to my head, and it really made me feel good about this story, so thank you, and I hope that this last chapter lives up to the rest!
Well, as I’ve said, this is the last chapter of IAWA, so please read and enjoy. As this is the last chapter, PLEASE review and tell me what you thought, both of this chapter and the story as a whole. Thank you so much to absolutely everyone who read this!
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Right where we left off. Kagome.
Kagome curled into a seat, feeling a little less alone now that Sango was with her. Miroku had dropped her off with barely a word, and Inuyasha hadn’t been with him. She didn’t know what was going on, exactly, and Miroku sure hadn’t been in a talkative mood. He’d only kissed Sango a few times, held her just a few desperate seconds, then spun on his heel and left. Sango had collapsed into a seat, a quivering mass of emotion, and burst into tears. And that’s where they were now.
Sango was fast asleep, having sniffled herself to sleep, as it was around five in the morning, and Kagome was shifting endlessly, wondering if she was sleepy or not. That was actually the least of the things about which she was wondering, but she didn’t care to focus on the others. She folded a hand over her stomach and tucked legs up to her chest. It was amazing how having the knowledge of a child growing there made that specific place on her body so very miraculous, even though there was no visual evidence that a little life was really in there.
Kagome sighed. They would get through this. They had to. She laid her head on the back of the uncomfortable plastic chair and hoped.
~~~
Inuyasha
“I want to make one single thing perfectly clear,” Kouga growled out, gripping the arms of one of the luxurious lounge chairs in his living room. He leaned forward in his seat and glared at Miroku and Inuyasha. “I am not doing this for you.”
Oh, that was all? Inuyasha could have guessed that much himself.
“I am doing this for myself because I am fucking sick of Naraku, and I am doing this for Kagome and Sango, not because I particularly care for them, but because they have the misfortune to be mated to you two.”
The pair in question rolled their eyes. “So I take it you’re in?” Miroku clarified.
Kouga snorted, and his shoulders jumped a little with the effort. “Like you two could do this without me.”
He was right.
~~~
Inuyasha’s arm brushed against Kouga’s as they skittered silently, nearly bent in two from leaning over so far, across the suffocating darkness of the back yard of Naraku’s complex.
“It’ll be in one of those back rooms, I’m sure,” Kouga whispered one final time before they were within hearing range of the youkai inside. “It’ll be hidden well, but it’ll be there.” The wolf youkai glanced to his hanyou teammate. “You’ve got to find it, Inuyasha, or we’ll fail, and that means we’ll die.”
Inuyasha gritted his teeth. “I know.”
Kouga nodded once before holding a finger to his mouth and lightening his footsteps even further.
Inuyasha grimaced in concentration. They had to get this done quickly, precisely, perfectly. The two arrived at the door and stood, silent for a few seconds. Inuyasha nodded, signaling to Kouga, who took one deep breath, and kicked the door in.
The pair raced into the building, moving as swiftly as they ever had. The two of them had never been paired up on a mission before, so they weren’t used to working around the other, but they were getting there. Increasing their speed, adrenaline nearly bringing their blood to a boil, they found the door. It was as if the door hardly existed at all; it was gone so quickly and effortlessly that it might as well have never been there.
The guards lazing about in the room stood quickly, but it seemed to Inuyasha that they were moving in slow motion; this was one of the most important he’d ever done, and he was moving faster and more precisely than he ever had in his life. They came at him, one after another, and he took each one of them out, blinding one and crippling another. It was indiscriminate carnage.
He vaguely picked up Miroku’s voice, shouting, “Kazaana!”
That was his last resort. They had no more time to waste. He fought faster, tried to be stronger. The guards were everywhere, all coming at him at the same time, one on top of another. And Inuyasha only had his claws to save him. It was easy to mask your own smell, but masking the smell of gunpowder was quite another thing. They never would have made it past the perimeter if they’d brought guns in, and they hadn’t had time to acquire any other weapons. They fought only with their hands and their desperation.
The guards were beginning to scream at Kouga’s and Inuyasha’s ministrations. They had run out of time.
“Inuyasha, go!” Kouga hissed.
“That’s not the plan,” he growled back, spinning as he felt a blade carve into his side. He grabbed the attacking alligator youkai around the head and snapped his neck. “If I leave now, and you can’t beat these guys and get in there to fight Naraku, the plan will be worthless.”
“There’s not enough time for you to stay; Miroku won’t be able to handle all of them; he probably didn’t even manage to get all of them outside.”
“All the more reason for me to help you.”
“No, all the more reason to find the stupid thing so we can end this!”
“But-”
“Fucking go, Inuyasha! If you ever want to see the dumb bitch waiting for you at the airport again, you’ll find the goddamn Tetsusaiga!”
Inuyasha swallowed harshly. Kouga was right, but it was hard to run from a fight and leave his friend to fend for himself. Breathless, he turned and sprinted from the room, whipping around the corners Kouga had described to him. Kouga knew the facility better than him, as Naraku was much fonder of Kouga than just about any other assassin, and had him do some of his more personal tasks. That involved knowing the complex better than Inuyasha did. If not for that damn seal that would keep Kouga from touching the Tetsusaiga, he would be the one retrieving Inuyasha’s birthright.
Inuyasha came to the storage rooms and attempted to kick in the door. It didn’t budge an inch. He cursed under his breath and tapped the door. His claws wouldn’t cut through that metal. Inuyasha retreated a few steps and steeled himself.
The reinforced door burst open as he charged it, ramming his shoulder and arm into it. He stumbled, and, just as he was about to get to his feet, the lights cut out. Fuck. One of Naraku’s guards had cut the power.
He staggered blindly in the dark, hearing nothing at all but the screams of youkai and his friends. He couldn’t see a damn thing, but tried to search the room regardless. Fear bubbled in his stomach. In darkness this thick, anyone could be waiting just a few feet in front of him, masking their scent, breath, and heartbeat, ready to take him out.
The room was small and completely empty, save for a safe in the corner, which wasn’t nearly big enough to hold Inuyasha’s sword.
Inuyasha seethed just thinking about it. He’d get it back. Never once in his career had he attempted to regain ownership of the Tetsusaiga. He’d never even seen the damn thing; Naraku had taken it from Inuyasha’s father before he was born. Today was the day it would be returned to their family, and it would never be lost again.
He exited the room and wasn’t comforted to find that it was just as dark in the hallway. With one hand on the wall, he walked cautiously, silently, until his hand came to another doorway. This time there was a doorknob, and the door swung open brokenly at the slightest pressure with a deafening creak. Inuyasha’s heart, which had taken up residence at the bottom of his throat, beat out a rapid rhythm so loud he was scared that he wouldn’t hear anyone who chose to sneak up behind him.
He entered the room. There was something evil here.
He was used to the vague sense of unease he got whenever he was the complex of Naraku’s headquarters, but this was intensified to a point which made him want to throw up or run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He thought of Kagome, waiting for him in the airport. His throat felt thick, he couldn’t swallow, but he took a few shivering steps along the inside wall to his left. The feeling of horror gained pressure and began to suffocate him. Still he advanced, pushing himself along the wall. Something was waiting for him, and it wasn’t his father’s sword.
He could hear ragged breaths, and they weren’t his own. Fear spiked through him. He felt like his own death was looming around him, waiting to claim him. He felt a pain in his heart, and nausea overcame him. He dropped to his knees and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to regain sanity. His breath escaped him, seeping out of his mouth with a will of its own, and it wouldn’t return. The room was killing him. There was something here, and it possessed a soul so corrupt, so terrifying, that it was torture to be near it.
It was coming closer.
Its presence was gaining size, mass, as if it was collecting evil to it. It nearly hissed in the resounding darkness, the terror so vibrant it was almost noisy. It pulsed and came nearer, nearer. There was a pressure at his temples, and he could no longer even struggle for breath. His body wouldn’t take it.
Inuyasha could see Kagome behind his closed eyes. She slept soundly in the airport, curled up and clutching her stomach in one of those horrible plastic seats. A tear escaped the corner of her eye as she dreamt, and then Inuyasha saw it. He recognized the figure by the feeling. It was the same as he was now experiencing, and it was emerging from the shadows, taking the shame of an inhumanly tall man, and advancing on his mate. Inuyasha screamed her name in desperation, wanting to warn her, but then the dark shape had its hands around her neck. And squeezed.
Inuyasha’s eyes flashed open and he scrambled to his feet, half running, half crawling, further along the wall. There were footsteps coming after him, deathly slow. It was in control, and Inuyasha was not. He cowered, reaching blindly along the wall, hoping for something, anything. He could practically feel the creature killing him, could feel his heart in its cold hands. He wondered if it was smiling.
A smell invaded his nose. It hadn’t been there before, but it attacked him now, overwhelming him. It was the smell of death. Kagome’s death.
He screamed, a raw sound, and felt the presence still approaching, faster now. It was coming for him. It would gut him, torture him, and Inuyasha’s only consolation was that the darkness was so thick that he wouldn’t be able to watch his own death. It was coming.
In blindness and rage and unsurpassable panic, he swung out with his claws, slashing empty air again and again. He had left the wall. He didn’t know where he was. He kept attacking, trying frantically to save himself so he could save Kagome. Her name was on his lips. The presence pressed in on him from all sides, as if it was, for a brief moment, everywhere at once, as if the room itself hated him with the same passion as whatever had been sharing the room with him a moment before.
“Kagome!”
Then he realized that the evil creature was no longer in front of him, it was behind.
And with this feeling came that of a jagged piece of metal being thrust into his back.
~~~
Kagome
Kagome blinked a few times, feeling ill at ease, before lifting her head. Someone was approaching her. It was a youkai she had never seen before. Standing taller than any being she had ever seen, the man looked sickly, like he was rotting even though he was very much alive. He was holding both hands behind his back, entirely obscured by long black robes which looked like they were so heavy they could suffocate a person. The smile on his face unnerved her, and she knew then that he had come to kill her.
Inuyasha had failed.
Kagome sat up straight, clutching her seat, as she felt pain beginning to manifest once again inside her heart. No. It couldn’t be true. Inuyasha couldn’t have failed. He wouldn’t ever let that happen!
The creature came to a stop about thirty feet in front of her, and his gaze locked on hers. She felt the perversion of his soul, as if he was fabricated of all the odious feelings in the world.
Slowly, with much delight, the youkai brought his hands in front of him, one at a time, and presented her with his souvenir.
It was nausea and fury and trauma and pain. It was a horror so complete it took over her entire body, and wrenched a scream from her which was so painful, she didn’t think she’d ever speak again.
He was holding in his hands, dripping with blood, the head of her mate. And his eyes stared at her blankly.
~~~
Kagome awoke, shrieking.
She saw nothing as she screamed hysterically, over and over, and she barely felt Sango’s arms coming around her, hardly heard the words her friend said to comfort her.
She screamed Inuyasha’s name, and she screamed out of fear. She screamed of loneliness and terror and the feeling, worse than any other, that she would never see Inuyasha again.
~~~
Inuyasha
Inuyasha growled frantically, spinning and catching his claws on some thick kind of cloth. His eyes widened.
This fucker was real; he wasn’t Death or an embodiment of evil; he wore clothes and used a weapon. Inuyasha could fight him.
As he’d turned, his opponent had held onto the metal, jerking it along Inuaysha’s side, and out of him entirely, and now Inuyasha careened off his feet, coughing in pain and clutching the wound.
He managed to stand, completely unsure of where the bastard was now.
That smell of death returned and his fear increased. This had to be a youkai who possessed the ability to instill fear in him with no physical or visual contact. It must be a skill based on youki and auras. He could still see Kagome’s face, screaming in terror. But his only chance was to hope that it wasn’t real, it was only an illusion made to throw him off base so he would be an easy target.
Inuyasha had just barely gotten his wits about him before the presence pulsed sickeningly, and Inuyasha saw Kagome’s body, bloody and torn and defiled. In his vision, she was alive, writhing in pain and suffering. Inuyasha’s legs buckled and he fell to his hands and knees and waited to throw up. He didn’t, his body was resisting the dark youkai’s attack. He didn’t make a sound.
He tried to sense where the monster was, but every time he tried to pick up on a location, he just got the feeling of overwhelming evil.
He had to be strong! He pressed his arm against his wound, hoping that that would stifle the drops of blood to a point at which the youkai couldn’t hear them dripping down his clothes.
The creature wasn’t that fast; Inuyasha had managed to almost get him with a sloppy swipe, and it had only attacked when Inuyasha had screamed, which meant that it was as blind as he was. Inuyasha had to keep a cool, rational head. He could do this. He had to, or those visions would become a reality. He had to ignore his fear for Kagome in order to keep her safe.
“Fuck,” Inuyasha hissed, and pretended to stumble.
Again, the feeling of dread increased, the only way Inuyasha knew that the creature was approaching. He purposely fell to one knee.
Staying absolutely still, he heard the metal cutting through the air, aimed straight for his neck. The youkai intended to kill him right now.
Inuyasha dropped so his hands pounded the floor and swept out with one leg, catching the youkai behind the knees. The blade went safely over his head, and he followed through with his leg, and heard the massively satisfying sound of the youkai dropping to his back. Inuyasha was on top of his enemy immediately, and wrestling the weapon from his grasp. He punched the youkai over and over, hating it for knowing his weakness and making him see his worst fear. Inuyasha would kill him, and he’d make sure it hurt quite a bit.
Without warning, he was thrown off the youkai and into the air. He crashed into the wall and fell so far after that he knew he must have almost hit the ceiling. He grunted in pain as he landed, barely able to catch himself before his weight was too much for his injured body, and he fell face first onto the ground.
Again, he felt the sting of metal breaking his skin, slicing through his shoulder and pinning him to the ground as the youkai attacked with his twisted sword of broken metal. The youkai grabbed Inuyasha’s hair, pulling his head forcefully off the ground.
Inuyasha felt like he was staring into the face of Death. And maybe he was. His shoulder screamed and his back pulsed, relieving him of his blood.
“I’ve seen your weakness,” the youkai hissed in his ear, and Inuyasha’s anger spiked. He writhed for a position of control, but there was no control to be had.
“She’s a real beauty.”
His breath smelled of decay and Inuyasha flickered in and out of consciousness.
“It’s a shame you won’t be alive to see what I’ll do to her when I find her at the airport, that Kagome of yours.”
With a cry of anger, Inuyasha swung out with his free arm and sank his claws into the youkai’s chest. It screamed in pain and rammed Inuyasha’s face into the floor in retaliation. Inuyasha felt his nose crack and blood spattered across his face and dribbled down his nose when his head was raised again, with a harsh jerk.
“Don’t be so defensive, Inuyasha.” It hissed his name like a curse, and it reminded him of how Kagome had said his name after they lost their son. “She’s no longer yours. She’s mine now.” The youkai grabbed Inuyasha around the neck and gripped so hard that Inuyasha immediately started choking.
“I can feel her throat in my hands, like yours is now. Can you imagine that for her, Inuyasha?”
Inuyasha felt the whisper of breath in his ear, and shuddered, struggling in vain to take in oxygen. “Her life is mine now.”
The darkness surrounding him exploded into abnormal colors in front of his eyes as his body quaked from lack of air. His mind was racing, furious, and aching to tear the youkai’s head off for suggesting such a thing, and his body took control.
Yanking his torso around as far as he could, he grabbed hold of the sword and pulled it out of his shoulder and swung it in a broad arc in one motion.
There was another scream as the metal connected with flesh, and the pressure left Inuyasha’s throat. He gasped in as much air as he could handle and coughed, sputtering even while he levered himself back to his feet.
The horrible fear attacked him in a vicious wave, but Inuyasha wouldn’t let himself succumb to it this time. He had the weapon now, and he had the creature on the run.
He listened, ears attuned to the slightest nuance of shifts of air. Then he heard it.
Inuyasha twisted his body, pulling back the sword, and threw it with all his might.
There was a sickening, wet thud, and a shriek that sounded like all the misery in the world. The sound died and all feelings of fear left him. Without a thought, Inuyasha strode to where he’d heard the sword hit the wall, and found the handle. He grabbed it, pulled the sword from the wall, and heard the body fall to the floor, dead. So much for making sure his death was long. There hadn’t been time for that. At least it had probably been rather painful.
He put a hand to his shoulder and forced himself to keep going. He walked along the wall until he found the rusty old door, and left the room with a shudder.
Inuyasha held his nose, trying to stop the bleeding somehow, and came to the end of the hall. Kouga had told him that the last door was right in front of him, and he found the handle easily enough. It was locked. He could hear Kouga now, fighting Naraku in the main chamber, and Miroku out in the front yard, taking on the guards he had lured from Naraku’s chamber while he and Kouga had been fighting the spare guards in the back room. Fuck. According to the plan, Miroku should have been inside by now, helping Kouga until Inuyasha got there with the Tetsusaiga. He had to find the sword and get out there before both of them got killed.
He barely had enough energy to kick the door in, and stumbled after it. The room was nothing more than a closet. An empty closet. Kouga had made it perfectly clear that these were the only three storage rooms, and that he’d been in every other room of the facility. The sword had to be here somewhere. The room was tiny, only about four by six feet, and made of brick.
He double-checked. He ran his hands over the walls in case the sword was hung on the wall. Nothing.
“Fuck!” he yelled and pounded the wall. There was absolutely nothing there. It was over. There was no chance of success. They would fail.
Inuyasha flung himself from one side of the room to another, hitting the walls and wailing in hopelessness. This was it. There was no way the three of them alone could beat Naraku. They needed the sword. But he couldn’t find it. It just wasn’t here. He’d searched every damn room and there was nothing in any of them. “Goddamn it!” Inuyasha struck the back wall with his foot, and was amazed to find himself flying after it.
He landed in an undignified heap. The brick wall had given way. Inuyasha looked up, expecting to find himself outside, but he was in another room.
Comprehension dawned. Someone had created a wall in between this part of the room and the entranceway, around which he’d been flinging himself.
Inuyasha touched the wall to his right and began to follow it, only to turn a corner to his right, then another a few feet later.
He kept walking, and the wall turned left. He tripped over something big, and landed right on top of it. Scrambling off, Inuyasha found it to be a chest, and, running his hands over it, he found that it was long enough to hold a sword. Inuyasha threw down the twisted sword he’d taken from the fear-youkai and knelt down next to the newfound object.
Inuyasha dug his hands under the edge of the lid, but it was locked. He fumbled for the lock at the front, and tugged. The lock was too solid. He swung his claws and tried kicking in the top of it, and pounded it with his fists, but the damn thing didn’t give. It was made of wood, but it was so thick that he could scrape at it all day and not make any progress.
Inuyasha stood, panting, and dropped once more to his knees, scrambling in the darkness for the sword he’d thrown onto the ground. He found it and gripped it securely in both hands before raising it high above his head. He took a few deep breaths.
“I’m coming, Kagome.”
With a crash, the entire chest splintered as Inuyasha brought the poor excuse for a sword down on top of it.
He sifted frantically through the wood and his hands came upon what he knew had to be Tetsusaiga. He ran his fingers over the length of the sword, and squinted at the light it gave off as the rusty old thing began to transform into a gleaming fang. Finally, he had some light. That sword was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. It was his key back to Kagome. With this, he could keep her safe, as well as set himself and his friends free.
He began to run.
Out of the tiny brick room and down the hall, through one corner and then another, until he was in the back hall, then bursting into the main chamber.
Miroku had now joined Kouga, and the pair was fighting Naraku and the dozen or so of his remaining guards. They appeared ready to collapse, and Naraku looked insane with rage.
“Kouga, move!” Inuyasha screamed, and raised the Tetsusaiga over his shoulder.
Glancing back to him, Kouga jumped out of the way, relief clear on his face.
“Kaze no kizu!” He swung the sword.
Blinding light raced across the marble floor, splitting the thick stone as if it was fog, and found Naraku. With an ungodly shriek, the dark hanyou was torn into thousands of pieces.
“Kazaana!” Miroku tore the beads off his wrist.
For a breathless moment, everyone in the room just watched as the pieces of Naraku became airborne and were sucked into the black hole with which he himself had created as a curse in Miroku’s bloodline. As the pieces disappeared, the hole contracted, and as the last piece was sucked in, Miroku’s curse was no more.
~~~
March 4, 2005. 6:28 AM. Kagome.
It was the single longest moment of Kagome’s life: when she saw Inuyasha sprinting down the spacious hall towards her. She barely even saw that Miroku was with him, barely noticed the blood.
A strangled breath escaped her and she stood automatically, her hands clenched over her mouth. He was here. Relief washed over her like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
Within seconds, she was in his arms. Her feet left the floor as he pulled her to him, ducking his head to press his cheek against her own. She wrapped her arms around his neck in desperate thankfulness, and gripped him tightly. For once, she felt sure that she would never have to let go again.
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A/N: And that was the end of In Alignment with Angels!
I’m incapable of making non-happy endings. This isn’t actually the original ending I had written down. For anyone who is interested, the original ending was just a continuation of this, and it went on to show them boarding the plane and talking about their past and future, then shows them on their third anniversary, about a year and a half later. I decided it was unforgivably sappy and didn’t fit at all with the tone of the rest of the story. Basically, I would never have been able to feel good ending the story with something that sappy when the rest of the story was so serious, so I cut it, and I like this ending MUCH better.
I really hope that you liked my story, and that it was a good one.
Please review and tell me what you think!
Thank you SO much for reading In Alignment with Angels!
~Schrodinger’s Cat