Tears That Bind by Marina

Tears That Bind

Naraku grinned wickedly and stared down at her broken body. Her mangled limbs spread out painfully from her body and her bruises ached. The last angel was dying and he, as the devil, stood and watched.

He circled her slowly like a predator going in for the kill yet for all his wants and needs, her eyes never left his. It pissed him off that she showed such resilience. The sound his boots made against the cool damp earth echoed through her body. He laughed; deep, and slow, "You don't look so well." He smirked as he knelt beside her.

Oh, how she wished she could wipe that smirk from his contorted face. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t move, and the pain was everywhere. Kagome watched his eyes roam over her dying body with a ravishing gleam. Naraku was pleased. His smirk became larger as she took a shuddering breath that sent the blood trickling out of the creases in her mouth.

He'd won and he knew it. Seeing her in this way made his blood pump faster. A tear rolled down the corner of her eye as she stared blankly at him. He touched his finger to the droplet before it could disappear into her once beautiful hair. It burned, just as her skin did.

His eyes watched her chest as she gasped for every breath. The small pink shard that he still had not acquired lay on a thin chain between her breasts. He plucked it from her neck, "Your lover can't help you now." He growled. "You're going to die here because he can't help you."

Her facial expression did not change, and perhaps if he looked extra close at her eyes Naraku would have noticed a sad gleam to them. But he did not see that, he did not like her lack of emotion. He wanted to watch her beg, to plead him for her life—but, she didn't. She only stared up at him with her watery eyes.

A small moan escaped her as she tried to fill her lungs. He laughed. It was so very amusing to him. A burning sensation ran up his hand and he realized she'd touched his skin. He growled down at her, and then leaned in. "How dare you." He barked. "You are nothing compared to Kikyo! She at least obeyed me, she at least I could touch however I pleased!" His cool breath fanned her face and she closed her eyes “But you – you just had to remain pure to your views, even pure enough to accept Sesshoumaru into your life.”

Kagome remembered now. She remembered the late nights she would be awake crying over Inuyasha. She remembered how he had come to her telling her that her noise was bothering him. She remembered how he had taken her and Shippo under his wing when Sango and Miroku were too busy distracting Inuyasha. She realized now, she realized that she loves him.

With a forced exertion of energy Kagome hauled herself up and ripped the Shikon jewel from Naraku’s grasp. Naraku gasped in surprise as the jewel he had just only seconds ago poured his life essence into. His only thought of comfort was that she would still die, and it would have been at his hand. “Kukuku, so, I am to go and join Kikyo in hell is that it?” His face only showed resentment towards her, “just remember this, you will still die, and it has been by my hands that you are dying.” With that Naraku disintegrated into dust slowly drifting down towards the ground.

“Higurashi.”

She thought she could hear someone saying her name from far away.

“Higurashi!”

She felt so peaceful, she only wished that she could have told everyone how she felt.

“KAGOME!”

She heard her name, clear as day! She opened her eyes slowly as a mass of white fell down from the sky with a distinctive thud. She almost did not recognize the giant dog – but as Inuyasha, Sango, Shippo, Miroku, and Kirara jumped off his back did she realize that it was Sesshoumaru.

“Sesshoumaru,” Kagome whispered, “He’s gone, I did it” her breath shuddered “he’s dead.” Kagome coughed when more blood trickled out.  She looked up and realized that Sesshoumaru was right beside her with feral eyes. “Relax Sess… he’s gone for good.” She reached up a hand to touch his cheek and watched his eyes change from red to gold. “I’m sorry, so, so sorry.”

Then, with every ounce of life she had left wrapped her hand around his neck, lifted her head up and pressed her lips against his.

The shock was so overwhelming to him, he didn't know whether to shove her away or slap her. She tightened her hand into his hair as her lips moved slowly against his. At first he was appalled, but before he could do anything about it something warm wrapped up in his senses.

The heat was first in his lips, then his tongue. It moved swiftly down his throat and deep into his chest where it seemed to pulse through his veins. Everything was warm, his skin, her skin, and her lips. His heart began to beat against his ribs so fast he thought he was going to be sick. The warmth was addictive. He wanted more. He could feel his body giving in to the sensation. His fingers trailed along her neck, into her hair. His lips were moving slowly with hers. Everything in his mind was telling him to stop, to kill her, but she was so warm.

His arm wrapped around her frail body and pulled her closer. He wanted more of her. His hand tangled in her hair, but it wasn't enough. He wanted and needed more.

It was over before it truly began as her body fell limp his arms, her head rolled back, and her body went cold. He stared down at her face, her beautiful face. It was suddenly the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He shook her, hoping she would gaze up at him with her large calm eyes but, she didn't. She never would. She was gone.

A tear, his first tear he had shed in his adult life, rolled down his cheek and fell onto her smooth skin. He looked down to his hand and realized that she had pressed the Shikon jewel into it at some point. He only felt as if he had made a horrible mistake, leaving her alone, and now it was too late.