Snow-Bound; A Winter With Him by yuki kitsune

the after math

Snow-bound, a winter with him

By: Yuki Kitsune

The after math

Disclaimer: nope not mine

*****

There, she stood, shivering in the forest, alone, surrounded by sleeping tress and snow covered terrain. The wind blew cold as winter had crept on the feudal era. She did not mind it though; it somehow came as a comfort. This winter would hopefully cleanse all the unfortunate events of the past year, and more importantly the events of this very night.

The woman's raven locks, clumped with grayish mud, and split to the roots tapered down to the small of her bruised back. Her erratic breaths seeped through the slight crack between her blistered lips, creating a translucent cloud beneath her frost bit nose. Her cloths were bloody and torn, exposing the pallor of her soft skin that was marred with deep cuts and bruises. The pain that ravished her body was almost too much to endure, yet...

The quiet night's numerous stars stared down on Kagome, happily as she strolled thought the dim lit forest, taking no notice to where she was headed. Nor did she even care. She was used to her thoughts getting her in trouble, and lost was one of them.

The night was calm and quiet, as everything seemed to finally be at peace. She could concentrate easily on the thoughts that plagued her mind.

***flashback

Kagome released yet another purified arrow across the crimson battle field with all the remaining strength she had.

The sky was dark, and only a sliver of the waxing moon lighted her path. The ground was slick with frozen mud, and the air was fogged with falling snow flakes. All around her seemed to bloom to life in the path of her lighted arrow.

Kagome's skin was bruised, and covered in layers of blood, that of which were her own and others she had fought against. Her wounds stung intensely, and her bones ached. Her eyes watered as she did her best to make out what loomed around her. Though her sight was failing her, she had to keep going.

She raised her bow and slid another feathered arrow in place, but as she took aim a piercing howl demanded her full attention.

Kagome's heart cringed, she knew that howl.

She scanned the bloody field franticly, eyes desperately searching for whom she was sure the voice belonged to. Then...

Her heart sunk in the pit of her stomach, and her breath caught in her throat, as her eyes fell upon him.

Her bow fell lifelessly from her grasp, to the cold frozen mud below her shaking form. She could not make out his face but his hair swayed in the moons soft rays, and his ears poked out ever so slightly from his snow white tresses. She had found him, and he was badly injured.

She could hear his pain laced with his furious curses.

"Inuyasha...." She choked the words out as softly as one could on the brink of tears. Still...

The clang of swords ceased, and the clamor of battle cries quieted. Her breath was carried on the wind, and all present at the battle lowered their weapons as her whispered word reached their ears.

Inuyasha's fierce growls softened, as his breath swallowed.

The only thing holding Inuyasha's tattered body from the cold sting of the barren track below was his father's fang, but even then his grasp around its hilt grew weak. He slid to his knees, and his sword fell with a soft clang at his side.

"INUYASHA!"

His eyes fell on her, and he reached his hand out to her longingly, beckoning her to his side for support.

As if everything had just been put on pause, battle started anew. The sounds of swords rained high, and muffled Kagome's frantic strides towards Inuyasha.

Her heart pounded against her chest, and her skin began to crawl. She knew something unfortunate was about to happen, she could feel it on the air. She breathed in its bitter taste.

The wind blew against her in warning as she franticly made her way to his fallen body, the best she could against the thick snow. He lay motionless, but she could still hear his breathless curses to his enemy. His palms were flat on the ground, and she could see blood drip from his mouth, then spill like cherry syrup on a snow cone.

She was only 20 feet from him when out of the shadows of the snow a tall dark figure arose, with sword in hand,...Naraku...

It was a race for time.

He raised his sword above his head and slowly brought it down to Inuyasha's neck, only giving him a slight nick. He did this again, before he heaved the long sword up once more. He held it there as he whispered something to the wind.

"See you in the afterlife."

"NO!" Kagome's heart stopped.

She held her hands out as if they could stop the swords sharp blade, but it was too late. With a swift and precise swing of his blade, he severed Inuyasha's head.

Kagome froze, her heart shattered, and she felt as if her lungs had failed her. She could not breathe, she could not move, only watched with horror as Inuyasha's lifeless eyes remained open, and locked with hers, as it rolled from his twitching body.

Cold chills ran down her spine, and the hair on her neck stood on end. She slowly brought her hand to her cold porcelain cheeks, taking a sample of Inuyasha's still warm blood from them, as her terrified gaze remained locked with Inuyasha's.

His blood stained the snow one foot in diameter around his fallen form, and grew by the second as the snow acted as a sponge. His cut hair blew in the wind, and scattered amongst the blood and the field. The rest was carried somewhere in the distance, safely away from the battle.

Tears escaped from her eyes, and she slipped to her knees. The various sounds of the ongoing battle dulled, and were replaced with a soft persistent ring. In the distance she could hear Naraku's steps in the snow coming towards her. However she made no effort to stand, or even run.

What was life worth living if the one she wished to live it with was dead before her, never to return? Everything she had fought for was null and void. So...

As Naraku loomed over her with a malice written in his eyes she did nothing... only waited calmly for the sting of his sword to befall her just as it did Inuyasha. What better way to die than to share your lovers same fate?

It never came.

Naraku's lips curled in a sinister smirk. He took a fist full of her pitch black hair and forced her to her feet. He pulled her to him, whispering in her ears...

"My how honorable."

He released her holding his hand out.

"I believe you have something of mine."

Without a moments hesitation she reached in her shirt and pulled the small jar that hung around her neck out. She yanked it from her neck, and let it dangle between them.

His eyes fallowed it hungrily as it swayed back in forth in the winter's strong wind. He glanced up into her eyes before he licked his lips, and reached for it slowly, never letting his gaze on her fall.

That is where he slipped.

As the tips of his finger grazed the cold jar, a blade cut them off, with a one clean strike.

Naraku howled, and tore his gaze from Kagome to the figure that assaulted his person.

"Sesshoumaru...how nice of you to join us." Naraku hissed as he jumped ten feet away.

Sesshoumaru disregarded his remark, and turned his attention to the girl to his right.

"Fool! Grieve for the loss of your friend's later, fight now!" He threw her to the side and leapt after Naraku.

Friend's...

The word echoed in the back of her mind. Then it hit her.

She tore around, and glanced at each of her fallen friends, each in a spot of their own, drenched in blood. A thin layer of snow had suggested that they had been dead for a short while. How had she missed it? Had they cried out for her? Were they perhaps trying to save her?

Kagome nearly cried out in agony, but she had no voice. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, and shook with heavy sobs. What more could death rob her of? He even took the child's life.

Shippo...

The weight of loss pulled on her spirit, but his words lingered in her ear.

Fool! Grieve for the loss of her friends later, fight now...

Yes, how easy it sounded...but could she do it?

Kagome tuned her eyes to her bow and arrows, almost half a football field away. She ran to it blinded by tears, and took it in her grasp. She held it before her eyes lost, as if she could not remember how to use it.

She whipped the tears from under her eyes, and forced the sobs to the side, and held them there. Kagome raised her bow, and slid the last arrow she had in place, aiming at the one who caused her all this pain.

"NARAKU!"

Her voice rained high, drawling his attention. Her bow and arrow glowed light lavender, and for a split second she saw fear in his eyes.

"DIE!"

She released her sacred arrow, and instantly fell to her knees, gasping for air. Then, just out of the corner of her eye she caught him...

Sesshoumaru was right in her arrows path...

She parted her lips to scream her warning, but the weight of the world tugged on her shoulders, and her vision blurred.

She fell into darkness...

***end of flashback

The images would forever haunt her. That final battle between good and evil, but did she kill Naraku? She did not know. She had awoken in the field, alone. The bodies of her friends were buried, and Naraku was nowhere to be seen. The same with Sesshoumaru, he too was no where in sight when she awoke. Had she killed him? Did he move away in time before her arrow hit?

She closed her eyes, warding off the threatening tears.

What a shame it would be for both the inu brothers to die on the same day at the same battle.

She gave her final goodbyes, and walked far from the bloody field never to return, not even to visit their graves. The memories would be too great to endure. She had almost given up once; going back she was sure would kill her.

Now she found herself here, deep in the forest at the darkest hours of night, her thoughts consuming her as she walked aimlessly.

Kagome could hear the restless creatures of the night, but one seemed to catch her attention. She heard a small child off in the distance, and she was crying. She gave it no mind and continued to walk. As if her pain were not too great as it was, seeing a small child in tears was not what she needed.

"Shush Rin, you will upset him."

Kagome froze at the name.

Rin...

She recalled that name. She pondered on it for a while, biting her lower lip. Then she gasped. Sesshoumaru's ward, the small girl that fallowed him about. Yes of course Rin...

Her heart leaped.

Sesshoumaru...

She ran through the brush, gaining small nicks here and there from stray branches. Her heart raced. She could see a dime light getting closer and closer until...

She broke through a small barrier of bushes. The small girl screamed, and the toad, ducked away in fright.

For what seemed to be centuries, all that could be heard was the cracking of the fire, and the clicking of the crickets. No one made a move, not even him...

Kagome's gaze fell on a pair of bronze cat like eyes.

Her breath caught in the back of her throat, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Sesshoumaru..."

He was alive...but barely.