Porcelain
by Juul

A/N: IT'S FINALLY OVER! I'm so sad! Not really, but I think this was my best work at writing yet, if I do say so myself. Hope everyone liked it, and thanks to all my readers and reviewers. Peace!

Chapter 27: The Last Shard

It was over. Naraku was dead. Inuyasha and the others had gone back to Kaede's village. They had won. Miroku's wind tunnel was gone. Kohaku and Sango had avenged their village. Kaede had avenged Kikyo. Everything was almost perfect... except for one thing.

The Shikon Jewel was nearly complete. It had only one shard left to be put in place: The one in Kohaku's back.

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ONE WEEK LATER...

Kohaku sat on a log in the woods, a few yards away from Kaede's hut. He wanted to be alone, even in this time of rejoice and celebration. The boy stared at the starry sky above, reflecting. He had avenged his family and friends. He should be happy! Right?

"I can't fully be happy," said Kohaku to himself, "not knowing what I've done." He looked down at his hands. "I'm a monster."

He continued with his pensiveness, until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned his head, only to see Sango standing behind him.

"Hey," she said in a soft voice.

"Hey," said Kohaku.

"Can I sit here with you?" asked Sango. Kohaku nodded. Sango took a seat right next to her little brother. "Kohaku, I'm so happy to have you back."

The boy had nothing to say.

"It seems like lifetimes ago that we've been at peace," said Sango, putting her arm around Kohaku's shoulders.

"Yeah," said Kohaku. "A lifetime..."

Sango detected something off in his voice. "Kohaku?" She looked at him. "What's bothering you? You should be happy."

Kohaku looked away from her. "What's bothering me?" He paused. "Everything."

"What do you mean?" asked Sango.

"Look," said Kohaku, "How do I put this?" There was no easy way out of this explanation. "Sango, the Shikon Jewel's almost complete again..." Kohaku tightly shut his eyes, trying to hold back tears.

Sango shook her head, putting a hand over her mouth.

Kohaku nodded. "Sango, I just... I can't live like this! Knowing what I've done!"

"Kohaku!" said Sango. "That one piece of the jewel doesn't matter! We know where it's at and--"

Kohaku stood up. "No!" He looked at his sister with tears in his eyes. "I can't! It's not just because of the jewel shard! I cannot live like this! I'll always be guilty! Always! No matter what--"

"So will I!" Sango stood up. "Back at Naraku's castle, I was in a pure hell! I wanted to die back there!"

Kohaku couldn't stand himself at the moment. He fell into his sister's embrace and bawled his eyes out.

Sango held her brother, crying along with him.

"Kohaku, don't!" said Sango.

"I have to," said Kohaku.

The siblings looked at each other for the longest time, savoring every minute of that final embrace.

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The next morning, Inuyasha and everyone sat outside Kaede's hut, waiting anxiously for Sango and Kohaku's return.

"Where are they?" asked Shippo.

"I don't know," said Inuyasha.

"I'm a little worried," said Kagome, "Kohaku didn't seem too well last time I saw him..."

Kagura stood up, "Look, there's Sango!" The others stood up as well. Sango was walking down a path towards the hut.

"But where's--??" asked Kagome, and as Sango came into a better view, Kagome's question was answered.

Sango walked towards her friends, holding Kohaku. Sango was looking down at the ground, and it didn't take much to know that she was crying, and what had happened. Everyone was silent.

"Sango..." said Miroku.

Without looking up, Sango said to Kagome, "I have the last shard of the Shikon Jewel."

"Oh, Sango!" said Kagome.

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At sunset that day, Miroku and Kaede held a small funeral for Kohaku. Inuyasha and Miroku had buried him. Sango took it really hard, considering Kohaku was the only family she had left.

"Sango," said Kagura, "I'm really sorry it came down to this."

"Me too," sobbed the taijiya. Miroku put his arm around her shoulders.

"It's finally over," he said. "Everything is at peace, now."

In the battle over the Shikon Jewel, many lives were lost. All because of greed. Was it really Naraku? What was it, then? Desire? Envy? The longing of riches and a perfect life? Whatever it was, it will always manifest itself in many beings in many ways.