As It Will Be by Evellin

Sky Fall

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan - Yomiuri TV – Sunrise. No money is being made from this work. The author (Evellin) is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media.

AUTHORS NOTES: Hey Everyone! As some of you may know, I am the author to the MA fanfic entitled 'Autumn'. -It is a very dark, angst filled fanfic which I love to death (and need to update... I know!) However, sometimes a girls' got to work on other writings.

'As it Will Be' is a story I have been developing for over a year. I know exactly what is going to happen and when. I know how this story will end. And let me tell you, I am SO excited for this one!

Each chapter will have at least one song that helped inspire it. -You can listen to the song, or not; not listening to it will not take away from the story. Though it might add a new level of emotion.

So without further gilding of the lily, I say, enjoy!

As It Will Be

By Evellin Greenwood

Chapter I – Sky Fall

Chapter inspiration – Skyfall by Adele - Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeumyOzKqgI

The end came upon a spring morning, drenched by a early-season storm.

With the heavens weeping, the final battle between bitter rivals came to a close. Great forces, numbering in the thousands, laid their lives down in the pursuit of peace or of power. Teams decided, and allegiances forged, Yokai, Hanyou and ningen alike, fought to the bitter end, many dying as martyrs. Though the count of casualties was too great to bear, the outcome of victor was undeniable. For it was she, who stood last upon the bloody field of battle; her unusual clothing torn by unimaginable strife and stained by the gore of countless foes.

Immortal though he was, the Inu Lord of the Western Lands would never forget such a sight; the young onna of a scant age, standing ankle-deep in the filth that was once Youkai; the ash of Naraku's vaporized form staining her skin. It was she alone who brought an end to the battle, taking the Spider's life with the release of her awesome power. Though terrible, the battle had raged for a mere hour before it was brought to a swift end with the dual between Miko and Hanyou.

It was true that most thought the girl incapable of such a feat, himself included. Yet here in the aftermath, looking upon the one named Kagome, the Inu Lord could not deny the fact that he had been wrong. Where once a young girl of no consequence stood, now, a powerful, beautiful young woman remained. It was during these last moments of battle, that Sesshomaru took notice of the Miko's blossoming, and it was now, in the quite aftermath, that he watched her with interest.

She stood alone, her back facing Sesshomaru as her eyes stared into the distance. Bathed in blood and partially naked due to the struggles of battle, the odd Miko remained perfectly still as purifying rain fell in thick sheets. Thoroughly drenched and noticeably shivering, the ningen neither moved to comfort herself, nor turned to look at her scattered, recovering companions. Rather, the one named Kagome remained still, her glorious raven locks drenched with rainwater and falling to the small of her back in clinging strips. With hands clasped tightly at her chest, the Miko held the completed Shikon no Tama with reverence, cautiously holding the earned prize from this last, terrible battle.

Though the war had been won, the mission had yet come to a close. There was one task that remained; a single wish of selfless love. This final act of bravery and kindness was required to fulfill the Miko's destiny. Yet as the Inu Lord stared upon the haggard looking onna, he felt a stirring of curiosity; would she be able to manage such a task?

As Sesshomaru watched the woman standing tall in the rain, the Miko turned, looking to the Inu with bright, sapphire eyes lined by tears. This sorrowful gaze instantly connected with that of his own, allowing sapphire to face down liquid gold. As a low rumble of distant thunder rolled over the lands, a gentle breeze fluttered past the Miko, and straight to the nose of the Inu Lord. Despite the heavy rain muting many of the scents around him, the aroma of the one named Kagome reached the Inu. The sweetness of sakura blossoms tickled his sense of smell, while the complex mixture of sorrow and joy mingled through.

It was with this cocktail of scents, that Sesshomaru gained knowledge of the Miko's current emotional standing. With this understanding, came an odd reaction; displeasure. Though joy of her victory hugged the Miko, so too did the tainted emotion of sorrow reside within her trembling body. And though it was unknown as to the cause of such a reaction, Sesshomaru could not ignore a small fact: he found the scent of her sadness unpleasant.

The Inu felt his brows furor slightly with this realization; what was it about this ningen Miko, that caused such a stirring? What was the truth to this enigma of a woman? Three years ago he first encountered this ningen within his fathers tomb. It was there that his first hint of curiosity was birthed; when the Miko had pulled his fathers fang. It was, however, when the fang protected her from Sesshomaru's venom, that true confusion was born. Ever since then, the great Daiyokai held an interest in the Miko. Though he would never admit to this fact, the truth remained; Sesshomaru had spent much of his time over the past three years, thinking of this enigma of a woman. Despite this span of time, he had yet to come to any conclusions regarding her unusual warm nature, forgiving soul and foreign mannerisms and dress.

Just as the Inu Lord was about to question the odd Miko of her peculiar temperament, the scattered companions of her ragamuffin group came trudging toward them, grouping about the Miko. It was with this that the demon-slayer, tear-stained by her grief for her now laid-to-rest brother, placed a hand upon the Miko's shoulder, encouraging Kagome to look from Sesshomaru's eyes and toward her friends. At first, Kagome refused; her brilliant eyes never retreating from the Yokai's burning gaze. However, as a few seconds passed, the Miko did just that; twisting her large, blue eyes from Sesshomaru's flashing orbs so she may look upon her allies.

“It must be done Kagome...” Sango said lowly, her voice cracked and mournful from the loss of her brother. “End it.”

The weak but still very much alive Buddhist monk nodded his head slowly, leaning heavily upon his staff as he stood next to his female lover, Sango. “You ended Naraku's life... Now end the source of his desire.”

“Keh... and wish for something good!” Inuyasha's brash voice added as his arms held the unconscious Miko named Kikyo ever closer to his chest.

It was with their words of encouragement that the one named Kagome blinked, turning her gaze to the blood covered ground. Her breathe hitched in her throat as her drenched raven locks fell about her face, clinging to her cool, silken flesh. It was some time the Miko stood as such, looking away from her companions to the filth that was once ally and foe. As a clap of thunder rolled over the lands, Sesshomaru watched as the ningen grasped the completed jewel ever tighter.

“...I'm afraid.” Kagome's voice whispered, her words strained by grief and weighted by mounting fears. Clearly the war was still being fought within the Miko's mind, the Inu mused silently as he watched this interaction between the four individuals.

It was when her words came to a close that the demon-slayer tightened her grip upon the Miko's shoulder. “I know...” She whispered in reply, her hazel eyes staring upon her friend with compassion and empathy. “But you must.” It was with these last added words that the one named Miroku, and the Hanyou Inuyasha, nodded once in agreement.

“I... I don't know what will happen. What if I make a mistake? What if something happens…? -I... I don't want to lose any of you.” Kagome suddenly choked out as her blue eyes looked upwards. While her words echoed through the air, her gaze fell upon each of them, landing first upon Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and to the Inu's surprise, himself. When her sapphire gaze finally looked upon Sesshomaru's burning amber eyes, the gravity of her sorrow and anxiety became known. Once more the Inu was surprised by the ningen woman, for it was within this tiny span of time that he learned a new truth; Kagome cared for Sesshomaru, just as she did the others.

“Bah... Get it over with, wench. Quit being such a weakling.” Inuyasha snapped, twisting his head as he looked from his hurting friend. His gruff words and uncaring mannerisms fooled no one; it was quite clear the dog-eared Inu was just as frighted as his ningen ally.

Turning to her Hanyou companion, Kagome's large blue eyes, lined by unshed tears suddenly lightened as a small smile twisted her full, pink lips. “Inuyasha... you jerk!” She laughed gently as she shook her head slowly, her voice edged with firmly rooted grief. However this small expression of lighthearted emotions was quickly replaced as her posture curled in on itself, defeated.

With a heavy sigh, she finally admitted, “I have dreamt of this moment for three years... And here we are. This is the end.”

Glancing once more to each of them, Kagome began to step back, adding space between herself and the others. “I believe I figured out a good wish. -I've been thinking about it for a long time... Problem is, I don't know if it will work as I plan.” Kagome murmured as she came to a still some fifteen feet from her previous location. With her words came a look of apprehension as her heart began to race. This was paired with the sharp tang of adrenalin as fear began to cloud the Miko's mind.

“Kagome...” Inuyasha suddenly intervened, his voice hesitant as worry pulled at his tone. A look of consternation twisted the Hanyou's features as his anxiety inspired his upcoming words. “...We will face it all.... together. Let the sky fall... just... just keep standing tall, Kagome.”

Sesshomaru felt the need to vomit. However his annoyance over his bothers emotional personality was quickly forgotten as the effects from his spoken words took effect. Kagome, once standing with uncertainty over growing fears, now began to lift in spirits. Her features began to lighten, and sapphire eyes lined by tears now looked into the Hanyou's gaze with insurmountable love. With the change of her physical demeanor, so too did the scent of the Miko. Though the residue of apprehension twisted upon the air, the clear and ever growing presence of self-assured confidence saturated the hilltop, signaling the change within the Miko. No longer was her scent weighed by fear. No longer were her shoulders slumped in defeat. Where an unsure, frightened girl once stood, now a confident, beautiful woman remained. She was ready; it was time.

Once more the Western Lord found himself dazed by a sight he would never forget. 'Who is this onna...?' Came the familiar question which echoed through the Inu's mind as his amber gaze burned upon the Miko's form. Water streamed down long legs, creamy in color and silken in texture. Green fabric, cut immodestly, hung in tattered shreds allowing scandalous views of a peculiar white loincloth. Mid-drift exposed, the Miko's full, feminine curves were heightened by white fabric torn by battle. Raven locks, full and thick, clung to her face and shoulders as they dripped with rain water. And all the while her bright eyes lifted from the outstretched jewel, to her surrounding comrades. When their eyes met for a third time, an unfamiliar and yet instinctively known emotion bloomed within the Yokai Lord's heart: longing.

Throughout the battle he, along with his half-brother, had saved the girl from a few mindless Yokai looking to take the Miko's life. At the time, Sesshomaru simply dismissed his actions as logical, for though the Miko was undeniably strong, her energy had to be preserved to ensure the purification of the Shikon no Tama. However, now, with this odd sensation of longing for the Miko, Sesshomaru realized a hard to swallow truth; he wanted to keep the Miko out of harms way. Not just for the benefit of battle, or for the upcoming holy wish. Rather, he wished to keep the Miko safe from all heartache. It was with this realization that he felt a muscle within his cheek, twitch. 'What has happened to me...?' the Inu thought, his mind shocked over the simple fact that he cared for the well-being of yet another ningen female.

While lost in his thoughts, Kagome clenched her hands into fists while blue eyes looked to her friends. “Hold your breathe...” Kagome whispered, her voice shaken from consuming fears.

Though several feet away, the Inu could make out her breathy voice slowly counting, her lips barely moving as she looked to the jewel in hand. The moment she counted to ten, her eyes flared with determination as her right hand reached for the sky, lifting the tainted Shikon no Tama high above Kagome's head. And then she faced her destiny.

“I WISH FOR IT TO BE, AS IT WILL BE!”

Kagome's voice echoed through the air. Her outstretched hand remained aloft. And when she burst into flickering pink flames of purification, silence rained from the sky.

Deafening stillness tore through the air, suffocating all in its wake. So heavy was this weighted lack of sound, that physical movement seem all but possible. It chilled the skin. It numbed the senses. And though the rain still poured, and the wind still blew, sound became a distant memory.

And then the ringing set in.

With slow, steady growth, a high pitched sound pierced the silence, tearing at sensitive hearing, and breaking through seasoned discipline. It was just as everyone reached for their ears in an attempt to prevent the insufferable onslaught, that the surrounding storm, and its torrential rain, came to an unnatural halt.

No longer did it rain. No longer did the wind blow. And though gray clouds still swirled above, an eerie supernatural sensation tingled through the air, causing skin to prickle.

With heart racing and eyes wide, Lord Sesshomaru twisted his gaze from the surrounding world, and toward the source to all this madness. What he witnessed would change him forever. -Held aloft, floating some two feet off the ground, the young Miko named Kagome appeared an ethereal goddess, her form glowing with the pure light of power.

Her eyes were wide open, staring upon her friends with a gaze infinite as time. She did not move. She did not blink. And just as her mouth parted in breathe, the insufferable ringing ceased, bursting the bubble of mounting pressure once encompassing the world.

And then she was gone.

One moment she was; floating upon the air, and glittering with pink fire. The next, she disappeared. Vanished. It was as if she had never been. But she had been. She had existed. Kagome was just as real as he, and yet now...

It took but a mere second after her departure that the universe righted itself. The rain instantly began as if it never stopped. The wind began to blow. And right on cue, a clap of thunder rolled over the hills, informing all that sound had returned.

It took but a few moments after the return of these earthly laws, that the mournful sobs began. Sango was first to fall, bitterly weeping as her knees sank into mud and gore. Shortly there after it was her lover, Miroku, who knelt alongside the demon-slayer, silent tears slipping down his cheeks. But it was Inuyasha, standing tall in the rain, holding the unconscious Kikyo, that seemed worst off.

The Inu Hanyou is well known for his brash attitude and melodramatic personality. Emotional, some-what selfish, and undeniably young in his maturity, Inuyasha is one to wear his emotions on his sleeves. And yet, not this time.

For some minutes, as his allies wept at the unnatural loss of Kagome, Inuyasha remained still. He did not turn to comfort his friends. He did not adjust his hold upon the undead Miko. Instead, the Hanyou named Inuyasha spoke not a word, nor shed a single tear. For some minutes, the young Inu simple was; neither existing nor non-existing.

And then he began to walk away.

No one attempted to stop him. No one bid him farewell. Not once did his Hanyou half-brother glance back, nor did he stumble in his slow departure. Rather, the silver haired Inu named Inuyasha exited this place of death and mystery, and began a journey towards the closest forest. However, before the Hanyou could travel far, Sesshomaru intervened.

What he witnessed today was a miracle. It was unnatural. To see a solid, living person suddenly vanish out of thin air... It was something he was not prepared to witness. Ever. -As a result, his perfected discipline vanished to an all consuming need; a need for answers.

“Inuyasha. You will tell me all that you know about the Miko named Kagome.” His full, baritone voice, filled with authority, achieved that which he sought. Just as his demand came to an end, Inuyasha made a swift and sudden halt. And with his back still turned to his older half-brother, spoke.

“What do you want, Sesshomaru?” His voice was uncharacteristically flat as if his soul was nonexistent.

“Answers.” Sesshomaru slowly yet confidently answered.

“Why?” Inuyasha probed further.

With golden eyes narrowing in frustration, Sesshomaru decided to humor his brother. “She is a mystery I wish to solve.”

Through the wind and rain, the Inu Lord could hear Inuyasha's heart flutter within his chest as his words stumbled from his lips. “You can't... Wont. Not anymore.”

“And why is that? -Where has she gone?” Sesshomaru asked, his tone taking on a slight edge with Inuyasha's presumptuous assumption.

And for a third time this day, a moment in which Sesshomaru would never forget, occurred.

Slowly Inuyasha turned, looking to his brother with golden eyes filled with a level of grief never seen nor experienced by the Yokai Lord. Here, turned only part-way, with eyes looking side-long, the silver haired Hanyou spoke the words in which he would never forget.

“It is not 'where', Sesshomaru. Rather, it is 'when'.”

With that, Inuyasha turned towards his destination. And as Sesshomaru watched in shock, staring as Inuyasha's slowly retreating back, unknown truths became apparent.

The war was done. The wish had worked. And this was, more than likely, the last time he would see his brother... And the girl who remained an enigma.