Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.

Final Shot

She saw him as he jumped, the Shikon no Tama streaming behind his hand. She shouted his name, and then, as he started to react, raised the bow into position and fired her final shot.

The shot should not have been possible. Her back was shredded from his savage claws. Her life was draining with her blood, and she could barely stand.

But, the shot was an archer's perfection.

There was no thought in that moment. No emotion, though it was the searing rage that gave her the strength to lift the bow. Every perception, every action, occurred without volition.

She watched, as if outside time, as the arrow slowly sliced through his chest, pierced his traitorous heart, and then sank deep into the sacred tree. She saw the shock in his eyes, and his aborted gasp. The necklace slipped from his fingers. The Shikon no Tama fell ... and fell ...

It hit the ground, and time returned. The bow clattered to the ground as she staggered. Only the bitter rage kept her upright, kept her going until she kneeled to pick up the cursed crystal. Ignoring the sealed betrayer, she used the rage to keep her mask in place as she gave instructions to her horrified sister.

Because she would not let him defeat her. She had wanted the fighting to end. She had wanted to become an ordinary woman. She had wanted to stop having to be inhuman, stop being emotionless perfection.

She had wanted a happy ending.

His betrayal denied her that.

But, she could at least, still protect the jewel from him. She would die and take the jewel with her, while he remained: sealed, neither alive nor dead, his soul trapped for eternity.

She would never have to meet him again.

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Author's Note: This was written for the Wilted Rose community on LiveJournal, for the prompt "Seal." It was originally published on February 1, 2010.