"Akame-san, please. Go ahead."
Rin stood with her hands behind her back, her head tilted slightly as she offered a warm, encouraging smile. Her expression was pure and untroubled, even in the presence of a Shenron capable of granting any desire in the universe.
"What a generous, straightforward little girl..."
"Hard not to like her."
"I wonder which lucky boy is going to end up with her someday."
Cu Chulainn rubbed his chin, genuinely impressed by the character Rin had shown at such a young age. To possess such virtue and kindness was a rare thing; she would undoubtedly grow into a woman of incredible spirit.
"Hey!"
Jaken broke into a cold sweat and barked a complaint at the Lancer. How could that man speak so flippantly? Jaken could practically feel the ice emanating from Sesshomaru's silent, sidelong glance.
"Heh. Just a joke," Cu Chulainn said, waving a hand dismissively. He knew who was watching him.
But even as he teased, Cu Chulainn noted Rin's resolve. To face a "Holy Grail" that actually worked and willingly cede its power to her Servant without a hint of regret... it was the kind of altruism that few Magi could ever comprehend. Rin might not have the tactical mind or the magical circuits of a standard Master, but she was exactly the kind of person any Servant would be lucky to fight for.
Master-Servant relations were notoriously volatile, often ending in betrayal or internal strife. To find such harmony and mutual understanding was the exception rather than the rule.
'A war unlike any Grail I've ever seen.'
Unlike the obsessed, extreme families of his home world, the people and demons here possessed a surprising level of basic decency. It was a stark contrast to the old magi who spent their lives chasing the Root, only to fail because they couldn't communicate with their own partners half as well as this little girl.
"Please... let my fallen comrades live again."
Akame lowered her head, the faces of those she'd lost flickering in her mind.
Tatsumi.
Mine.
Leone.
Lubbock.
Sheele.
Bulat.
Susanoo.
Chelsea.
They were all companions who had fallen in the long, bloody struggle against the Empire. Perhaps her subconscious reason for accepting the summon to this war was the hidden hope that they could all stand together one more time. Even if the Empire had been overthrown and they returned to a world of wanted posters and hiding, being alive was always better than the silence of the grave.
They deserved to see the future they had fought so hard to create. If they had any complaints about being brought back, Akame would accept them all.
"I UNDERSTAND."
Shenron's eyes flared with a lethal crimson. After only a moment's pause, it delivered its signature affirmation.
"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!"
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Akame let out a long, shaky breath. Whether it was true or not, the weight of the burden on her heart finally felt manageable.
"That's wonderful, Akame-san!" Rin chirped, her face bright with genuine joy.
"Yeah. Thank you, Rin."
Akame looked back at their journey, realizing that without her own combat abilities, she never would have made it this far, but without Rin's heart, she never would have found this resolution.
"Heh. Looks like this guy is nothing like the Shikon no Tama," Inuyasha remarked, his hand finally relaxing its grip on [Tessaiga]. "He seems pretty reasonable."
"STATE YOUR SECOND WISH."
The Eternal Dragon's voice boomed before anyone could process the first miracle.
"Wait... another one?"
"What?!"
"Huh?"
The group descended into a flurry of confusion.
"Wishes aren't limited to one?"
"IN THIS RITUAL... IF BOTH MASTER AND SERVANT REMAIN STANDING... TWO WISHES ARE GRANTED."
The dragon's brief explanation was enough for them to accept the "hidden bonus."
"Wait... in that case!"
Kirinmaru's hope, which had been extinguished moments ago, flared back to life. If Akame's wish was done, then the second one...
"Rin."
Akame looked at her Master, waiting for her decision. The first wish was hers; the second belonged to Rin alone. She could use it for herself or give it away.
"Hmm..."
Rin scanned the clearing. Her gaze lingered on Sesshomaru and Jaken for a moment, her expression clouded with thought. Then she thought of Miroku, who was still recovering from the miasma, and the late Kikyo... and the Great Demon King's wish for his daughter... and the efforts of everyone else...
Rin was too kind for her own good. She had too many wishes she wanted to encompass in one.
"I know!"
"This will definitely work!"
"If it can really grant any wish, then everyone should be happy with this!"
Rin clapped her hands together, a brilliant idea taking root.
"What?" Kirinmaru asked, unable to guess the girl's intent.
Even Sesshomaru and Jaken were watching her intently.
"Please... let everyone here have a beautiful and stable future!"
Rin raised both hands to the sky, shouting the most "idealistic" wish imaginable.
"..."
Shenron remained silent for a long moment, its ancient mind processing the conceptual parameters of such a broad request.
"Is... is that not allowed?" Rin asked, her voice small and hesitant. Was she being too greedy?
But the Dragon's eyes flared with a deep, authoritative crimson.
"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!"
"Really?!" Rin cheered.
In that instant, Sesshomaru, Rin, and Jaken felt a faint, shimmering connection weave between them.
'What is this...?!'
Jaken broke into a cold sweat, his pupils shrinking as he realized the nature of the change.
"What's wrong, Jaken? You look like you've seen a ghost," Shippo teased.
"Aaah... aaaah..."
"He did it... Rin's and my lifespans... they're now tied to Sesshomaru-sama's."
Jaken slumped onto his rear, muttering in disbelief. The "joke" Rin had made years ago--about wanting to stay with Sesshomaru forever--had actually become reality.
"Eh?"
The others looked on in shock. Sesshomaru maintained his high-and-mighty facade, his face a mask of indifference, but his father, Toga, could see right through it. His son was in an exceptionally good mood.
"Rion...!"
Kirinmaru suddenly let out a strangled cry and took to the skies without another word, flying toward the horizon as if his life depended on it.
"Grandfather! Your arm?!"
Moroha pointed at Toga. The limb he had lost to the Shikon no Tama's beam had been fully restored, and more than that--the spectral transparency of his Servant form had solidified.
"What is happening?" Kagome asked, looking at the rapid changes.
"YOUR WISHES... ARE REALITY."
"FAREWELL!"
Shenron's voice echoed like thunder as the dragon dissolved into a blinding light, the seven orbs scattering to the winds and vanishing from sight.
"Uh..."
"Grandfather... your presence..."
"Ah. It seems he brought me back to life completely," Toga remarked, flexing his new hand.
"That is so unfair!!"
"Sister! Miroku-sama is awake! And the miasma... it's completely gone!"
A cry of joy came from the side. Sango and Inuyasha whirled around to see Miroku sitting up, looking as if he'd just woken up from a long nap.
"Huh?"
"Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
Miroku tilted his head, confused by the intense gazes.
"You idiot... do you have any idea how worried we were?"
"Hah?! All I remember is using the [Wind Tunnel] and then..."
"Whoa... WHAAA--!! THE [WIND TUNNEL] IS GONE!!"
Miroku's memories were a blur of black shadow, but then he noticed the silence in his right hand. He frantically unwrapped the violet cloth, only to find a perfectly normal, unmarked palm. The void was gone.
Miroku and Sango shared a look of pure, unadulterated relief.
"Hahaha!! This is a surprise! Little girl, thank you for your help!"
"I, the Child of Light from Ireland, Cu Chulainn, acknowledge your path! If you ever have need of me, call my name, and I shall come to your side!"
Cu Chulainn let out a belly-laugh that shook the trees. He looked like he'd just won the lottery.
"Lancer? What happened to you?" Koga asked.
"Sorry, Master. I'm just happy."
Cu Chulainn shook his head, struggling to contain his joy. He had come to this war for the thrill of the fight, but Rin's wish had given him something more. In his status as a Heroic Spirit, he had been granted a unique skill: [Beautiful and Stable Future (A++)]. It allowed him to manifest as an additional Lancer or Caster in any Holy Grail War where his presence was needed, with his mana supplied by the Grail itself. He was now a "Wild Card" in the cosmic cycle.
"Why... why is this happening?"
Kagome's hands were on her head, her face flushing crimson.
"Don't look at me!" Inuyasha shouted, his own face turning red with embarrassment.
He had felt the connection too.
It was the same as Sesshomaru and Rin.
His and Kagome's lifespans were now intertwined.
For Inuyasha, it was the fulfillment of every secret hope he'd ever had--to be with her forever. But for Kagome, the implications were... 'stimulating.' Does this mean she'll outlive everyone she knows? Will she become some kind of 'ancient demon bride'?
"Man, you guys are weird," Moroha, Koga, and Rikuo said, entirely lost by the shift in the atmosphere.
As the others began to explain the nature of the miracles, the group finally settled into a sense of peace.
"It's hard to believe... but it's real."
"So there are 'fakes' and then there are 'the real thing,' huh?"
The comparison between the Shikon no Tama and the Dragon Balls couldn't have been more stark.
"Perhaps this is what a true god's handiwork looks like," Toga mused, looking up at the sky where the massive dragon had been. He could no longer sense any trace of the entity, yet its impact on their lives was absolute.
"So everyone got something... but why did Rikuo, Moroha, and Koga not change?"
"Even Shippo says he suddenly learned a whole new set of Kitsuneyoukai techniques."
The group turned their attention to the three who seemed unaffected.
"Hah! Who knows?" Koga said, not minding at all. "For me, the Shikon no Tama and Naraku are dead. That's a good enough future for me."
"Maybe the change is there, but we just can't see it yet," Rikuo said, returning to his human form.
"Hehe, maybe," Moroha added with a cheerful grin. She had met her parents and fought beside them; that was more than enough for her. She knew how to bring the "real" them back when she returned to her own era now.
"Tch. Who cares?"
"We're safe now, aren't we?" Inuyasha said, cutting through the philosophical chatter.
"Inuyasha is right. Worrying about the specifics of a miracle is a waste of time," Toga agreed. "Let's celebrate."
"I like that idea!"
The tension of the war finally broke.
"Hmph."
Sesshomaru watched the celebration for a moment, then turned to his father.
"Sesshomaru. Come with me for a moment," Toga said.
"Understood."
Sesshomaru knew what his father meant. His sudden resurrection would send shockwaves through the Western Lands. The remnants of their old kingdom, the hidden factions, those who had sought to fill the power vacuum--they would all be watching. The Kingdom of the West was about to be reborn.
"Man, what a ride."
"When are you planning on leaving?"
Cu Chulainn threw an arm around Rikuo's shoulder, a wide grin on his face as they prepared for the next phase of their journey.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
The Eternal Dragon is Shenron btw.