Contingency by Rikayu

Inhale

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story.  All rights are reserved for the respective creator of Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi. 

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Inhale

The dust that clouded the air was suffocating, a thick miasma looming above, taunting with what seemed like impending death.  Sparks ignited behind the muddy fog and the shrill screeching meant that another wave of demons was coming.  But it was expected from a coward like Naraku, to hide behind shadows and minions who would do the fighting for him. 

Kagome squinted her eyes as she tried to maneuver through the clouded battlefield, her bow in her hand and the arrows in the quiver slung across her back rattling against the wood that held them.  Her arms were bare, the sleeves of her uniform top ripped off in an earlier attack.  Small scratches covered her legs and most of her body was smudged with dirt and blood. 

A small yelp stopped her in her tracks and she turned around in her spot, her eyes trying to search through the dust.  Then, the sounds of her friends reached her ears and she tensed in worry.  Somewhere to her left, she could hear Shippou release his fox-fire attack, while Sango called him to jump onto Kirara as the whizzing of her large boomerang ran overhead.  The jingle of Miroku's staff and the monk's grunts could be heard to her right as he tried to fend off the onslaught of demons.  The poisonous insects that hovered around the area made it dangerous for him to use the wind tunnel in his hand. 

The wind blew violently around the miko and she coughed from the dust she'd inhaled.  Then a sickening laugh echoed through the air and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand.  Naraku was close, she knew it.  A flash of silver came from her side and the boyish voice of Inuyasha shouted in her ear.  Immediately, Kagome tightened her grip around the wood of her bow as she pulled back the string, an arrow notched in place. 

The air crackled with energy as her blue eyes flashed determinedly, zeroing in on the shadow that loomed menacingly at the other end of the dark field.  A shock of bright energy shook the ground next to her as her half-demon comrade swung down his sword to unleash a Windscar attack.  It waved across the clearing as another flash of light erupted beside her, churning around blue energy in the shape of a fierce dragon.  For a moment, the dragon swirled around her body, dancing coldly against her skin before it zoomed across to merge with the yellow light of Inuyasha's attack.

Kagome held her breath for the smallest of seconds and as she released it, her arrow was sent flying.  It cut straight through the miasma that clouded the area, engulfing blue and yellow with a purifying glo w.  A blood-curdling scream sliced through the air and as the field darkened to a gray, everything grew silent.

The wind had stopped and Kagome stood frozen.  'Is... he gone?'

She slowly lowered her arm as she let out the breath she realized she was holding.  There was nothing.  No malevolent presence that had sought out the Shikon jewel.  Their battle was finally over.  Naraku was gone.

Kagome turned as she heard the sigh of reliefs from her companions, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips.  She turned and took a step towards the group behind her, but as she dropped her bow to the ground, her friends' expressions faltered as they shouted and reached forward helplessly towards her.

The girl's eyebrows furrowed and she turned her head in mid-step.  Instantly, her eyes widened as the image of a black tendril raced towards her in slow motion.  Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she braced herself as pictures flashed like a movie trailer in her mind before a blaze of numbing black was the end.

But just as the darkness swallowed Kagome up, a stange warmth erupted in her chest as a stroke of white light swung across her vision.  She gasped loudly as air rushed into her lungs, her fingers digging into the dirt below her.  Her eyes blinked wildly as they adjusted to the sky that hung brightly above her.  She sat up in one smooth motion and instantly, her blue eyes focused on the figure standing in front of her.

Unconsciously, her hand wrapped around the red cloth that was tied around her neck, her heart beating fast as the life tingled back into her fingertips.  The voices of her friends muffled into the background as her heart began to drum in her ears and the coolness of the morning breeze wafted against her skin.  Long silver hair swayed playfully in the wind as molten golden eyes regarded her with constant indifference.  Unmistakably, Tenseiga shined in the sunlight.

Slowly, Kagome's lips moved as her raven tresses blew across her face.

"Sesshoumaru."

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Note: Done for Priestess Skye's Weekly Challenge on Dokuga. Week Four--Theme: Wind. Word Length: 803